I waited at the library for the literacy student this afternoon, but either she forgot, got delayed, or chickened out. I was going to call her during the day, but her number was in a different bag than what I had with me as I read and worked in PJ's.

This was not a day that went as I had planned. I got off to a fairly early start and headed to the recycle center with the newspapers. They are closed Mondays. I don't think they used to be, but once again, it's the labor shortage. So, the back of my car is filled with newspapers. That makes it handy for the next time I'm out meandering around the area. I may also take a look at the map to get the street names for a back way that will avoid the stop and slow traffic on the main drag. YD took me on it a couple of times, but I haven't used it since then. As I recall, it's easier to go there via the shortcut than to return. When in doubt, look at the map.

I managed to get the trash out and up front for the pickup tomorrow. Week before last I didn't, but I generate so little trash that it didn't matter.

At the rate the National Guard is being called to active duty the last few years I predict a steep decline in enlistments. The guy that used to tend my pool basically had his business go under because of his National Guard commitments. Since he was a mechanic he had to be at the armory every day till at least noon. This was post-Katrina, so the emergency existed and appeared to have an end. But how long will the National Guard be patrolling the Mexico/US border? I don't have answers about illegal immigration, and considering the desparate need for workers here post-K I don't have any particular feelings about illegals helping get places fixed up. I think most people around here don't ask questions when they might not like the answer.

We're having lovely cool, dry weather here. New England is really getting hit hard by rains and floods. Other areas also--a friend in North Dakota sent me some flood pictures last month. Global warming is not a myth. It's happened before and is part of a natural cycle. Of course, it may well be accelerated by humanity's use of fossil fuels and a bunch of other stuff but the weather world-wide has never remained the same for centuries and millenia.

Anybody willing to hazard a guess as to how high gas prices will go? Or how huge the oil companies' profits will be? Wonder what the prices would be if the profit percentage remained the same per gallon, rather than per dollar.