If anyone even suggests we are in a drought in my area, I'm gonna scream!! We have had a couple of nice days in the last week but lots of RAIN--midweek we had 5 inches of rain in 24 hours, then yesterday it clouded up again and thunderstorms from the evening into the night. Jim finally got the lawn mowed yesterday morning and it's a good thing cause then we had more rain.

I cleaned the trailer up and unpacked all the stuff we take in during the winter (liquids like soap and the aerosol cans of bug spray) It's ready to put away for winter. With gas prices and groceries and my utility bills, we can't afford to take the camper anyplace. Sad, but true. I miss camping this summer but hopefully next year we can go again.

We had a sad situation in the area last week. A 3 yr.old little girl wandering in traffic on Route 9. Rt. 9 (it's a 4 lane highway where this happened) is a busy place where this happened--nearby is Wal-Mart, restaurants, a couple motels, etc. People drove by her, honking their horns--like she would know that she was in danger of being run over. 2 people finally pulled theirs cars blocking her in and got her out of the road. They called 911 and the police took over. What kind of world do we live in that you wouldn't stop and get a child out of traffic. especially with no adult near her. The story gets worse, she had a broken arm, broken collar bone and other injuries from being sexually abused by a 15 yr. old. Seems she, her mom and mom's boyfriends son (the 15 yr.old) were staying in a motel where this happened and mom turned her back for a few minutes and the child got away. The father and 12 yr. old brother of the teenager are in AZ. where they came from. The story that has come to light is that the 12yr. and 15 yr. olds have sexually abused this child for a while now. The 15 yr.old and mom are facing charges here in NY and the police in AZ are looking into charges for both boys and mom there. The little one was filthy, wearing only a diaper, and in obvious pain. She is now in foster care. Jim works in the Social Service building 2 days a week and the head guy said this is one of the worst cases he has ever seen. He just prays the child is young enough she won't remember some of what has happened to her in her short time on earth.

The obituaries this morning had memories for me. In junior high we were required to take "Speech" class. I hated it, we had to get up in front of the class and speak. The man who taught it has died. Reading his obit this morning made me remember. He was a nice man and tried to help us all. He was an actor first and a teacher second. I'm sure that a lot of graduates will remember him. He loved theater and actually started the drama club at school. He was very active in local theater for years. Started his career at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Maine, went to NYC and then bought a home in farm country up here. His wife was also into the theater before she passed away a few years ago.

I am a moderator on a web based support group called Military Moms. We have lots of moms who all have 1 thing in common, a child in the service. Some of us are now veteran moms--our child is out of the service but we still belong. It helps the new moms knowing we have already walked in their shoes. This morning as I was ok'ing new accounts I had 2 messages from moms who had no clue how to deal with the new situation of having a child enter the military. It's definitely different. You lose control of that child, can't help them except to give encouragement, it's tough on a mom to feel like they have no say in what happens. I encourage these moms to join us, cause we have all found it helps to have someone else going through he same things.

As Always my prayers are with our military.