We've got a thunderstorm going on. Jay-Jay has safely hid under my desk. The radar shows an even heavier line of storms to follow. And tonight the low temp is supposed to be 43*, tomorrow's low 33*. We'll have a few more sweater days, looks like. Good time to cook. Nothing warms me like my stove when I've got several things going at once.

New pictures are posted on The Plantersville Connection. One has me at the top of a tree. Mike says he has trouble picturing me as a tree climber, but I was real good at it. That's where I escaped to when I wanted to get away from the insanity in my house. Every tree that could be climbed was climbed, and around our house there were several. Maybe that's why I enjoy my upstairs office like I do. It's above the fray on the first floor, a sanctuary, painted green with leaf patterns all over, it's as close to the top of a tree as I want to be now. (Pictured with me are Linda Partlow 2nd from top, Jean Jutman under her.)

We watched The Da Vinci Code yesterday. Not having read the book, it was totally absorbing to me. I've long thought that Christianity's history of war and violence has been more about protecting the patriarchy than defending Christ. But the book was written as fiction, not non-fiction, and the controversy it sparked was a total turn-off for me. I've deliberately avoided it for that reason. I am amused when the insecurities of the infallible crowd make the news. Why are they so afraid of thinking about the "what ifs?" Oh, that's right, the patriarchy must be protected at all costs.