As the leaves start to fall here in the Asylum by the Sea, Cobina’s lumbago acted up this week cuz o’ the sudden change in the weather. It’s heating season again, sweetie pie. The temps are below 40 in these parts, and it’s gonna be jest a few more days and Jack Frost will be appearing on our windows. Yew can feel the rawness in the air, and with it will come a few more trees giving up the ghost.
A certain fellow who advertises with us came in t’other afternoon and lamented that his list of clients so far has been rather light. He cleans gutters and setch as a means of making a living. With the lateness of the leaves turning around here, most of his work has been more in the inland and valleys hereabouts, where the cold has been around longer.
Watch. In a couple o’ days, the leaves will be coming down faster than we can keep up, and before you know it, the trees will be bare for the winter’s onset.
As yew might expeck there was rejoicing around McDonough Plaza last week as the high school renovations took a big step forward. The traditional “topping off” of the last girder took place for the foist phase of the project. The steel superstructure is up, and smiles were seen all around.
As yew might already know, the plan is to turn the front entrance of the school from its present location to where the courtyard is currently. Effen yew look at the steel structure, it looks somewhat like the artist rendering that is used in the PR.
Tennyrate, Cobina’s interest in this is somewhat selfish, but somewhat magnanimous. About 20 years ago, we got a letter that related a story. The story was the McDonough for whom McDonough Plaza is named was the chairman of the building committee when the old school was built in the 1960s. It was promised that something would be named after him upon his passing, but nothing ever was.
We got into the mix when we opined that the plaza in front of the main entrance should be named after him – a suggestion that was readily accepted by the powers that be. With the change of footprint, we think the area in front of the main entrance should continue to be named after the man, who did so much for the city. He wasn’t honored until there was a push. Let’s not forget him now that things are being changed.
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As yew might have noticed, Ed Granfield, chairman of the Charter Revision Commish, has given us an update as to the workings of his panel over the last several months. It’s an interesting read effen yew git the chance. Sammy Bluejay was in whilst we were looking it over the other day, and sez that he’s surprised how much the commish was able to do.
Sammy, who perched himself outside the meetings on occasion, mentioned that unlike the last several attempts at charter revision over the last two decades, this one seems to be less influenced by the political movers and shakers who seem to git their noses into these things. Judging from what Granfield is relating, not only has the commish taken its responsibilities seriously, they’ve given themselves a course in Civic 101 in order to understand how things work.
Granfield’s biggest lament is that whatever recommendations the commish comes up with, it is the City Council that has to give its imprimatur on the matter before it goes to the voters. In other words, the politicos will still have an influence if they decide the changes proposed by the commish are a bridge too far.
Whilst Sammy understood that, he said there is still an opportunity for the commish to go over the heads of the Council effen the members believe they are making the right decisions. That option: referendum. Any decision by the council is subject to a referendum, and can be had by petition. The number ain’t all that high given the fack that our recent elections have been on the low-turnout side. There’s a thought to masticate on. Effen the council takes a hatchet to the work of the commish, the commish can decide to put it to the voters anyway. It’s jest a thought, but one for the commish – and the politicos in town – to contemplate as they move toward that phase of the process.
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Nelly Nuthatch came over and mentioned that the signage that has been popping up like toadstools is continuing to propagate across the berg. As we get closer to next month’s election more and more lawns seem to be infested with signs for this or that candidate.
Also, there seems to be an increase of photo-ops that are coming this way for publications in our little papyrus. Some are noteworthy whilst others are jest grins-and-grabs – that’s newspaper for awards and/or check presentations.
Colby Dreissens of fond memory used to say about this time: If they can send it in, they can pay for it. He used to put a halt to gratuitous news releases and photos about two weeks before election. Of course, the thing we haven’t seen yet – but “yet” is the operative woid – is the flurry of endorsement letters. Give it another week, and we’re sure those things will start arriving via the post or more modern means.
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Iva Lootey noted that Dickey Blumenthal was in town this week to tout something or t’other about funding for the city’s beaches. Blummy, who made a jackass outta himself in the Kavanaugh hearings, is still not the favorite of many people in these parts. He especially came under criticism during those hearings with his attempt to call Kavanaugh a liar.
Funny thing was whilst he was calling the jurist a liar, he seemed to have not a whit of self-awareness. Either that or he thought no one would commint on it. Remember, he lied about his service during the Viet Nam War, and had to make big apologies. The only thing that saved him was the fack that in this state Jack Ketch could run for office with a “D” next to his name and he’d still win. Don’t know who Jack Ketch is? Look it up.
Blumenthal is a fraud, and embarrassed his state with his antics. The problem is that in this area, anything a “D” does seems OK with the rank-and-file.
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Our story last week about the three buddies who perished during the sinking of a ship in 1943 was something that a lotta people were interested in. Also, effen yew think yew’ve heard the name before John Cox, one of the three, is an award given to a WHHS hockey player, who shows excellent leadership and sportsmanship. It’s one of the oldest awards given by the Penalty Box Club, and goes back to the founding of the organization in the 1940s.
Though it was 75 years ago, Cobina had a hole in her heart reading about those brave souls and the terrors that happen in times of war. In this day and age when people seem to lose sight of what’s really important, stories like this can only give people perspective.
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With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,