After quite a few days of no rain, or just brief showers, today we're having a proper thunder boomer!!! The swale in front of my house is full of water and I can almost hear the plants heaving a sigh of relief! And, the frogs are happily singing away!
Lots of lightning, as usual, but one huge bolt hit with an almost simultaneous blast of thunder. It was a very unusual one! It sounded like someone had grabbed the edge of a metal roof and was vigorously shaking it up and down! I can't remember ever hearing that sound before. My guess is that the lightning struck someone's metal roof very close to me and the metal was vibrating.
That is amazing, and somewhat intimidating ! I’d never heard the advice to wait for 30 mins after a storm before going outside. In fact all I’d heard was, don’t shelter under a tree and don’t be the tallest thing on flat ground in a lightning storm - if you are - curl up to make the shortest path to the ground for lightning.
On a lighter note, I ordered a grocery delivery for tomorrow from my local store. I requested low-sodium chili beans; if they were out, they suggested I substitute with jelly beans. Well, jelly beans are low in sodium.
Is the low sodium chili bean brand Bush’s? That’s the only one I know.
I’m quite pleased that Campbell’s now makes no-salt-added tomato, cream of chicken, and cream of mushroom soup.
I finally have Ozempic, and it’s definitely helping my blood sugar!
Last week of summer semester for my colleges (they’ve been ending a week apart, and this is the third and last one). Sadly, the new fall semester at one of my colleges starts in like 10 days (from now), so I’ll have less than a week in between semesters.
On a lighter note, I ordered a grocery delivery for tomorrow from my local store. I requested low-sodium chili beans; if they were out, they suggested I substitute with jelly beans. Well, jelly beans are low in sodium.
Is the low sodium chili bean brand Bush’s? That’s the only one I know.
I’m quite pleased that Campbell’s now makes no-salt-added tomato, cream of chicken, and cream of mushroom soup.
The Good Bean is the name of the company. It comes in a heat-and-eat pouch. They make three flavors. 65m per serving of sodium. I like the Mexican smoky chipotle one.
It pays to get a second opinion. I had a tree person come and look at two palm trees I had that I thought might have to come down. He said yes, and quoted a fancy price. I waited for a second opinion from an arborist. The large tree does not need to be taken down; it is fine. The middle palm has a disease and needs to be removed, but I am going to replace it with a small new palm. All this at half the price of the first quote, by a non-arborist.
I've intruded to ask a question on New Orleans. Someone living in Lafayette (a podcast so I can't ask back, though he is from California) described it in not glowing terms. I've only been at Mardi Gras (I was at a conference in Austin and thought I'd take the chance and it coincided). So I probably didn't see it in its normal state. As an outsider I'd only associated it with food and jazz. Is this intra-state rivalry or does it have a reputation?
(as an aside, what an accent. I told the chief flight attendant as I was leaving the plane what a great accent she had. "A real New Orleans accent." was her coworker's reply!)
I once went to a conference in New Orleans and was so bored that I spent the last evening exploring the town when I should have been hearing more boring speakers. I had my dinner at a small café and spent the rest of the evening at Preservation Hall listening to the best jazz I've ever heard. That was some time ago, but I'd love to repeat the experience (the food and the jazz - not the conference). It's a beautiful town for walking around.
Yes, a true New Orleans accent is distinctive and quite different from other Southern accents.
I love New Orleans. I may be biased, though, as we honeymooned there. It was an awesome place to go on honeymoon—incredible food, great music everywhere, charm unlike just about anywhere else in the US, and you can just soak it all in. I have numerous family and friends who’ve lived there, and they’ve all seemed to like it.
I finally have Ozempic, and it’s definitely helping my blood sugar!
And, believe it or not, your liver will thank you. I have had liver problems for the past several years. Since I started taking my GLP-1 my liver enzymes have returned to normal.
I just found out that I apparently made some mistakes in the way that I managed my course for one of my colleges this summer and as a result I am getting only one class for fall rather than two. The sense of failure and what have you feels like a punch in the gut. Prayers welcome.
Hard to believe it is almost September. In my part of the country, we have had only three days of really hot weather this summer, for which I am grateful. The rest of the season has been in the mid-80s. I am one of those people who look forward to pumpkin spice time. Most of all, I am looking for the rain to end the fire season.
We are going through a heat wave right now. Getting up to 96 (35.6) today, but it cools off quickly once the sun goes down. The heat will last through Thursday. Supposed to be a La Nina winter which will likely mean above normal precipitation this winter.
We've just had the sixth death among our family, friends, and community--a lady in her late 80s, I think, whose son has just been deported to God knows where. They are Vietnamese, but Vietnam isn't taking deportees to my knowledge--I think they're being sent to random places in Africa. Where of course he won't speak the language.
The only mercy in all this is that I think (can't be sure) she died before they took her son.
Please do pray--we've just heard of two more of our own particular flock, both of whom were taken from their parole officers' appointments. One was sent home for now, but the other was asked where he wanted to be deported to, Vietnam or elsewhere--and apparently in despair, said "Anywhere." We have no idea where he has gone. (And as far as I know, Vietnam was never a realistic option.)
This is so horrible; prayers are indeed needed. Did you mean parole as in they have been convicted of a crime in the past? Or was this a citizenship hearing? Either way, so frustrating when people are trying to do the right thing and it ends up getting them deported.
These are people who were once young idiots and got involved with low level crime. Think of a wannabe gang who fails to pay for a restaurant meal, and one idiot fires a gun that hits nobody and then they all run away. And get caught, and do 20 years in prison for it. And Mr. Lamb visits them and they go straight and eventually get out and get married and have kids, and it's a dumb thing that they did when they were 19, maybe--and never again. And they're now business owners and fathers and husbands, and this was all far in the past... and now it's tearing up the fabric of the community.
In some cases it's the result of a domestic violence call (not murder, just, the cops got called and they were arrested and taken away that night). In some cases it may be a drug offense. In all cases, it's a one time thing done 30 to 40 years ago and not repeated--by young idiots, as I said. But it doesn't take much to make you ineligible for citizenship--and therefore at risk of deportation.
I've seen it posited elsewhere that the way some governments treat refugees or asylum seekers is the way they'd treat the rest of us if they thought they could get away with it.
I've seen it posited elsewhere that the way some governments treat refugees or asylum seekers is the way they'd treat the rest of us if they thought they could get away with it.
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me,
Comments
Lots of lightning, as usual, but one huge bolt hit with an almost simultaneous blast of thunder. It was a very unusual one! It sounded like someone had grabbed the edge of a metal roof and was vigorously shaking it up and down! I can't remember ever hearing that sound before. My guess is that the lightning struck someone's metal roof very close to me and the metal was vibrating.
When thunder roars, go indoors. Very wise words.
Is the low sodium chili bean brand Bush’s? That’s the only one I know.
I’m quite pleased that Campbell’s now makes no-salt-added tomato, cream of chicken, and cream of mushroom soup.
Last week of summer semester for my colleges (they’ve been ending a week apart, and this is the third and last one). Sadly, the new fall semester at one of my colleges starts in like 10 days (from now), so I’ll have less than a week in between semesters.
The Good Bean is the name of the company. It comes in a heat-and-eat pouch. They make three flavors. 65m per serving of sodium. I like the Mexican smoky chipotle one.
Hope you get a good week's rest, ChastMastr.
I've intruded to ask a question on New Orleans. Someone living in Lafayette (a podcast so I can't ask back, though he is from California) described it in not glowing terms. I've only been at Mardi Gras (I was at a conference in Austin and thought I'd take the chance and it coincided). So I probably didn't see it in its normal state. As an outsider I'd only associated it with food and jazz. Is this intra-state rivalry or does it have a reputation?
(as an aside, what an accent. I told the chief flight attendant as I was leaving the plane what a great accent she had. "A real New Orleans accent." was her coworker's reply!)
I love New Orleans. I may be biased, though, as we honeymooned there. It was an awesome place to go on honeymoon—incredible food, great music everywhere, charm unlike just about anywhere else in the US, and you can just soak it all in. I have numerous family and friends who’ve lived there, and they’ve all seemed to like it.
I’d chalk it up mostly to intrastate rivalry.
And, believe it or not, your liver will thank you. I have had liver problems for the past several years. Since I started taking my GLP-1 my liver enzymes have returned to normal.
I mainly think of Gambit from the X-Men, but I don’t know how accurate his accent is in any particular case.
That sounds awesome! Men Without Hats, Duran Duran, all those cool movies…
The only mercy in all this is that I think (can't be sure) she died before they took her son.
In some cases it's the result of a domestic violence call (not murder, just, the cops got called and they were arrested and taken away that night). In some cases it may be a drug offense. In all cases, it's a one time thing done 30 to 40 years ago and not repeated--by young idiots, as I said. But it doesn't take much to make you ineligible for citizenship--and therefore at risk of deportation.
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me,
Martin Niemöller