May 8, 2021
Happy spring!
I hope it is going well for you. I have been enjoying watching the maple tree seed helicopters flying gracefully downwards to the earth. It seems like it was only a month ago when the first leaves started showing up on these bushes,
and a month before that when things were blanketed with snow.
Now it is May and there is a May-or-al election coming up here in Omaha. The incumbent is Mayor Jean Stothert, who has not been on my good side for a number of reasons, including the following:
· removal of bike parking areas in downtown Benson
· handling of protests related to the shooting death of James Scurlock (police seem to have used rubber bullets unnecessarily to intimidate peaceful protestors, there were mass arrests, and Mayor Jean did seem concerned, but mostly only after the bad publicity started to emerge)
Mayoral candidate RJ Neary is a staunch advocate for the following items that I also feel strongly about:
· developing infrastructure to improve opportunities for bicycling, walking, and buses
· addressing racial inequality
So that was an easy decision.
Another easy decision: some spring cleaning.
Maybe your bathroom is outdated, dilapidated, and prone to clogging and leaking? Out with the old and in with the new!
We also got a new tree planted,
which will hopefully work out better than the last one, which appeared to have contracted a bad case of cedar-Hawthorne rust (at least that’s what I think it was), so I cut it down a year or two ago and had a great time removing the stump last weekend.
It can be rainy this time of year, but that’s not going to dampen my enthusiasm for bicycle commuting (unless it’s too rainy) because I’ve got some newish Banjo Brothers panniers that should keep all my onboard items dry!
Another way to stay dry is by sitting around inside and playing Godzilla monopoly, which has been a favorite pastime of Snot Jr. these days.
I have to admit I find it pretty enjoyable most of the time too. Capitalism is powerfully alluring to many, but I won’t let it control me (dons tinfoil beanie with helicopter blades for improving air flow to brain)! May your all be genuine and focused on what matters the most to you!
Godzilla!
-BSO
