Good Tuesday, Everyone.  We had a bit of rain overnight and the weather people predict some more through the day.  I will hold off on any watering until I see what we get.  Hopefully not the penny-sized hail they say is possible.  They still have a mid 90s on the forecast for tomorrow.  I can't begin to say how tired of the heat I am.

I lost quite a bit and didn't realize it when we had three small brownouts a little while ago.  The rain hit and hit like a hammer on an anvil.  The trees danced drunkenly in the high wind that came up suddenly and I think may have exceeded the reports from other areas earlier this morning.  During a lull I went out and retrieved our wheeled trash tote which had sailed away from our fence and into the street half a block away.  Luckily we had little in it.  Three of my pots and the greenhouse were upset.  I don't know how much damage and won't for a while.  But I will have some clean up and rearranging.  Whether I want to or not I have to make room for the trash tote inside the fence.  We needed rain but I would so much rather have the kind we haven't seen much of over the last few years--long, slow, steady rain.  Thankfully, no hail--so far.

Well, back on line.  We did our errands and grocery shopping this morning but came back to find the internet and cable dead.  Service was out for about four hours.  The trip around town was a bit strange. I saw more damaged trees and downed limbs than I have at any time in the last 12 years.  Then I realized that we have experienced more power outages of varying severity than at at any time in the last 12 years.  This has been one strange year.  The city was a patchwork of power outages.  One block had power and the next didn't.  Several major roads were without traffic lights--no fun for those trying to cross or turn onto divided highways.  Thankfully, all the drivers were really very nice and polite and waited their turn.  Watching the news and we are very grateful.  A couple of major towns--Gary and Merrillville--are without power and likely will be for several days.  Hope you all east of me don't get this mess.

I will make one last observation on the Penn State sanctions unless something outrageous comes to my attention.  Last night the local news quoted from several tweets and e-mails from viewers.  All bemoaned the fact that the sanctions hit the guilty and the innocent which most felt was unfair.  Well, I think somewhat differently.  I noticed that the NCAA tried to soften the blow for some of the athletes by allowing them to transfer without requiring them to sit out for a year.  That was reasonable.  However, I have to ask how you would sanction what was obviously an ethically challenged (to put things nicely) organization without somehow impacting innocent parties?  That is the problem in trying to discipline corporate wrong doing.  There are always innocent parties who suffer.  And there are always guilty parties who get off far more lightly than they deserve.  The NCAA can't send Penn State or its athletic department to the slammer but I think it did the next best thing.

I found this article on Huffington Post first thing this morning.  I am not surprised.  I saw a report last week on the Postal Service which claimed it would be broke as early as August because it had exhausted its borrowing authority.  Nor am I surprised at the rural areas taking such a big hit.  Fewer votes and less wealth therefore no clout in Washington.