The Thunder God Is Smiling...

And why is that you ask?
We'll talk about that in depth in just a moment, but first up, we have the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? military quote:
"If you wish to study men, learn how far their patience can stretch."
This is attributable to none other than that wonderful little Elba exile himself...NAPOLEON  BONEPARTE- 1816, conversation with St, Helena, quoted in Christopher Herold, ed., The Mind of Napoleon.
((...we now return you to your regularly-scheduled blog post...))

*** Yes, the Norse god of Thunder is back...and he brought some "little friends" with him.

He's been busy the past 8 hours here in the Heartland providing some loud claps of thunder, along with lightning and something we really haven't seen in abundance for quite some time...RAIN...!!!
(...sound the trumpets and loose the pigeons...)
Yep, a nice soaking greeted me as I got up around 0515 hrs.
The good news is I won't have to get out and WATER anything today...or maybe even tomorrow.
As for the "bad" news...can't find any yet, don't want any, and not gonna go looking for any...so THERE!
-- One thing I prefer to do these days is place our trash bin outside on the DAY OF PICKUP, rather than the day before...and with good reason.
Critters like to get into the bins (as I saw with a neighbor's container)...AND other PEOPLE like to pull an impromptu "short-dump" and use YOUR bin, because they're just too damn f$cking LA-ZY!
(okay, so that's TWO reasons...but they're BOTH good ones...LOL.)
Also, you know it's a welcome relief when you see a ROBIN outside in the rain, looking for worms (who have probably dug halfway to CHINA by now, to get away from the heat).
-- Now, you also have to understand that weather like this that seemingly pops up out of "nowhere" catches many folks OFF-GUARD.

Perhaps that's WHY we're hearing about more than a few accidents on the roads around Ft. Wayne this AM.
When you go as long as we have (here) with little to no rainfall, the streets, roads and highways develop a buildup of oil and other substances that vehicles will undoubtedly drip from underneath of them.
And when it rains abruptly, that water forms a layer over top OF those oils and fluids, creating a perfect storm of HYDROPLANING...and the inability properly STOP when the brakes are applied.
If you like "slip-sliding away", that's all well and good, but when you're confronted with OTHER drivers doing likewise (by choice or through no fault of their own), it can get real ugly...real fast.
It can get as bad as driving on ICE...if you're not cautious.
-- As far as the crops go, this rainfall might too little, too late.

Corn is ALREADY expected to be a lost cause, as also will be soybean crops. Farmers have already applied for insurance claims, and the feds have been dispatched to "sess-up" the damage thus far.
That translates to higher prices all around, probably in the fall on damn near everything, because we are dependent upon corn for a myriad of foods and additives (like corn syrup - a sweetener used in sodas, juices, and the like).
Wonder how all those ETHANOL plants will fare, not to mention BEEF prices (due to the fact that a lot of meat on the hoof is FED with corn)?
It's funny how you never know HOW MUCH you miss something as simple as RAIN...until you go without it long enough.
The only real problem I used to have with rain, is that it used to fog up the windows in the car.
Flooded roads never presented a problem for me in Philly (or even the flatland in NJ)...you just found alternate routes to the next call of job.
I suppose the main thing about this weather, or perhaps ANY facet in life is to be ADAPTABLE.
*** And speaking of being adaptable, there was another little adventure this morning that I want to share.
As I said, I went out early this morning to put the trash bin out, and when I came back in, locked up the garage door, and got ready to go back in the house, I heard a noise that wasn't a noise that's indigenous to the garage (and after 15 years, I DO know them ALL).

So, since I always carry a tactical light on me, I began to sweep the garage starting at the ceiling level.
Imagine my surprise when I came across a BAT...up near the wall in this "closet" type alcove of the garage.
Okay, so how BEST to rid ourselves of this squatter, I ask myself...
Obviously, I wasn't going to talk him outside (too early for cogent conversation...for BOTH of us), and I did NOT want to take a chance of grabbing it (even with welding gloves on) and risk a scratch or bite that could turn me into another "black plague" victim...
I had no netting or plastic bag large enough to snare him...(damn)

But...I DID have my BB pistol handy (...cue evil laughter...)
I wanted to do this the right way...not necessarily kill it outright, but perhaps startle it enough to get it thinking that staying in our garage wouldn't be the BEST CHOICE...so I took careful aim...and FIRED once.
Hit it square behind the head, and that definitely got it's attention...he took off and got into the vehicle area where it began to orbit the garage.
I made my way to the garage door I just shut, unlocked it, and punched the switch.
The door came up, the bat made one last orbit, and then exited through the open door.
Mission accomplished.
I closed it again, making sure he didn't try to come back in (I think it had enough "fun" for one day - being tagged with a steel BB behind the head...I know I'd want outta there pronto).
And there ends the adventures of "Batman" for this week...sure beats trying to harpoon the bugger with a weed puller!
No clue as to how or when he got inside, but both Wifey and myself will be watching closely whenever we enter or exit the garage "after hours"...LOL.
*** Lastly today, and speaking of BATMAN...the third part of the Chris Nolan directed Dark Knight saga premieres at midnight, and tickets are already going for up to $100 online (WTF???)

A hundred bucks for a MOVIE?
Speculation has it that this flick (The Dark Knight Rises)might surpass The Avengers in box office receipts...and that's a good bet so far.
The rumor mill is abuzz with speculation as to whether or not Batman dies in this last installment...and I have to admit that the comic-geek in me is bothered by the premise. I'm not getting into the details, but the storyline has the villain BANE and catwoman. (Bane broke Batman's spine in the comic series, threatening to end the career of the Dark Knight, until Bruce Wayne undergoes some mystic healing from Asian cleric-types, and manages to eventually beat Bane).
The movie is alleged to follow this story...somewhat...how much is to be seen.
Personally, as well as historically, Batman represents more than a man in a costume, fighting crime...he represents an IDEA, and many will tell you that you can't kill an idea - "Ideas are bulletproof" (that was spoken in V For Vendetta, by the way).

But to kill off the MAN, Bruce Wayne, does a disservice to the fans, the franchise, and the meaning behind WHY Batman came into existence in the first place. Good should triumph over evil, even if evil gets it's way now and again.

Any hero has the ability to evolve...to ADAPT to whatever situation comes along, and thereby achieve the victory OVER evil.
Such concepts have their basis in antiquity, and one can easily find such instances in the Bible, for example.
I would like to believe that both Batman AND Bruce Wayne survive...I'm getting tired of ALL these "reboots" with superheroes, anyway.
The Dark Knight has had the most incarnations, received with mixed reviews on some of them. (Kilmer and Clooney???)
Batman has indeed EVOLVED over time...the comics speak to that fact alone.
He has adapted (his means to achieve his end) to fit the venue, and therein lies the virtue that many other people seek...
WE have to be just as adaptable when a situation comes along.
Granted, there ARE times to be like an OAK TREE...and stand FIRM (when it's our values, or convictions, or virtues at stake), but there are also times when (As Bruce Lee would probably say)..."We need to be able to bend in the wind...like a willow tree."

And that comes with knowing what options you may have available to you, because you ALWAYS have options.
Then, we must be able to choose the best one to make the result positive for the outcome.
Life is many things, and easy doesn't happen to be one of them, unfortunately.
But, we can take a page from Napoleon's text, and see how far our patience might go when we need to either stand like an oak, or bend like a willow.
I feel THAT mindset is what drove this nation to accomplish so much from it's people in such a short time.

And it will sustain us, if we are willing to do what we need to do to keep this nation great.

Be well, make a difference to someone, and...

Stay SAFE out there, America.