Friday.

WET, WET, WET.  It rained all night and is still raining--much of it very heavy with lightning.  Thankfully, we don't have the flooding many areas are reporting.  At least not in our immediate area.  News is reporting some places got as much as four inches of rain in 45 minutes.  Several flash flood warnings are up.  No gardening today unless this mess ends and things dry out a bit.  At least I don't have to water anything

Did I say it is wet outside?  That is a bit of an understatement.  We went out on the errands I postponed yesterday because of the rain and we had a bit of an adventure getting around.  The major street we take to get to Panera, Target and Menards (all on our itinerary today) was blocked off because of high water half way to where we were going.  We saw a car stopped in the middle of a lake that had developed across the road joining catchment ponds on opposite sides of the street.  We met the owner of the car at Panera where she works.  We followed the detour planning to take another major street to a cross street past the area where the new lake had formed but the lanes going in our direction were closed--because of high water.  The next major street was clear as was the connecting street coming back to our original route but we encountered another small just-barely-passable pond before we reached our destination.  We have lived here for 15 years and have never seen water this high along these streets.  We have seen rain raise the levels in those catchments to the very top but never three feet or more above.  I have no idea how much rain we actually got last night but the evidence of our eyes says it was a lot.

Saturday.

I found the first blog I read today somewhat unsettling because I think David Kaiser may be right and like him I don't much like what I see in the dark glass of the near future.  I have watched over the last decade as politicians who won their elections mouthing Democratic sentiments voted as thought they were Republicans.  Or whose only claim on the voters allegiance was the claim that they were the least of the evils presented.  I am tired of choices that are no choices at all or the feeling of betrayal when the so-called lesser evil voted with clones of the greater evil I voted against.  I am not at the point of the Millennial voter Kaiser cites.  I will not vote for Rand Paul; he doesn't represent my values any better than Republicans or Democrats do.

I know nothing at all about the company featured in this Grist article having never heard of it before.  However, I have seen other items in the grocery stores over the last couple of years which package pre-measured components so time challenged cooks can simply "dump, stir, and serve."  That last is my description not the manufacturers.  We haven't been tempted by the alleged convenience.  I say "alleged" because all too often they don't save much time at all.  How difficult is it to open a couple of jars of herbs or spices, dip in a measuring spoon, and dump it into what you are preparing?  Or shake the jar (most have shaker inserts) over the piece of meat or the soup or what ever?  Since we have not been tempted to buy those products we haven't looked at the ingredients but, if they follow they usual pattern, I suspect they contain more salt or sugar or other things than we want.  And then there is the packaging.  By the time you empty the small jar of herbs or spice you have prepared many more than one meal and have one small jar to throw away (unless you find a new use for it).  Think about how much plastic and paper you would be throwing away if you used the single dish packages for every meal for a year.

Again!!  I don't know what these infantile idiots think gives them the right to alter posts by writing scurrilous slurs on public sites.  Anonymity I suppose.  These congressional taggers aren't any better than youngsters who plaster graffiti on walls owned by others.  At least the graffiti taggers can claim to be artists.  The congressional taggers are ideological hate mongers parading their hate like it was a badge of courage but they aren't courageous enough to claim it publicly where they might be taken to task for their bigotry.

"With justice and liberty for all???"  I think that quote should be amended to "for some." And add "No justice and no liberty for the rest."

Well, this is one way to shore up consumer confidence in your products.  I doubt the insurance payment will take care of the medical bills that come with food poisoning.

Since I have been in a bit of a ranting mood today, the TV news last night and this morning noted that Sam's Clubs (a few of them at least) have decided to bring out Christmas decorations.  It was bad enough yesterday to see Halloween decorations at Menards but Christmas???  I remember comments a history professor telling my class that the counter culture/hippy movement of the 1960 died when it became commercialized.  When love beads and bongs were sold in gift/novelty shops and tie-dyed tee shirts were printed with peace signs the movement was effectively rendered impotent.  Today all of the symbols of Christmas (and Easter) and all of the icons of American identity (4th of July, Presidents' Day, Thanksgiving) have been similarly been reduced to serving commerce.  How much symbolic potency do they have left?

"Brutalization?"  Seems like an understatement to me.