For Some, Thanksgiving Will Be Different

Locally, a chemical plant, that manufactures Butadiene, had an explosion at approximately 1:00 am Friday morning. Houses within miles had shattered windows, doors blown open, and structural damage. The explosion was caught on multiple security cameras, and the videos appeared on the internet within minutes.

As I traveled to the project site over a local bridge, I could see the fire was much more than normally seen in a refinery incident. As opposed to a single fire, the fire was spread over a large area, and was roaring hours after the explosion. The rising sun revealed a huge plume of black smoke, which drifted across the sky to the horizon.

Since I was about seven miles from the facility, I could see the smoke as we worked. Over the morning, it appeared to be subsiding, until about lunchtime. At that time - which I later learned was the time of smaller explosions - the smoke increased.

At about 2:30 in the afternoon, I was leaving a lumber yard, when I heard the dull thump of an explosion. A production tower had exploded, and launched like a rocket a few hundred feet into the air. Things were now getting more than serious, and local emergency officials soon called for an evacuation in a 4 mile radius.

The video above is of the second major explosion. It's something to see, and if you notice the spherical tanks in some of the video, know how these can be huge bombs, the fact they're so close to the flames is more than a concern. If one explodes, the rest will go, and the damage will be flattened homes for miles, the involvement of other close refineries, and the possibility of an event rivaling the Texas City disaster.

Some will have a different Thanksgiving, since they were forced to leave their homes. Many can't do emergency repairs on their homes, and I'm sure their anxiety levels are at the top.

This morning, there are reports the fire is better controlled, will burn down over the next 24 hours, and the spherical tanks are staying cooled with water being pumped by fire fighting crews to the fire monitors. I don't relish their job, and wonder how they can even consider being so close to what could be a certain death. Still they're working, and everyone is praying the event will soon be over.

Update: As of this morning, Friday November 29, the evacuation order was lifted, and it's reported all fires are out. Now, the damage assessment begins, people will have time to survey their damaged homes, and personal injury attorneys will be swamped with telephone calls.

Waiting for the Ninth

The I.G. report is supposed to be released December 9, 2019. It's supposed to have all sorts of damning evidence of an attempted coup that is still in progress. Why do I have the feeling it will be another document that demands action, but results in nothing?

As Things Change

This is the time of year I most enjoy. The temperature, and the drier air, make most clear days as pleasurable as they can be. The one thing missing is spending some of these days with my oldest brother. He loved these days like I do. His death left a huge hole in my life, and I'll miss him as long as I remain on this earth.

Watching the Ducks

The mist on the pond this morning was higher than the trees. With the temperature hovering around 38, the warm water allowed plenty of the mist, which barely stirred in the almost still air. The sky was clear, except for a few cirrus to the east; pastel orange wisps above the almost quiet surroundings.

I watched the ducks slowly start their morning. All are butterball fat, spend very little time foraging, and keep their eyes peeled for someone to come feed them. They are patient, and will become excited when the can is opened, and the feed spread on the ground. That, or some bread is brought, which is thrown into the air, or right into their opened mouths. Like circus animals, they've been trained to catch the bread before it hits the ground.

As I watched, I was thinking how we turned them into Democrats. They expect food without any effort on their part, they stopped foraging for their own food, and those that once flew are now too fat, or lazy. They waddle, or swim to the food, instead of swooping from the sky to be first in line.

These ducks are lucky, because nobody here is interested in harvesting them for a tasty Sunday dinner. Of course, that could change. I like baked duck, and duck gumbo. They don't know this, and if they did, they would have left long ago.

Dreck?

I used to click on Drudge every time I started my computer. Over the last few months, I noticed the reports he links were slanted toward the liberal narrative. This led to refusing to go to the site, since it appeared Drudge was just another shill for the Progressive reprobates.

So, has Drudge sold out, or has the media barrage removed any balance to the news? I don't know, but I do know I don't visit the site very often. Regardless of the reason, further attempts to nullify my vote only indicate either collusion, or ignorance; and when more of these tabloid sites disappear, the better the country will be.