Rain At Last!

 We had a spell of heavy rainfall just after dark, and some more during the night. That was terrific. And this morning the sun shines. Ah. I like that. Off to the east there was severe storm potential but none of that for the likes of us. Just a good rain and some thunder and lightening to go with it. Not even damaging winds. I might get out later to check the playa lakes, and they will be a good indicator of how much rain we actually had. I did get a glimpse of a flooded street in front of the house, just before I went to bed. I go to bed early. I get up early. That's a habit I formed in my working life, and I've seen no reason to change, though it has been many years since I've worked. 

I remember watching old TV shows on the networks back in the day. Shows like Sid Caesar, Amateur Hour, Mr. Citizen, I Led Three Lives, Amos and Andy, the Tonight Show with Steve Allen, I Remember Mama, Science Fiction Theater. And so many more. I remember test patterns and the networks going off the air at night. I remember watching cartoons on a TV with a round six inch screen at the house of a friend. I remember when most of my toys were either tin, cast iron, or acetate plastic. 

In fact, I had a number of toys that were wood. Some of those I made myself or my dad made them. 

Our Rain Chances

 They are starting to look swell! Could have some heavy rain late this afternoon and overnight and into tomorrow morning. We sure do need it!

I remember old stuff I used to watch in the early days of PBS, like The Galloping Gourmet, Cooking Cheap, The frugal Gourmet, Laura Weber teaching folk guitar.  I remember watching the very first episodes of This Old House. And then there was The New Yankee Workshop, Crockett's Victory Garden, and of course, Mr. Rogers. I recall Lillias Yoga, as well. I seem to recall that PBS started as Educational TV, and I recall some guy in front of a blackboard teaching Algebra. Production values in the old days were not very good. Oh yeah, how could one forget Julia Child?

Maybe Rain

 Fairly good chances tomorrow and the next day, and it is not cold at all. Today looks to be really fine. I'm enjoying this. 

No Rain Yet

 It was cool and cloudy yesterday but it did not rain. Maybe this weekend, although the chances go up and down on a daily basis. It's still a crapshoot. 

Maybe Rain

 Cloudy today and a little rain is possible, but the best chances will be this weekend. I'm more than a little disgusted by this country's devotion to Israel. Why did we go into Iraq the first time? To placate Israel. Why would we attack Iran? To placate Israel. I hope attitudes around the world will change. I don't want to see anti-Semitism but I would like to see an upsurge in anti-Zionism. We should be able to understand that modern Israel's moral standing is no better than that of Hitler's Germany. Same cant: master race/chosen people. Not a dime's worth of difference. "Greater Israel" is just Hitlerian lebensraum all over again. Same justification for similar atrocities. It seems clear to me that Israel was a mistake, something misbegotten, and the world has suffered ever since. It began in hope and idealism. The hopes and ideals have been betrayed, just as they would be in any ordinary nation, subject to ordinary human flaws and moral rot. Nothing special. No hand of God. No trace of superiority.