The Booming City

After the cloud-cover went sailing away, we did have sunshine, but accompanied by some pretty strong northwest winds which were sending some strong gusts in our downtown wind tunnels to the point where I had to stop walking towards the north because the wind was actually trying to blow me backwards. I think it must've been because I had my long all-weather coat on which was acting like a sail. Yes, that was definitely an experience I'll not forget anytime soon.

I had to take an early morning trip out of town which was somewhat of a delight because it must've been one of those November days where the landscapes were looking more like something out of a catalog containing Terry Redlin's prints. I found it remarkable when seeing a pair of Trumpeter Swans paddling around in the middle of the Shell Rock River, and not so very far away, there sat a pair of Bald Eagles perched high above on a shoreline tree, staring down on them. I thought it interesting that the swans appeared unbothered by their presence.

As of later this morning, another one of my listings happened to go under contract, and from the sounds of it, that sale will likely go sailing thru because the buyers will be paying cash and not asking for any inspections, so if I have time tomorrow, I'll be placing a sold sign out. With these past weeks not being the most pleasant outdoors, I dare say I've been having a good run at getting some listings and sales racked up. Yes, every day that goes by, I find myself sending soulful thanks out into the universe.

While getting caught up on the news today, I began to bristle when reading an article about our not so dear U.S. Senator from Iowa by the name of Joni Ernst, going on and on about how she's gonna 'make them squeal' in our Federal Government by cutting over a trillion dollars off the budget, while insisting she's been working on that plan for ten years. First of all, if I were a U.S. Senator, I definitely wouldn't be using such words because it sounds like something coming out of the mouth of a back-alley bully. I've now come to understand why I could never stand that woman. Oh, I wonder why she didn't chastise President Trump back when he initiated that trillion dollar PPP give-away which most tax people have insisted it being the biggest give-away in modern times. Oh that's right, she's steeped in partisan politics. I sure hope she also gets voted out when her six years is up, so she can go back to the farm and re-learn a few things she's likely forgotten.

On the brighter side, tonight's photo is another one of those slides from the 50's which was taken back when we were the booming city in the far north of Iowa. Since I have a City Directory for 1958, I was able to find the addresses of the pictured buildings, and when looking them up, I was definitely reminded how much of our original city we've lost to what some at the time called 'progress', but in the end, it believe it closer to a 'devolution'

First of all, Wolf Typewriter Co. was located at 401 S. Federal which is now part of that large vacant lot that's on the east side of S. Federal Ave., and directly south of Willow Creek. Next door at 403 S. Federal was Thomas Angelides' barber shop, and lastly to the south of those buildings at 409 S. Federal, was that large building containing Higley Cold Storage and Beck Brothers Real Estate and Insurance. For a very many years, the Becks were all part of a prominent and highly regarded family in our community.

Now if you happen to be driving past that large piece of land, just stop and consider how many buildings there were in that block, and then you'll realize how many other brick and mortar buildings our city has lost over the years, and if you think building those ticky-tacky apartments are filling those gaps, think again.

Tonight's One-liner is: The beginning of compunction, is the beginning of a new life.

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