I am originally from Detroit--we graduated from college, got married, and moved down here (Houston)in 1981 because of the recession back then...no one was hiring. All the rest of our family and friends are still up there...one by one, getting laid off, things getting tight. Almost everything is tied into the auto industry...for instance, several have been laid off in constriction, employees of one of the Big 3 have lost jobs, my brother works for Sirius/XM Satellite Radio...new car sales down=less customers, even one laid off after 10 years being with an animal hospital--people do not not have the $$ for pet surguries. Many people don't have the $$ to send their kids to college & student loans are of a different time! These kids are the future of our country... I know we have cut back...everyone needs to hope for the best, prepare for the worst. ~MJ I am not a Democrat---but I am praying that our new president (and his crew...) can make the right decisions for the future of our country.

What a beautiful pic Lucy. Yes we had some damage from the storm but even more today from wind. Pots and large plants blown over for some reason that shouldn't have been and Lucy Lou stomped down my whole patch of obedient plants just when they were coming into peak bloom but its ok. There are still a few standing. Had a plumeria turn wierd and die in the middle and fall over. We stopped at Martha's Bloomers in Navasota on the way home from dropping Morgan off and I got a couple of pretty plants. Here are a couple of pics. What a difference about an hours drive makes. I included some of some fields down one of the backroads we took. How green compared to where we live but my grass and most plants are really happy with the recent rain. I got the pretty blue flowering butterfly pea vine and a huge peacock ginger.

Yes, weird weather here on the East coast too. June, normally warm and dry had many days that were cool (even chilly), nearly EVERY day was overcast--all day long. Then there were the rains (just another millimeter or so would have resulted in a new record for June for precip). I just put my air conditioners in yesterday! (Been unusually wet in much of Florida as well.) Crops are very delayed here and farmers are suffering. Apparently (as far as the East coast is concerned), the Bermuda high has been unusually far south (pushed south by unusually persistent low pressure in southeastern Canada). A new pattern though is about to begin. Strong Bermuda high is about to establish itself in a more normal position. A return to normal, hot, sunny July weather? Heck no! National forecasters are calling for persistent stalled fronts along the coast with daily tropical downpours in the saturated air mass. A normal summer?--I'm thinking it'll start in September!

This is the first house we did NOT have handicapped bars and tall toilets, lol. I will install the squishy seat once I am better. Right now we perch it on top of the old one and are very careful. He is better at handing me tools than using them for such household repairs. While we were in Morgantown, we had about 4 hours between appointments so we went to Barnes & Noble. He got to spend out gift cards and I zoned out at one of the cafe tables. We are both exhausted and will go to bed early but right now I do NOT want to be back in that bedroom!