Pouring Rain!

To say it's a little damp here in Southern Maine this early Monday morning would be one of the biggest understatements I've ever made.  As I jot this down, the rain is falling at a very heavy level.  We have ponding and puddling all around us, and I live half way down a small hill.  Yesterday was, as we say, brutal.  At least the wind has died down somewhat and the forecast calls for it to leave our area later today.

I remember last February when we were having all that warm, snowless February weather, Gator Wife said, "Just wait until March 15th."  Well, today is March 15th and her prediction was almost right on the money, except today's storm is rain, not snow.  If this had been snow, we'd be buried for quite some time.  I guess that's a bright star in this weather.

This is the week the government told us last week in a letter sent solely to tell us it would send us a letter this week with our census form.  The government also urges us to return it right away so we won't forget.  The first question on the form asks how many people lived in our household on April 1st.  Seems to me that if we complete the form right away and send it in we're automatically lying.  April 1st is still a couple weeks away.

Now like the most of us, I don't anticipate any changes in these couple of weeks, but I'll still play their little game correctly and wait until then to mail mine back in.

That brings me to another fascinating question, one I'll use my Fearless Friend to illustrate.  FF and Mrs. FF have two homes, one here in Maine and the other in Florida.  I believe that's a situation duplicated by hundreds, yea, thousands, of other northerners who spend at least part of their winter months in the warmer climate.  "Snowbirds" is what they're affectionately called.

All these people will probably end up with two census forms, one via mail at their northern residence and one at their warmer climate home, whether it be in Florida, Arizona, or elsewhere.  There may be rules coverning this situation about which I don't know, but if they are like me, they'd simply ignore one of them and complete the other.  If they don't send the "away" one back, then the government will spend thousands, millions, of dollars sending people to those residences trying to find them.

I don't think we have a very efficient government.

I also have been thinking about how the Democrats in Washington want to ruin our great health care.  The bill which the Dems are pushing through Congress probably hasn't even been read by most if not all of them.  Nor the vast majority of us, for that matter.  The provisions it contains is going to shock you when you try to get health services.  Then, and only then, will we come to realize the totality of this monster of a bill.  And then it will be too late.

GiM