Marilee J. Layman

I heard thunder that lasted more than a minute today. I don't think I've ever heard that before. When I headed out to mail a DVD and get groceries, the sky was gray, but there wasn't any rain. By the time I got to the grocery shopping center, the rain went crazy! I went to the BK and got a Whopper Junior with Cheese and no pickles. If I were driving on the street, I would have pulled off to be safe. Fortunately, I could see a parking spot and while I ate, the rain calmed down.

Still rainy when I went in to the grocery and a bit more coming out and on the way home. I got a little wet folding open the rolling cart and bringing kitty litter in, but I'll dry off. I had a long grocery list yesterday and I realized it would be easier for me and only about $5 more to have most of it brought by Peapod on Thursday, but they don't have the brand of kitty litter we use. And I had to get Junie's buspar.

The rain has stopped, but it's still wet out there.

Last year a couple made a documentary about how the county around my city made rigid immigration laws and they backfired. The couple has been asked to take the documentary to Arizona.

Someone burned a homeless man in Virginia.

(Okay, raining again)

The WashPost asked readers to recommend books for Obama to read. The most-recommended was Atlas Shrugged, but one of the other highlights is Asimov's Foundation Series.

This is the true story of Jim Braddock, a champion boxer. It's very long and dark.

It starts out with him winning a match and coming home to his wife and kids in a nice home. Then he breaks his hand and badly loses a match and loses his license. It's the depression and he can barely get more work. Their electricity is cut off, they live in a rough basement, and he went to the government office to get welfare, which wasn't enough, and then asked the boxing guys he knew for money. He got $5 more than he needed.

His hand heals during this time and he becomes stronger working on the docks every other day or so. His director comes and says he's got a one-time match for Jim, and the prize is $250. Jim took it and finished even with the other guy and got $123 of the prize. He was good enough that his director got his license back and he wins match after match. Then he's asked to fight a man who has killed two people in the ring. His wife tries to keep him from going, but he says he must.

The kids are at the aunt's and listen, hidden, to the radio. His friends from the docks listen to a bar radio, and a church is full listening to the radio. He's become an inspiration for the lower classes in the middle of the depression. He wins the bout and continues to box for a while more.

He was in WWII and then worked at the docks with his own equipment.