Steel Revealed

An outsider looking at the US for the past few years would think Americans were polarized, incapable of working together as the far right and far left have taken center stage to drown out any sane discourse. While that is true on a superficial level and resulted in the abomination currently residing in Washington, a more realistic view has been on display in Houston over the past few days. There’s a burgeoning center of the political spectrum that constitutes a majority of Americans. It’s often well disguised as the media searches for “newsworthy” stories of divisiveness.

That majority are the Americans who line up to help when the community needs them. They constantly donate money at a rate unmatched around the globe. You see it most evident when a crisis like Houston arises. More than 60 inches of rain with Hurricane Harvey rendered Houston into a lake. While most of the eastern based media often portray Texas as a backwoods, good ole boy red state, it is in reality one of the great melting pot states of the union. If you look closely at a number of the photos you’ll see true Americans in action. African-Americans rescuing whites and vice versa, as race rightfully is forgotten in the face of tragedy. The “Cajun Navy” has deployed to the rivers that used to be Houston streets to make rescues regardless of the race or political leanings of who they rescue, seeing them as fellow Americans.

This is the more accurate view. A view the White Nationalists of Charlottesville or the BLM activists don’t want you to see because they thrive on division. The pundits around the globe would best take a lesson from what they’re seeing in Houston. We’re not as divided as you might think based on what the media puts out. America would be a very dangerous foe to any who thought to exploit the internal political divisions which is in fact just surface drama except for the professional activists on either end of the spectrum.

Usually when my wife is on one of her many vacations away from home I spend a lot of time at the local cinema but I’ve yet to go there this week despite planning to on several occasions. The reason – my revenge fireplace. Exacting retribution on the many rocks I’ve painfully  excavated over the past year by encasing them in cement has turned out to be a lot more work than I thought going in. Still worth it though. Last evening, after work, I was faced with the most delicate part of the project and we all know delicacy is not part of my DNA. I had to create the forms for the back and sides of the fire pit that would be strong enough to bear the weight of the cement and the rocks. I went round and round until I thought of the huge bag of discards from the hardwood floor installation. They’ve been sitting in the garage waiting for the fire pit to be created so I could immolate them.

My Masterpiece of Form Building

I pieced a bunch together in true jigsaw puzzle fashion and I had my forms. It still looked like an abomination that any true carpenter or mason would run screaming away from but it worked. I went through a bag and a half of cement, four bags of sand, and most of the accumulated rocks. I made the last pour using a flashlight as the summer evenings continue to dwindle daylight. My wife, seeing this only through these pictures must wonder what the hell I’m up to but I think it’ll come out okay. I’ll pick up some more cement and sand today and hope to finish it tonight. And see a movie!