URBAN CONCERNS

CURRENT CONTENTS
Aged street trees
Break of day
Dog park
Elevator reluctance
In the distance
Old conservatory
Pre-stressed concrete
School districts and real estate

Authors' Note: This verse drew inspiration from the poem "Cuore di Legno" (Heart of Wood) by poet Primo Levi. In the poem, the narrator, an aged horse chestnut growing on a busy urban street, complains of, among other insults, being peed on by neighborhood dogs. 

sunset reflected briefly 
8:30 p.m., May 2023
building to east of downtown

Authors' Note: 

groundling: the author's nickname for people who live on the ground floor, such as, up 'til now, his immediate family members

lift: Canadians, like their American neighbours, usually term this device an 'elevator'; to fit the tight space here, we borrowed the British synonym; however, it is noted that we retained our customary spelling of story (rather than the British storey)
helluva: common undefined slang that has been used in 40 verses on OEDILF to date (2023); presumably a distortion of hell of a ...

Another true personal story, apart from taking liberties with the floor numbers. The author currently inhabits a rental unit across the building from the suite being gloriously renovated/demolished by 'Carl the contractor'. This situation accords with advice by a relative to 'try out the lifestyle change' to ease the transition from house to 'bungalow in the sky'.

                                     

Authors' Note: We are fortunate to have moved into an apartment building just across the street from a public conservatory whose warm, humid, glass-roofed galleries offer the visitor views and dreams of escape to tropical floral environments. Visits are especially reinvigorating on dark and depressing winter days, and admission is free! Renovations are proceeding in the central palm-court, but the lateral greenhouse galleries remain open. 

You might also enjoy reviewing photo-enhanced poetry posts related to poinsettias, koi, red-eared sliders(turtles), Ontario cactuses, and Leda and the Swan at the same destination.

 

Authors' Note: Surveillance of tension cables in pre-stressed concrete is an arduous process, but is essential in older buildings, particularly in parking garages, although apartment towers may also be at risk. Sampling by drilling into the slabs only allows assessment of whether cables have failed, i.e. are broken, and are no longer under tension. Since the 1980s, the development of occlusive plastic fittings at attachment points has apparently reduced the possibility of corrosion due to moisture, a major cause of failure.

The author concedes a lack of professional knowledge concerning this problem. Please consult a structural engineer.

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