Weekly Journal 2024-05-19

Saturday afternoon I attended the campaign kick off meeting for Jay Gorsh in Williamsburg. The event was lovely. Shade in the backyard, combined with a gentle breeze, helped us forget the ambient temperature was 87 degrees. It was a good gathering of new and old friends.

Shorter Shifts, Slower Progress

In between rain and sunshine I spent three solid shifts in the garden. The challenge is always weather, yet this year my stamina has been wanting. Five hours at a time has been my limit, especially when ambient temperatures are above 80 degrees. As I enter the final push before Memorial Day it seems unlikely everything will be planted by then.

Des Moines Neighborhood Sounds

While visiting my sister-in-law we discussed neighborhood sounds. I’ve hear the rooster that lives close by. There are typical yard work and mowing sounds. People tend to fix up their own homes there and the sounds of hammers, saws, and drills can be heard from time to time. She reported a nearby garage band playing. Acclimatizing oneself to neighborhood sounds is a part of fitting in, especially to one that was established more than a century ago in the capital city.

June 4 Primary Election

The consequential county races in the June 4 Democratic primary are among the five supervisor candidates. After thought and consideration, I decided on my three and put out their yard signs.

County primaries are quirky in Johnson County. There are a lot of factions and groups. For example, people in the labor movement favor Royceann Porter. A group of young progressives favor Mandi Remington who lost her bid for Iowa City City Council last November. Long time state legislators Mary Mascher and Kevin Kinney endorsed newcomer Bob Conrad. Rod Sullivan and Lisa Green-Douglass have served and are known entities. Sullivan seems like a shoe-in and it’s jump ball for the other two seats by the other four candidates. As they say, we’ll see what happens.

Black Hawk War

I began a reading project about the Black Hawk War. The first book is John Wakefield’s History of the Black Hawk War. Halfway into the main narrative, I’m not sure what to make of this racist tome. Likewise the inventories of forgotten men who served in military leadership has little relevance in 2024. One note is that a few years after settling in Illinois, a group of white pioneers was surprised that Black Hawk disputed their claim to the land and invaded from west of the Mississippi River to take it back. There are five books in the collection I created.

I need to get cabbages planted as they are growing too big in the greenhouse. Most vegetables in the greenhouse need to go into the ground soon. That will be the work of the coming week.