April showers bring May showers

A light rain started overnight and will continue through the day. We need the rain. Yesterday, the National Weather Service had a red flag warning for fire danger. Large brush fires were reported in Auburn and in the Great Blue Hills Reservation.

During a recent visit, my father talked about a trip to Finland with with his friend, Ted, in the mid-70s. We learned about the archipelago off the coast of Finland and its Swedish-speaking inhabitants. We learned about a guy (friend or relative, we're not sure) named John who could lift a 55-gallon barrel of oil by the rim, using just his finger tips. When the scrapbook came out, we saw pictures of the islands, as well as a picture postcard of my grandmother's home town, Kannonkoski. Judging from the cars, two Volkswagens and a Saab, in the picture, the aerial shot was taken some time in the 60s. My grandfather came from the neighboring town of Kivijärvi. Thanks to Sandra's efforts, we have a good genealogical record of my grandmother's family. We have, however, almost nothing about my grandfather. He left for American and seemed to have no contact with his family again.

The little cove next to the boathouse is lined with old tires. Because we now tie the boat to the dock near the sauna, we don't need those tires and plan to remove them. Anyone want a couple dozen 40-year old tires? Turning them into furniture is a possibility. As long a tradition as it is, the option of throwing them on the side of some dirt road has fallen from favor.

Even as Sears has branched out to show other brand-name products, such as Whirlpool, Frigidaire, and Milwaukee, it still features its own brands prominently. So, the Craftsman and Kenmore products are easy to find. Around the store, signs displaying the brand names are hanging on the walls, although not always with the best placement. At a nearby mall, a sign for DieHard batteries was placed prominently above the women's shoes department. Free jumper cables with each set of pumps.

The other day, I heard Josh White perform Strange Fruit a song long associated with Billie Holliday. His version was every bit as terrifying, even though his voice had nowhere the range or force. His understated performance made the material all the more unnverving.

Last week, I did a Google search to find out more about the meeting between China's president Hu and our W. One of the papers that had a worthwhile writeup was the World Peace Herald. My mother and her close friends would have been interested in anything that talked regularly about peace in the world. Well, it turns out that the WPH is published by the Unification Church, aka the Moonies. (See note at the bottom of the column.)

If you're going to get sick, July's not a good month. (Here's why.) This guy, for example, chose April to drive 12 nails into his head.

A guy tries to board a flight at Rhode Island's T.F. Green Airport. The guy's got a loaded handgun in his carry-on bag, along with extra ammunition. You'd think that would be the weird part. No, the weird part is that the guy was "released on an unsecured bond this morning because he is not considered a flight risk." What part of trying to board an airplane didn't they understand?

American Airlines is offering weekend getaway fares. For $199, you can fly from New York to Los Angeles. Or, for the same $199, you can fly from Chicago to La Crosse, Wisconsin.