Today on Earth my retirement actually begins; summer vacation is over because employees of Louisa Schools reported back to work today...and I am not there!! I've just returned from a dog stroll on a fairly amazing start to August, coolish and not too humid, yet, with a nice breeze. A moment of the sun breaking through got warm quickly but clouds are likely to continue to dominate Va. today and the rest of the week. Rain chances are forecast to be a little lower today but back up tomorrow. Monster storms lashed the counties along the Blue Ridge late yesterday (but seem to have missed the tirehouse, we'll see in a couple of hours) with several inches of rain and flash flooding warnings. Richmond, where I'm currently hanging, got some gentle rain and then a deluge as well. And, still the west roasts and burns; Death Valley had the highest temps EVER recorded for July with a daily average high of 120 degrees and a new record high of 127. Nothing like change!!
The daily quake list, already 100's in Hawaii with another mag. 5.3 blast, is otherwise pretty quiet with only one non-eruption quake above 5 (we seem due for a big quake somewhere...). The volcano list updates later today so tomorrow's TOE will deal with that.
Storm clouds obscured any star/planet gazing last night but I did see the thinning gibbous moon this morning on an early dog outing; still shining. We'll see if today's lower storm chance will translate to a better sky look with the Mars show improving for most of August.
About time to return to the tirehouse and see how the butchering of the forest adjacent to my land is progressing, they were getting closer and closer on Monday before I headed down to town. Most American land management seems to lean toward max profits and increased monoculture. Farming designed not to feed the local population centers but grow soy beans for China, subsidized corn for ethanol and forestry cutting down the native hardwoods to replant with fast growing pine for pulp. Why recycle paper when we can just grow more (and in the most inefficient way possible - lots of plants are much better at pulp production than pine but that would require change and potential breakdown in quarterly greed cycles). Ask the Irish how well potato monoculture worked...
If you have to work today, sorry, but keep up the good job you're doing. If you're a teacher thinking about helping students on their standardized tests to make yourself look better, and you do, like the disgusting principal at Carver Elementary in Richmond did, I hope you end up in jail!! It's pathetic the city school board hasn't fired AND pressed charges against the principal and teachers involved. Nice job cheating already struggling students and bragging about your awards for amazing improvements - you all are slime!!
Ok, I got that out of my system, let's hope the city grows a spine and gets them out of their system, and files charges soon. Time to head home and walk the woods before the next shower, hope you get out for a wander, Today on Earth.
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