Good morning, everyone, and what a night of nasty weather. We had thunderstorm and tornado warnings and watches last night. Thunderstorms rumbled through here but we, thankfully, missed the hail and tornados. The temperatures here reached the high 80s yesterday (low 90s on the patio). I had to water the containers well for the first time. I also moved the lettuce because the plants really did not like the sun. They were wilting even though they had plenty of moisture. I changed out the plastic and put up the cloth awnings to shade the tomatoes. This roller coaster weather ride is getting very old.

As if the foreclosure mess really needed another Catch-22. Is it any surprise that the banks deny any responsibility in this? An owner is an owner--unless it is a bank. If any individual failed to maintain their property properly and created the kinds of public nuisances described here, the city would have a court order and a lien so fast the owner's head would swim. But bringing even legal pressure to bear on the too-big-too-fail national and international banks? Very difficult indeed. Perhaps the cities should cut their losses, seize the properties under eminent domaine, and sell the properties to recoup some of their costs.

I don't know if Mitch Daniels is as bad as Kassich, Kay. He isn't nearly as nasty as the Repthuglicans who control our legislature. I was pleased to see an article that said the effort to put that SB 5 on a referendum is likely to succeed. I am afraid I may have to reconsider my earlier notion that I wouldn't vote for either Obama or which ever Repthuglican emerges to challenge him. Obama may be the lesser of many evils. Unfortunately, I found out about the community garden experiment too late to even consider getting a plot. I hope they expand the program next year and open up plots closer in.

We agree, Lois. We, also, wonder why the 'end of the world' message seems to have touched a chord. For the last couple of years I have seen numerous tv shows on that theme. Many centered on the so-called Mayan calendar end-of-time predictions or Nostradamus. The news last night interviewed the 'true believer' who put up so many of the billboards to announce 'the Rapture.' He is going to leave the ads up because he thinks that though they got the specific day wrong the event will come this year. Wishful thinking, maybe?