Well, Labor Day is gone, the fireworks have been boomed, the kids are back in school, and summer is now all but officially over. Cobina still gits a bit sad around this time o’ year. When she was a young gal, as yew quite remember, it was cuz she knew school was beginning and the fun days of summer were behind her fer another year.
Now, it’s jest that another season is gone in our long lives, honey bunch, and the days are getting noticeably shorter, and the sun angles have become more fall like. Before you know it, the snow will be flying, and the shovels will be out.
And, before yew git too dour about the season changing, there are two festivals coming up before things really start to turn toward fall: the Westfest on Sept. 18 that is usually on the Green, and is a town-and-gown collaboration with UNH and the city; and, the Congregational Church hosts the Apple Festival at the end of the month. That can be either in the warmth of late September or the cold of early autumn. I remember that as being very cold a few years, and very warm in others.
Still, the Mystick Maidens of the Marsh had a grand ole time at the fireworks last weekend, as the firecrackers weren’t the only thing that ended this centennial year with a bang. The gals were all hootin’ and hollerin’ and having a grand ole time. But we all know the fireworks ain’t done yet. There’s a primary that’s gonna have some interest we are sure.
But before we git into that, this lit’le corner of the universe had its second major storm in as many weeks with the remnants of Hurricane Ida passin’ through. And before you start crooning “Ida, Sweet as Apple Cider,” ala Al Jolson, things were quite something around here, I can tell yew.
Luckily, we didn’t git the big flooding around here as they did upstate and in New Yawk. But, the famous railroad viaducts along Morgan Lane, Campbell Avenue and Washington Avenue filled up faster than a bath on Saturday night. Whenever those areas flood it kind o’ cuts off parts o’ the city from others, effen yew don’t know how to woik around them, it could be quite an adventure.
Sammy Bluejay came by and sez that whilst the rain was quite something, we were lucky the wind didn’t reach the levels the talking heads on the telly said they might. Frum whot I understand, trees were perty sturdy this time around. Yeah, a few came down, but nuthin’ like other storms. And, we didn’t have electrical problems – always a plus.
Still, some people had flooding problems cuz of the way their houses were constructed. We know of one family that got flooded out cuz water drained toward the domicile and cuz said domicile was on a slab and had no basement, the water went where it would – in the house.
Needless to say, with the temperatures seeming to cool off follying the storm, maybe we’re through with the Hurricane Season in these parts, but one nevah knows when it comes to New England. As Samuel Clemens was once heard to say, “If you don’t like the weather in New England, wait a minute.”
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Of course, Sammy wanted to talk about the storm, but he also wanted to talk about the coming primary. Cobina mentioned to Sammy the same thing she mentioned to yew last week, this primary has been a real dud when it comes to excitement. In past years we used to have stories of vandalism, signs being stole, etc. Now, I ain’t lookin’ for those days to come back, but these” Rose Garden Campaigns” as they were once called can be perty boring.
And, we know that the city’s Demmies are split “in tre partes” so to speak, but in order for the incumbent to be unseated, one would think the challenger, in this case John Lewis, would be putting out releases and making statements as to why he, rawther than the incumbent, should be chosen to be the party nominee.
Unless Cobina’s been asleep for a couple o’ weeks – not that I wouldn’t relish that idea – setch a thing has not happened. Still, yew know that the vote is probably gonna be somewhat close. Primaries are not the biggest drawing card when it comes to gittin’ bodies to the polls. So, whomever gits the more bodies out, wins. We’ve seen some perty interesting results over the past few go-rounds. Heck, herroner’s primary win over O’Brien in ’17 was about as close as any we’ve seen. And, we’ve seen some perty close calls over the years.
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Nelly Nuthatch, meanwhile, wanted to talk about the GOP side o’ things. Y’see, there was supposed to be a primary, and things seemed to be going along toward setch a thing when it was found out that one of Steven Mullin’s petition sheets had an error, and it negated signatures. As it was, he only got six over the required number, and methinks I hoid 19 signatures had been disqualified. That meant he had to withdraw.
What remains now is whether the party will coalesce around Barry Lee Cohen. Nelly sez on the surface that seems to be happening, but then, no one is really sure.
It ain’t no secret that Cohen is a rawther single-minded fellow with definite ideas. Yew can like him or hate him. He’s that kind o’ individual. He certainly ain’t the vanilla-type candidate that the GOP has put out over the last several “election cycles.” We shall see effen he can git a fire under people as we git toward the general election.
The one thing the lack of a primary did do was save the party from delving into its war chest – setch as it is – and save any expenditures for the Nov. 2 election. That could be a difference in a few votes. Last time around, the party’s coffers were emptier than Old Mother Hubbard’s cupboard, and trying to git the message out was, er, difficult.
With Cohen, who can be strident, outspoken, and sometimes abrasive, the Republicans are getting a candidate that – to say the least – people can’t ignore. And, over his foist term on the council he has brought some good ideas to the group, whether they think so or not. Remember, around here it’s all about party labels. George Washington would have been ignored in this berg effen he didn’t have the right label.
We shall see how things progress, won’t we?
The person we feel sorry for in this whole mess is Colleen O’Connor. Who sez lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place? She got taken off the endorsed slate the night of July caucus by a technicality of people putting the wrong name down. And cuz of that she had to petition under Mullins in order to git back on the ballot when it was found out the GOP fudged up its filing dates. She kind o’ got caught in the crossfire of the back-and-forth in the party.
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Tis hard to believe that it’ll be 20 years since 9/11. Cobina remembers we were in the old office on Savin Avenue. It was a fine, sunny Tuesday. Our esteemed editor went up to see Grace Predom, who ran a bookkeeping office in the building, and that’s when he hoid about the first tower being hit. And then he saw the hit of the second one.
T’was quite a day, and quite a couple o’ weeks. And it seems things have deteriorated since then effen yew git m’drift. Things haven’t righted since then, and politicos and others are getting more shallow and more strident. We remember those who were lost that day, and those who’ve been lost since, and we pray for ‘em, Felicia. Sometimes that’s the best thing we can do.
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People are still wonderin’ why all these trees are coming down – even ones that are nowhere near power lines. Heck, there’s tons of wood laying all over the place, and big trees are being cut down. It’s a shame. Cobina ain’t no tree hugger, but why healthy trees are being cut down is a mystery to these ole bones.
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With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,