If you don't like...

A popular saying is "If you don't like the weather in Cleveland, wait an hour!" It's sure to change, and it may change drastically. Yesterday was miserably hot and sticky (see yesterday's dog days blip). Today was jacket and hot chocolate weather. In between yesterday and today, the remnants of hurricane Ike blew through Ohio. The wind wasn't anything like the hurricane force winds that flattened the Texas Gulf Coast, but it was enough to knock over trees, blow off large branches, litter the ground with leaves, and knock out our electric power for nearly 14 hours. And when today dawned, it was still slightly rainy and gray but windless.

Today's cross-country meet was an invitational with 20 teams invited, but not all participated because their schools were closed due to the power outages. It was still a well-attended meet with hundreds of middle-schoolers shivering in their summer-weight uniforms. I was most impressed by the coaches from our grandson's school who encouraged the runners who weren't in a race to stand on the sidelines and cheer on their teammates who were running. Then at the end of the meet, they gathered the entire team and made a ceremony of awarding the medals. Each runner had his or her turn to be applauded and recognized for their effort. That moment means a lot to the kids. Thanks coaches!