Michael Alden Hadreas, better known by his stage name Perfume Genius, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Photo Credit – Wikimedia Commons
Why are there no more geniuses?
That’s an easy one to answer. Our culture no longer recognizes people as being geniuses. But, you might say, what about Einstein, or Leonardo, or others? Weren’t they geniuses? The answer, of course, is yes they were, but we now call them geniuses only in hindsight.
Today we see people as people, innately of potential equality, with various forces at work which inhibit the realization of that potential.The case of women artists is one, there are others. There is a dangerous assumption here: that genius is a goal or state of being to which a person aspires. An individual begins a human like other humans and develops to become a genius. They go through a process, they progress. I reject this.
Genius becomes a function of being recognized as such. If a genius is “ahead of their time,” then they will not be recognized in their own time for their accomplishments. In short, genius, like all other words, is defined in a cultural context. As the culture changes, today’s geniuses might be tomorrow’s buffoons. We need a new word to describe genius. That word will not appear in the current American milieu.
~ This post was written in the author’s journal on June 14, 1981.
Rain and wind are blowing leaves from most deciduous trees, revealing squirrel nests in the canopy. Some, like the Pin Oak, hang on to their leaves until next year’s growth pushes them out. Most everything that’s coming down before winter has come down on the third day of stormy weather in Big Grove Township.
I set the election aside to focus on writing.
I’ve written about 60,000 words of the second part of my memoir. I feel I should start over. Writing the first part changed the way I look at writing memoir. I should incorporate what I learned, and will. That means a complete re-write of the outline and a chapter by chapter re-writing of the story. It will be a different book than what I first envisioned and hopefully more readable and engaging.
I left the story in Iowa City during the summer of 1981 just before President Ronald Reagan fired the PATCO air traffic controllers to break their strike. Reagan and his conservative progeny’s deconstruction of the world in which I grew up became a constant theme during my life. During summer 1981, they were just getting started.
There was a brief window of about a year before I proposed to my now spouse on Aug. 18, 1982. In that year, I lived in the Iowa City of which we’ve heard tell as a writer’s haven. I moved from my high school friend’s home to an apartment on Market Street. I found a job with the University to pay my bills. I sought to be a writer and did what many would be writers do near but not part of the writer’s workshop. It was something of a plan. It is important to recapture that time because in several ways, it is archetypal of what creative Iowans do to cope with this barren agricultural state which is increasingly devoid of creativity.
Because my focus was on writing, I have plenty of journal entries from that time to re-read. That summer, I compiled a number of my essays into a book called Institutional Writings. I printed 15 copies and distributed them to friends. I was determined to be a writer even though I wasn’t sure what that meant in 1981. Iowa City wasn’t a solution for me. It was more a transitional place.
I accomplished something significant today. I got started writing Part II. There is much to be done yet I’m moving, hopefully in the right direction.
I recently read The Cooking of Provincial France by M.F.K. Fisher, et. al. It raised awareness of how cuisine can be rooted in specific locales, based not only on locally-grown food products, but on the soil, air, and water specific to a place. Local residents literally spring from the landscape and food grown there, according to the authors. Regretfully, French cooking is immersed in animal products. Separate the dairy, beef, pork, lamb, fowl, and fish and it would not be French cooking. It cannot exist except in situ.
What does in situ mean?
In the United States, we have a long tradition of destroying places and then building settlements as if on a blank slate. Natural vegetation, evolved over hundreds of years, was razed, and replaced with farms. Then, when the farm couldn’t make it — even with government subsidies — it was parceled off and sold for residential properties.
We built our home in such a farm conversion and prepare varied meals in the space we built. None of it is native except for the harvest from our backyard garden. Those seeds and seedlings come from elsewhere and not here. The phrase in situ, in this context, includes some aspect of food grown locally.
It seems ironic that as much “food” as is grown in Iowa and in the fields surrounding our residence, most of the corn, soybeans, wheat, hay, and other commodities are not grown for direct human consumption. Much of these foodstuffs are used either in animal feed or as an ingredient in industrial processes like distilling ethanol, or making biofuels or corn syrup. In Big Grove Township, there is no in situ.
That’s not to say our household lacks a cuisine. Clearly it has a distinctive one. Perhaps the most characteristic food we prepare is tacos. That they are made from raw tortillas from the wholesale club, greens and tomatoes grown at home, and produce we sometimes grow ourselves and sometimes don’t, makes them ours. The Mexican oregano we use also lends distinctness to the dish.
The important thing is when I make tacos, I’m not trying to copy a dish I saw elsewhere. I’m creating something unique, from scratch, with ingredients we grew or have locally available. I use tomato sauce that varies a lot (just as each tomato picking is different). How I use each jar makes a difference in the outcome of the tacos.
While a few people I know grow shallots, chervil, and tarragon at home, the seeds to grow them did not come from here. They may be typical of French cuisine, yet are not of here. It is important not to get too precious about certain ingredients and where they come from. If I grow these, I use them until they are gone.
Over the years I posted many opinions about local food. Today I’m not sure that matters as much as I thought. What I learned was the idea of local food is constantly evolving. I continue to purchase groceries from a large, retail establishment on a weekly basis. That doesn’t make me any less interested in available local foods. Am I a purist? No, I am not. Being a purist about food does not make sense. It is challenging enough to keep track of what local food is available and where.
I leverage locally grown food when it makes sense. The dishes I prepare are not any less good. So, I’m here, I grow food, and I’m cooking. I am still a latecomer to the upper Midwest, one who is trying to get by. What else can I do besides enjoy what I make here?
I can’t get the general election off my mind so I’ll write about it again. This cycle will be my last dance as an activist.
Inevitably, I’ll attend a few events, donate money, and offer counsel when asked in 2026. I would like to see the governor thrown out of office, along with her coterie of Republican lackeys and extremists. At the same time, I plan to scale back my political work going forward. It is time for the next generation to take the reins of this political wagon. In many ways, they already have.
Every political poll I read shows the candidates for president and for our congressional district within the margin of error. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that some long-time Republicans plan to vote for Kamala Harris because of the sh*t show the Trump campaign has become. Whether they will go beyond the top of the ticket is something not asked by people who discovered hidden Harris-Walz votes. We’ll see how it goes, yet on Sept. 15, Trump’s lead in Iowa shrunk to within the margin of error at 47-43 percent.
I don’t believe Trump is planning to win the old fashioned way by getting the most votes. I don’t see him doing anything to get more votes. It is widely expected Harris will lead in the popular vote.
Regarding the outdated electoral college, it is too close to call in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Arizona, Nevada, New Hampshire, and Georgia. Trump is believed to have a plan to steal the election by creating so much confusion on and after election day with regard to state level electors that the U.S. House of Representatives will decide who is the next president. Or maybe it will take another form. It’s anyone’s guess today whether that is even possible. I have no doubt Trump has a plan to win any way he can to the detriment of our Democratic Republic. His plans are not about us, they are about him.
Christina Bohannan winning the First District Congressional seat would be a big deal. It would be a return to normalcy after having a congresswomen who keep her lips close to the rear end of Mike Johnson and Donald Trump. The magic eight ball is hazy on that race.
I was the only person on the state park trail Monday morning. It is often like that. I walk at a quick pace to keep my heartbeats per minute above the goal rate. So far I have been able to get in at least five walks per week. It is likely for the best no one was around because I would stop and talk politics with anyone I know, defeating the effort to raise my heartbeats per minute.
A week from the election there are some positive signs. Not enough to lift the tension that keeps us on the edge of our lives. At seven days to go, I’m ready for this thing to be over. So is most everyone I know.
Since 1982 I’ve grown vegetables where I live. I planted them in every home or apartment but one (we had mature black walnut trees to forage there). If I rank the 2024 garden with others during the 43-year period it goes in the upper third. Not the best, not the worst, better than average.
I planted five of seven plots this year. There was not enough time or energy to get them all planted. Likewise, I’m not sure we need seven vegetable plots for our household. Some year, maybe next, one of them will be converted to flowers, and another to a raised herb garden. Likewise, the northeast plot, next to the oak trees, is not the best location to get sunlight. That plot needs conversion to some kind of garden shed with a border planting of more flowers.
The main plot problem was that in combining the two largest plots into one fenced area, the fence did not serve as a deer deterrent like it did in the smaller plots. In the past, the close proximity of all the fencing deterred deer from jumping in for lack of a landing space. Opening it up made the leap more attractive. I like the large plot, but if I persist, I need to put ten-foot fencing around it. In 2025, I should split them back up as I don’t want to spend the money for a deer fence.
Garlic. I built a burn pile over the stump of a locust tree in hope of burning it out when the drought abates. I don’t know if that will work, but I could reclaim the whole plot for vegetables again. This year I used it for garlic, which grew okay, except there is a significant percentage of cloves with some kind of fungus. I segregated the heads that appear to have the fungus and was able to find plenty of clean heads for next year’s seed. I peeled the infected ones, removed the bad spots from the cloves, and pureed them in a blender with extra virgin olive oil (see photo above). We’ll see how those preserve, but it is a good use of damaged cloves. It is Oct. 28, and I don’t have next year’s crop planted. I walked the planned plot and just need to do the work before the ground freezes solid. Garlic can even be planted in the spring, although that’s not what most farmers do.
Tomato plot map, 2024.
Tomatoes. It was a good year for tomatoes. I had plenty of cherries, plums, and slicers to meet our needs and give some to the local food bank. The map above indicates the varieties I planted. The Amish Paste, Granadero, and San Marzano were made into tomato puree which was mostly used fresh or canned. There was an abundance of cherry tomatoes, with them coming in first and lasting until the first hard frost. The slicers — Better Boy, Abe Lincoln, Goliath, Black Krim, Brandywine and Yellow Brandywine — provided a long season and adequate variety. The Yellow Brandywine did not produce much but the fruit was tasty and adequate in quantity.
Failures. Onions, Turnips, Radishes, Celery, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Green Beans, Bell Peppers, Peas, and Okra did not produce as expected. Part of this was planting in the extra large plot mentioned above where seedlings became deer food.
Potatoes. My tub method of growing potatoes worked again this year, keeping the small rodents from eating them first. This is a time-tested practice and I’m glad to have developed it. It works.
Cucumbers. An adequate crop with plenty of varieties. Not too many. I was able to can all the pickles I need until next year. There were plenty for eating fresh and donating to the food bank.
Hot Peppers. There were enough to get by until next year with preserved blends of peppers, onions, garlic and vinegar in the refrigerator. I always have more than I use. There were plenty to use fresh. I have a backlog of dried peppers in the pantry. I began turning some of them into powder to use to repel bugs.
Cruciferous Vegetables. It was a light year due to the big plot situation. Luckily, there is plenty in the freezer from last year. I could stand to grow a few more cabbage.
Fruit. It was the off year for the main apple trees. I did get some Zestar! and Crimson Crisp and made applesauce to use fresh. The pear tree produced in abundance and we ate fresh fruit while it was in season.
Row Cover. The covered rows are the best part of the garden. I get plenty of early lettuce and bok choi. There was basil, parsley and sage in abundance. When I mention a raised herb garden above, the intention is to put as much of it as I can under row cover. I need to work through succession planting so the supply of lettuce is continuous for a longer period of time.
Gardening was worth the work in 2024. I plan to put in another in 2025.
Apple season is winding down with farmers selling from their coolers. In the cycle of local produce, society and nature lay down such markers that winter is near.
There are signs of the change in seasons all around. Yesterday I noticed a gigantic flock of pelicans near the state park trail. They stretched for half a mile along the east-west axis of the center of the lake. As it is for migratory pelicans, it is time for us to refuel and move on.
While at the farm store last week, a woman told me that what I saw was the last of fresh vegetables. I bought a big bunch of kale and three bell peppers. We’re on to pumpkin season now.
Election day is always a sign winter is coming. In the even numbered years we have federal elections and in the odd, state government and school boards. I almost always have some yard signs up and as we approach election day, they become surrounded by the fallen leaves of deciduous trees in our yard.
It’s open enrollment for Medicare. I encourage my readers to ditch any form of Medicare Advantage and get on the real program. As we age, our health care needs increase as do related expenses. There is no reason to give a cut of this cash exchange to insurance companies. It costs significantly less to the government if we choose the real deal.
Due to lower overnight temperatures I added wool blankets for the bed. I am at two presently and a third stands ready for service in the closet. I brought two of them back from military service. Making woolen blankets for soldiers is something the U.S. Government did well. These will continue to serve as long as I have them.
I adjusted my Goodreads reading goal from 56 to 52 books this year. I took on some long books last summer, and am running behind. While the book count is lower compared to last year, the number of pages read is about the same. Last year, I read 69 books. I read more than 50 every year beginning in 2020.
Lastly, I’m going through my winter collection of sweatshirts to see what needs replacing. I’m unlikely to buy anything new this year. As a septuagenarian, my sense of style, or styling an outfit is minimal. I thought about making a series of brief style videos showing my daily outfits for a month or so. Frankly, my style varies little from day to day. It’s a choice of which jeans, which t-shirt and which socks for the most part. I don’t really accessorize at all. Not sure there is a market for that type of video.
Pelicans won’t stay here long. The next big project is to take up the second volume of my memoir after the election. I’m pretty sure the renewal of effort will drag on into December. I have a full year’s work to do to get the book suitable for publishing.
Whatever you do, if you are a U.S. citizen, be sure to make a plan to vote on or before Nov. 5. So much depends upon the outcome of the general election.
The contrast between our major presidential candidates could not be more stark. On one hand a candidate promises to be a dictator on day one of his administration and praises Hitler’s generals, wishing his would be like them. On the other hand, Kamala Harris represents everything good about our imperfect American Democracy.
I continue to do two or three things daily to contribute to Democratic wins on Nov. 5. At the same time, I realize I’m not only working for a particular result from the election, but setting the stage for the future. The relationships built during the next two weeks will strengthen as the winners become known. The election doesn’t end with vote counting, the inauguration, or much else related to process.
Going forward we must build a better America, one that includes everyone, one built on personal relationships. This will be challenging, yet more so if the Republican is elected. It must be done for the benefit of all.
Neither will the work end on election day. What seems clear is we have 13 days until tomorrow. We must ask ourselves what kind of tomorrow we want and work to get there. May the year 2024 be a turning point in American society. One that brings hope for a better life for our country and its people.
Working together, we can make that possibility a reality.
Secretary of State’s office in Cook County, Illinois.
During the period 1987 until 1993, I spent a lot of time in Chicago. We lived in Lake County, Indiana just across the Illinois-Indiana line, yet for a while I worked in the loop for Amoco Oil Company. My work took me often to truck driving schools in Chicago and throughout the upper Midwest, where regular people attempted to work through changes in society originating in the Ronald Reagan administration.
I recently stayed overnight in a working class neighborhood in Cook County. The mostly younger folk who live there can’t afford to buy a home and apartment rent is very high. It takes multiple working people to make ends meet in a single apartment. It is difficult to see how today’s working class can get ahead.
I arrived in late afternoon and everyone in the household gathered in the kitchen as dinner was prepared. While attempting to help, our child told me twice, “I got this.” I stepped back and enjoyed the conversation and studied the meal preparation process. It seemed a very Middle Class experience, which I appreciated.
The purpose of the trip was to spend time with our child before the election. We didn’t talk politics much, yet I recommended a vote for Jan Schakowski in Illinois’ 9th Congressional District where they live. Schakowski seems like a solid Democrat and a reliable House vote where there is a narrow division between Republicans and Democrats. The rest of the political discussion had to do with the Israel Hamas War and the apparent lack of a spine among most members of government who work in Washington, D.C. Short version: We know where Republicans want to go. What will Democrats do to represent liberal values? Like many, I can’t wait for the election to be over.
Errands included a trip to the Secretary of State’s office in Deerfield. Taking care of business is easy there, from security standing outside the entrance screening arrivals, to an efficient way of processing customers. Richard J. Daley, the last of the big city bosses would have smiled at the efficiency. Of course, changing a voter registration was easy because, “this is Chicago.”
We made a trip to Costco where I paid for a cart mostly full of “protein items.” That means beef, pork, chicken, hummus, and sausages of indeterminate origin and recipe. I added one of the rotisserie chickens for which the chain store is well known. The purpose was to provide options other than simple carbohydrates for meal preparation. When money is tight, folks lean into pasta, rice and bread for meal calories. The shopping trip was designed to create options. One of the first tasks upon returning to the apartment was dividing everything between the refrigerator and freezer to spread out use of the items.
It was a bit weird for a vegetarian to buy so much meat. Our child was raised vegetarian yet became an omnivore upon exposure to the broader world beginning in college. I feel comfortable with the purchase for two reasons: I worked in a meat packing plant and am familiar with where meat comes from. In visiting our child in other apartments, I found meat items in the freezer and was able to prepare a meal for us with them (I know how to cook). I do a lot of meal preparation in our home, where one of us if vegan. Labels like vegetarian, omnivore, and vegan have lost meaning in my life. I should really say, “I am mostly vegetarian” yet that doesn’t really capture it.
From years of driving into and through Chicago, I am comfortable while driving. I continue to use WBBM AM Radio for traffic reports “on the eights,” and Google maps for directions. A driver must be attentive when working the Chicago interstate highways, yet they seem well-organized and efficient. Years of experience, combined with modern communications, makes it easy to find my way. There is value in that.
I continue to do two or three things daily to contribute to Democratic wins on November 5. I don’t know how successful I will be, but every step forward is of value.
After my bout with COVID-19, I gained a different attitude about writing. I don’t believe that will resolve at least until after the election. I’ve been thinking of the second part of my memoir, yet I’m not quite ready to begin revising and writing. Outside the election, I don’t have much else to say.
In the works are pieces about Cook County, Illinois, a garden report, and then, beginning on election day, I will cover our local elections. After that, who knows about this blog. COVID and related illnesses remind me that life is short. I want to finish my memoir as a first priority.
Speaking of my memoir, I have a dozen copies out among friends and family. I’m waiting for feedback before deciding whether to make the book more available. Lots of folks I know are working on the election, so that may not be resolved until the end of the year.
Thanks to all my daily readers of this blog. There will be more posts, although I can’t say when. Here is what the book cover looks like.
I expect the Republican nominee for president to declare victory shortly after the polls close in California on Nov. 5, regardless of how many votes are counted. It’s his thing and it will tired us constantly until the next president is sworn into office on Jan. 20. When Trump loses, his malarkey will drag on past inauguration day. Dude may not be able to put two coherent sentences together, yet saying he lost to Kamala Harris is not in his vocabulary.
I’m not saying Harris will win the election. Voters need to speak. I am a reasonable person and attempt to follow logic in seeing the election unfold. What I do know is Republicans swept Big Grove Precinct in 2020. The margin with which Trump won here was small enough we could flip it to Harris with 18 more votes. Whether that will be done is an open question on October 16 as early voting begins in our county.
A lot of balls are in the air three weeks before the election. The main issues are a strong economy, the Hamas-Israel War, Republican efforts to flood the stream with malarkey to discourage voters from voting, and a general inoculation injected into the body politic during the first Trump administration. We became tolerant of lies, extreme hyperbole, and the egregious actions of Republican state government: enough so to let them flow through our hair like warm water from a shower head. Only we never fully cleanse the toxicities.
To say it plainly, my expectations are low.
That doesn’t mean I gave up. Clearly, I didn’t. I also admit it takes more work than expected to help people make a plan to vote. I plan to continue to do that work.
Journey Home 
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