The Sticky Mess

   Way back in January of 1919, a deadly event occurred that could have been prevented had carelessness not gotten in the way.  Most folks nowadays have forgotten or merely have not even heard of the "Great Molasses Flood of 1919" and when you mention it, a lot of folks stare in disbelief as if it was not a true disaster.  Jokes are often made but the loss of life is not ever fodder for comedy.  The flood really did happen and it was all the result of greed and carelessness.  The flood was truly that...a flood.  It happened because of a failure in the structure of a 50 foot tall storage tank that was a slipshod construction.  A neighborhood in North End, Boston was completely devastated by a gigantic surge of molasses after the storage tank ruptured.  Townsfolk had pointed out the structure leakage long before the tank literally exploded but nothing more than a brown coat of paint was applied to the tank.  This was done to merely disguise the problem and not to remedy the situation.  Because of the shady dealings, the rupture caused the neighborhood to be engulfed by a 35 mile per hour wave that was 25 foot tall.  2.3 million gallons of molasses ripped through buildings, toppled trains from the tracks and, most horrifically, killed 21 people and numerous animals.  The town was in complete shambles and covered in a horribly sticky mess that made cleanup nigh on impossible until it was found that salt water helped dissolve the goo.  The fire department was then put in charge of the major amount of cleanup as salt water was pumped from the Boston Harbor.  All in all, this was a tragic event that could have been prevented had the Purity Distilling Company only inspected their tank to make sure it would withstand the pressure of so many tons of molasses.  Responsible action should have been key goal.

  Not to be compared to this catastrophic incident, something happened yesterday here at the Little Bayou House that caused this whole memory of that flood.  Purely because of a molasses spill on the kitchen table, I recalled that Granddad had told me about the Great Molasses Flood.  This spill, like the flood, could have been avoided had "protocol" merely been followed.  It appears that the lid of a molasses bottle was not properly tightened after use and then the bottle was inadvertently toppled.  Yep, a small scale "chaos" occurred.  Sticky syrup flooded the table.  As I was cleaning the goo, Granddad's story came to mind.  I was determined that, once I finished the task at hand, I was going to research the event.  It was eye-opening and, at the same time, heartbreaking.  There were 21 too many lives lost due to negligence.  In both cases, that "ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" idiom comes to mind.  Responsible action could have prevented the devastating flood in Boston and the small-scale mess in my kitchen.  

  Folks, if you ever have a few moments, read the history of the Great Molasses Flood of Boston.  Something that happened over a hundred years ago should be a reminder that we all need to be more responsible in our actions.  

 

  

Rest In Peace, Bayou Queen, Rest In Peace

  I can honestly say that most days spent here on the Bayou are good. While there is a lot of physical work to be done, emotionally....days are easy.  The serenity that surrounds you here is a Godsend.  That is not to say that things are always stress free.  Today proved to be one of those days that one could do without.  It was hard....too hard....emotionally.  Son and I had to do something that was breaking to us...albeit the right thing to do.

  For the past month, Ms. Put, the Bayou Queen, has suffered greatly. Her malady started with a bite from some unknown critter and escalated from there.  Five visits to the vet, countless doses of medicine and lots of prayers later, things just were not going her way.  A few days ago, she rallied enough to leave the entryway and meander around the house.  She chose to be near PJ, the dog we are fostering for our son and daughter-in-law.  Ms. Put's time spent with the dog seemed satisfying to her but she went downhill quickly from there.  Another visit to the vet this morning brought sad but inevitable news.  We knew it was going to come to this.  We had talked about it.  We were not ready for it.  The Queen is with us no more.  

  Ms. Put came to us quite by accident.  She was a wee kitten that some very hateful folks tossed from a car window.  The tiny eight week old kitten made her way through the woods, across the creek and up the hillside to the Little Bayou House.  She never left.  Her reign as Queen of the Bayou lasted nigh on twenty-two years.  The cat had dominion over all other denizens of the Bayou but she ruled with a kind paw.  Although she would defend her territory viciously, she would also help those in need.  More than once she came to the rescue of some pitiful throwaway pet.  She helped the likes of Blinky, the cross eyed cat that could not find anything to eat. She led him to her food dish each evening.  She befriended Boo, the Maine Coon Cat that was malnourished, and shared her meals with him.  Ms. Put came to the defense of Ms. Nycto, the newcomer who later became the Bayou Princess, by striking out against a much larger feral cat that was attacking Ms. Nycto.  She had even protected me against the same feral cat later.  My tiny, six pound cat was a fighter but she just could not fight any longer.  The invisible entity that was killing her from within was too strong.  The Bayou Queen died peacefully in the arms of Son.

  We will miss our dear friend.  We will miss her climbing to the rooftop to wait for the window to be opened at her whim.  We will miss her strange howls that sent chills up the spine of those not familiar with this sweet cat.  We will miss her purrs, her stretches and her finicky ways.  The Queen is dead.  Our hearts are broken.  Rest in peace, Little One.  

It Saddens Me

  It makes me sad.  No.  While it does indeed break my heart, it also makes me mad....very mad.  I just do not understand people.  Yes, we all have a breaking point where our emotions get the best of us and we are prone to our fits of anger.  We are human.  BUT..that does not give anyone an excuse to be abusive.  The local news had two reports of terrible animal abuse in as many days.  One a dog, the other a cat.  These reports were not showing some animal that may have been a bit underfed (which is terrible in its own right) but rather violent abuse to the point that the videos are difficult to watch.  It sickens anyone with an ounce of goodness in their hearts to see something so terribly treated. The dog was thrown, slapped then punched in the head repeatedly. Twenty to thirty hard punches made contact with the poor animal's head. The cat was trapped in a small cage and had boiling liquid (presumably oil) poured on it.  I cried.  I literally cried for these poor animals.  Neither could escape.  Neither could fight back. Both have life threatening injuries and may not survive.  What kind of people could be so hateful? In the cat video, you could hear laughing in the background.  In the dog video, a young child was witnessing the act.  Also, while the dog video was caught on a surveilance tape, someone actually filmed the cat abuse.  How could they merely video it and not try to stop it? They are just as guilty as the abusers.

  After seeing the hatefulness in the news videos, I thought about the two cats that call the Bayou their home. They chose to live with us and, yes, can be a bit of a nuisance at times.  They squabble incessantly with each other, have accidents in the house and scratch everything but nothing they do could ever call for the treatment that the animals in the news endured.  Even the three feral cats that roam the area would never receive such abuse.  While the feral cats are not pets, they are fed and are allowed to shelter under the deck or shed (these are their preferred sites).  Ms. Put (the Bayou Queen) and Ms. Nycto (the Bayou Princess) have my heart and are pretty much pampered even with all of their fickleness.  

  On an added note, the dog abuser has turned himself in to authorities and will be punished.  The folks in the cat video have yet to be identified but since the video does show their faces, I am sure our local police will have them soon.  Hopefully, all of these hateful people will be punished to the fullest extent of the law.   It saddens me...but, at the same time, I am so thankful for our police who are diligent in catching these folks.