Our love alert has been raised to red. Heathrow Airport was shut down earlier today with the foiling of a major terrorist plot. And the first message I opened this morning was a commemorative poem about 9/11 and how we should never put off 'til tomorrow the love and appreciation we should express today. David O'Steen is supposed to be in London sometime this month, not sure when he was leaving or returning, but he's the only one I know who may be directly affected by this latest development. I tried calling him with no luck. I just hope he doesn't get stuck on the other side of the pond. Church isn't nearly as enjoyable without music.

Now that I have an AC in my office, I can hear the soft rain; only the hard rain could be heard before. I love the sound of raindrops on metal, one of the few things I actually enjoyed about living in a mobile home back in the 60's. If it did this all day, I would not complain. Our outside temp is a cool 74* now. According to the radar, Rankin County is surrounded by showers from Meridian to Monroe, enough to keep us cool and wet for a couple of hours. Ahhh, what a relief it is!

I promised Mother and myself that I would take shampoo, scissors, and a curling iron with me next time I visit her. Her hair has never been as long as it is now, and she has never liked long hair. Fortunately, she doesn't realize how long it is.

She was getting regular visits to the nursing home's beauty shop, but for some reason she hasn't been lately. The aide, who helps bathe and dress her, shampoos it about once a week, but that's all she gets. I think they make the mistake of asking her if she wants to go, rather than telling her she has an appointment. I need to check on it. My clip job usually falls far short of what a trained beautician does, but with as much natural curl as she has, a botched cut can be pretty easily camouflaged. I'd just rather not do it unless I have to.

I've got a couple of deadlines looming - proving Mike's continued eligibility for my medical insurance, and turning in recipes for our Altar Guild's cookbook. What a great way to spend a rainy day! Such pressing matters to contend with. The rain has stopped. The dogs and I are going for a walk. I'll take my camera.

12 Noon. We didn't get any further than the end of our sidewalk before the rain started again. I came back in and cranked up the stove, not something I do a lot in the summer months, but cool, rainy weather inspires me to cook. I made the Salsa-Veggie Mix we like and baked some potatoes (topped with the mix and grated cheese) for lunch. It also makes great nachos with tortilla chips.