A dreary weekend

It was nice to see the sun on Monday morning. We had off and on rain Saturday and Sunday, with a total accumulation of about two inches according to my rain gauge.

 The river started rising on Saturday and is still rising. It may hit flood stage. On Saturday I saw a large log floating downstream of the Talbert Bridge.

 The miserable weather (and perhaps a lack of organization) resulted in poorly attended Earth Day at Brookside Park. I do not think the planned 5K run took place.

 Riding around town to check out yard sales, I saw the fire department finishing up at a fire on Milton Street.

 There were few yard sales. There were lots of garage sales and tents sales. One family set up in the shelter at Bicentennial Park. I saw another that was having the sale from the back of their van to stay out of the rain. The biggest sale I saw was the sale put on by the clients at CDC Resources on Angelica Street. They were selling clothing for $2 for a plastic bag.

 The oddest item I stumbled on, and I did not actually check out many sales because the weather was miserable and I do not need anything, was a box of player-piano rolls at Rich's Cycle Solutions on College.

When I picked up a map at the new fire station, I mentioned that it seemed to me that the number of sales was down this year, and the person giving me the maps acknowledged that it was.

The Saturday Farmers Markets have begun. There were four venders selling pork, beef, bread, and plants. No early veggies such as rhubarb or asparagus. The Little Cousin Jasper Festival moved their free movie from Potawatomie Park to the old fire station because of the weather. I have not heard how few people showed up. I wonder if they realized when they set the date that Saturday night was prom night.

Other things that happened over the weekend: On Friday evening the Jasper County Art League had the opening reception for the annual photography exhibit. One of the big sources for entries is a photography class at South Newton High School and these students won some of the awards. The show continues until June 9. On Sunday REMC had a dinner benefitting Franciscan Hospital and Hospice. I was impressed at how thoroughly they had cleaned the garage in which the meal was served.

On Sunday SJC had its last student awards presentation. The closing of SJC has brought the alumni together as they have never been before. It is remarkable how we often do not appreciate things or people until they are gone.

Last week Purdue announced it was purchasing the on-line educational company Kaplan University. It will be interesting to see what Purdue does with it. The Internet delivers information and education is largely the delivery of information. So far the Internet has not disrupted education as much as it has disrupted newspapers, music and entertainment, and even retail. We will see what the next decade brings.

The frogs and toads love the wet weather. They were making a lot of noise last night.