. . . Scary Second. This is my new favorite mask. An Underground Music Gold Star for you if you know where the image comes from. (You can find a hint here).

I am still conscientiously wearing a mask any time I might encounter other people during my perambulations, though the “freedoms and liberties” undercurrents here in poorly-governed Iowa create an environment where shockingly few of our neighbors reciprocate that courtesy, alas and dammit. Since my protective practices mean that people see more of my face coverings than my face these days, I’ve been trying to find interesting masks, and have been sporting a set inspired by West African textiles most of the time. But these new ones are simpler. And scarier. So I approve. Maybe I need to make this image my new profile photo, in fact. Hmmm.

Speaking of safety, our plans to pick up our new car got put on hold when a derecho storm front with 100+ mph winds roared through the area late this morning, pushing us into full “hunker down” mode for much of the day. Here was the view out of my home office window right before the storm hit and the warning sirens started wailing; you can click the image to enlarge for the full weather horror effect:

There are lots of trees down, roofs blown off, power outages and other chaos in the storm’s aftermath. The car dealership did have our car inside before the hail and debris started flying, but then they lost their internet connections, and were not able to consummate the deal and swap wheels with us without them.

We’ll try again tomorrow, hopefully under clear skies and with calm winds. Safety first. And last.