Monday, monday

Monday started early when a cat woke TPP to tell him that a thunderstorm was approaching, a fact he would find out himself in another 10 to 15 minutes. She's got good hearing and is a little afraid of thunder. The morning news confirmed that here in Lincolnland politics particularly the state's gerrymandered election districts were not going change because a political hired gun of a legal persuasion managed to convince a judge that the half a million signatures, more than twice the total needed, were invalid so the voter initiative would not be on the ballot. Democracy in action. Yeah, sure. BTW you only need 5000 signatures to become a candidate for governor. And then SCOTUS amazes us with the contorted legal logic they use to empower corporations at the expense of individuals. This after the most buffered branch of the government decides that women entering clinics don't need any spatial protection from the friendly counselors attempting to harass and intimidate them. SCOTUS needs a good dose of their own medicine.  Actually some of the justices just need to get out every year or so and see how people actually live and behave. On the good news front, more rain fell and Costa Rica won at the world cup. Ole mis amigos. Maybe the cat has the right idea; find a quiet place safe from thunder boomers and go back to sleep. 

Close call

While heavily overcast this AM, it was not exactly threatening, so TPP road his bicycle to work with the usual stop at a coffee shop.  During the 10 min ride to the coffee shop, it had turned very threatening, the kind of threatening that has people watching the clouds for rotation.  "Looks like rain", says a friend.  Ya think?  The coffee shoppe steam queens were in no hurry, working in doors as they do, chatting up customers as they do, making smiley faces on your latte as they do, and the storm was very close by the time the coffee to go was ready to go.  Fortunately my building is only 3 blocks away, and when necessary, the bike can go faster than usual.  As TPP pulled up to the door, the first rain began to fall.  A close call, but TPP would have gladly taken one for the team if it meant rain.  Still you do not want to be out in one of these mid-western thunderstorms; they truly are a force of nature even the relatively tame ones.  The really nasty green growlers are just plain scary and they can generate some very violent weather very suddenly.  As they go this mornings storm is pretty tame, and it is raining.  This will help the fall crops (bush beans, lettuces, bok choi) and maybe get some late produce from the eggplant, peppers, and okra.  Hope the students moving into dorms saw it coming in time.