Another week....

The aftermath of last week's storms is still being felt in some areas of the City, where folks are suffering in the extreme heat and deprivation. We were fortunate to have no real 'damage' to the property, and were without power for 'only' 14 hours.

The extreme heat is real and dangerous. Even sitting on our normally cool front porch in the afternoon is not much fun in mid-90 temps.

The other shoe finally dropped yesterday for daughter-in-law and many of her co-workers at their company. After 16 years of working there, this job elimination is devastating for her - and for all of us. Referred to in a previous posting, the word had gone out in February that downsizing would be taking place. This has been a long and stressful time for Debby and John, as well as for both of their families - waiting and wondering.

The newspapers report that the unemployment rate for our state has reached 'double digits'..i.e. 10%. Surely some relief will be forthcoming from somewhere - whether it be Washington (unlikely) or the state capital (doubtful) or the private sector. And the talk just goes on and on.... "Full of Sound and Fury signifying nothing..."
What can I say? We hardly know what to hope for any more.

A casual conversation with an 'old' friend at the grocery store yesterday compared the probable cost of what was in our baskets then to what we would have paid even a few years ago. Prices on Everything have escalated rapidly, so a thinking shopper must stay alert and make hard choices on just about every need.