Weird to be here, at the parents' house (will the heat break today?), where my dad tells me I'm not allowed to go walking out past the airport anymore. Because "weird" people live there. Huh?

So I obeyed, walked down past the school to get to the old Interurban track, the old electric trolley line that ran from Decatur to Monticello, via Bement. The dirt track's in good shape, really, but I prefer the anonymity of legit country roads, as opposed to the traffic of intrastate routes. So I was conspicuous. Okay. Not such a bad thing when I saw the lightning strike ahead of me and remembered the lessons of Ed Kieser's tornado preparedness seminar, where I learned that lightning can strike far away from the center of the storm. Prize of the day goes to anyone who knows the greatest specific distance away from the storm lightning will strike. Ed Kieser is the law here.

Hightailed it home quickly, as you can imagine. Luckily there was no need to flag down a passing motorist for a ride. Of course, it's likely I'd have known them, which would add to the discomfort significantly.

But I'm trying it again this morning. Maybe I should wait till 8:30, when the driving-to-work traffic might slow down. I just don't want anyone to know I'm in town, if that makes sense. Yes, it does. Come on.