Monday, a week before Labor Day.  It’s early, and all is quiet outside.  Traffic is minimal.  The atmosphere is like a relative silence before an anticipated storm breaks with fury and unforeseeable destruction.

There has been civil unrest in Portland, Oregon and Kenosha, Wisconsin.  In those places members of Trump-world, armed, and intent on making a statement, have clashed with demonstrators protesting the continued killing of Black citizens by police.  Individuals have been killed in both places by armed citizens, counter protesters or protesters.  That’s civil unrest.  I understand that the President has a visit planned for Kenosha.  He is driving toward a second term: the Lord of Misrule.  I can think of no better description of his rationale for a second term.  He is a peasant, a mock-King, who in his case seeks appointment by the voters to oversee the reveries (making America great) to come.

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We took a long walk yesterday afternoon into the neighborhood.  I took a few photos which captured the sense of viewing the many styles, and vintages of homes on our side of Batavia.  A yard sign posted by someone captures our aspiration for relating to our neighbors.  Kindness is the entrée to potential friendship.  We have more in common than we know.  Why not take a chance and become acquainted?  Sure, there’s risk.  The alternative, remaining in one’s walled-castle-of-isolation ensures loneliness, —  a sterile remainder of what’s-left-of-your-life.

The Rose of Sharon shrubs are in bloom.  They bloom aggressively, prolifically at the end of the summer.  Their blossoms are bold, colorful just like humans are meant to be.  We can become bold and colorful as long as we are not stunted by fear.

Finally, we came upon chalk drawings on the sidewalk surface by the rear parking lot of Batavia High School.  The drawings fragile, ephemeral, nevertheless showed a high level of artistic development.  Here is just one of the half dozen, all different.  My guess is that a student with several drawing courses under his/her belt drew these as a celebration of the inception of the school year.  What’s more exciting than another leg of the journey?

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This Rock tune is “just right” for this time in which we live.

Dancing In The Dark

lyrics by Bruce Springsteen

I get up in the evening
And I ain’t got nothing to say
I come home in the morning
I go to bed feeling the same way
I ain’t nothing but tired
Man I’m just tired and bored with myself
Hey there baby, I could use just a little help

You can’t start a fire
You can’t start a fire without a spark
This gun’s for hire
Even if we’re just dancing in the dark

Messages keep getting clearer
Radio’s on and I’m moving ’round my place
I check my look in the mirror
Wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face
Man I ain’t getting nowhere
I’m just living in a dump like this
There’s something happening somewhere
Baby I just know there is

Can’t start a fire
You can’t start a fire without a spark
This gun’s for hire
Even if we’re just dancing in the dark

You sit around getting older
There’s a joke, here somewhere and it’s on me
I shake this world off my shoulders
Come on baby the laugh’s on me

Stay on the streets of this town
And they’ll be carving you up alright
They say you gotta stay hungry
Hey baby I’m just about starving tonight
I’m dying for some action
I’m sick of sitting ’round here trying to write this book
I need a love reaction
Come on now baby gimme just one look

Can’t start a fire sitting ’round crying over a broken heart
This gun’s for hire
Even if we’re just dancing in the dark
You can’t start a fire worrying about your little world falling apart
This gun’s for hire
Even if we’re just dancing in the dark
Even if we’re just dancing in the dark
Even if we’re just dancing in the dark
Even if we’re just dancing in the dark
Hey baby

The biggest hit of Bruce Springsteen. It reached the number-two position on the Billboard Hot 100. The album this track belongs to is the best-selling album of his career.