Good morning.
Saturday in Whitewater will be rainy with a high of 71. Sunrise is 6:39 and sunset is 6:57 for 12 hours 18 minutes of daylight. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 57.3 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1796, George Washington’s Farewell Address is printed across America as an open letter to the public.
It’s rainy today. There is life and beauty in the rain. Here in agricultural Wisconsin, we likely understand that as well as anyone anywhere in America.
Cynthia Barnett’s Rain: A Natural and Cultural History describes the importance of rain in ecology, in meteorology, and in history and culture. And yet, and yet, she’s not sentimental about rain’s potential for destruction through flooding (sometimes unavoidable, sometimes the result of poor human planning).
It’s a fine book, well-written and memorable. Highly recommended, especially on days like these.
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Forthcoming topics (in no particular order): A New Ethics Ordinance, Development in Downtown Whitewater (follow-up), and Steps for a Public Interest Campaign.
See also Rain: A history for stormy times | Cynthia Barnett | TEDxJacksonville: