Here Comes the Rain

Finally. And as long as it took to get here, it passed even more quickly. Maybe 15 minutes worth of rain. I'm thankful. The temperature fell for a short period; any relief is welcomed. The city of Memphis and surrounding areas may have received a downpour because the stations were tracking the storm and lightening strikes. We were not so "lucky."

Things that fly, I am coming to despise. Not quite. Not good poetry, either. One of the good things about this intense heat is that you can hang clothes on the line and they are dry within about 2 hours or so. Brings back memories of having to hang out the wash when I was small. Dryers weren't common then and even so, we weren't among the fortunate. We were fortunate enough, however, to have a pulley line strung from our apartment to the far side of the apartment's yard. Not bad during the good seasons but frozen clothes were no fun.

So why are you using the clothes line, Missy? Don't you have a dryer? Yes, I do. Call it conserving energy, if you will. My effort to stop global warming. Or you can call it saving pennies. Regardless, wash day calls for a trip to the back yard and the clothes line. So what's the problem?

Flying things, so small until you don't know they are in the house until they flit around. And I don't care how much you shake the clothes, one or two will surely manage to hang on. Gnats, mites, fruit flies from the bananas. Irksome things that make you think something is crawling on you all the time. Looks like defoggers are going to be a regular part of the shopping budget. But the clothes do smell good even if they are rough-dry.

I'm beginning to think that I've traveled through a time warp or reliving "Cool Hand Luke." Check this out. The good people of Lauderdale County elected a former trooper, with no law degree or training, to a judgeship. True to the movie, he dispensed judgment "his way." As a result, he was thrown off the bench. You've got to read this, to believe it.

http://www.tsc.state.tn.us/OPINIONS/TSC/PDF/983/williabw.pdf

Hopefully, they've learned a little sumpin', sumpin'. But from the number of lawsuits the town and county are paying off, including Mr. Maben, maybe not.

Ripley has received a grant to revive the town square courtesy of the actions of State legislator and CEO of the Bank of Ripley, Craig Fitzgerald. Now that's a good thing. Only problem is: What businesses will populate the stores after the renovation is done? Seems that WalMart's arrival pushed a lot of small business out of business and others relocated to the highway to capitalize on its' proximity. Still, every little bit helps. It would be nice if they could develop some quaintness or something that would be a draw. Fort Pillow State Park is not far away and there is a wildlife refuge abutting the area. They need to find a way to develop a tourist trade. But, I'm a newcomer. What do I know?