Burn, Baby, Burn!

When a gulf coast storm moves inland to the north, we in Minnesota usually get a fair amount of rain, and always receive a big ol' helpin' o' Southern Humidity. Such conditions greeted me this evening on my after-supper "constitutional". The air was so thick you could cut it with a knife, it looked like smoke- it even smelled as if someone was burning trash, and by golly, there was! Just down the street some thoughtless soul thought this would be a good night to get rid of some trash, neighbors' lungs be dammed. There were dull orange flames (Roofing shingles? Tires? Industrial chemicals?) shooting high into the sky. As I approached, I saw two small children in the yard, dancing around this inferno. Getting still closer, I heard the youngsters coughing, and then saw them go into the house. And so the fire continued, unabated and unattended. I went home and called the Fire Department. They said they'd "look into it", as they always say, but seldom do. Later on, the fire had burned down enough that the whole city wasn't reeking, and life returned to normal.

But I'm still burning.

Oh, if you are wondering why I didn't knock on the door of the offending house. Y'all just don't do that after dark here in Freedomland, where there may be another type of "firepower" waiting for you, behind the door.