Things like this make me proud to be a Spartan:
http://www.shinskyorphanage.com/
Check it out. Good stuff from an MSU grad -- using his life and skills to make the world a better place to be...
By the time Hurricane Ike got to Southeast Michigan, it was merely a bunch of rain. We got a few inches over a couple of days -- nothing too outrageous. With the rain came just enough wind to split the remaining parts of the Bradford Pear next to the house and have most of the tree lean on the house and the electrical service. Unfortunately, this means another claim on my insurance... Boo hoo. 
Suddenly I want to be out fishing (oh, wait, I feel that way all the time).
The last few days the highs have been in the low-mid 70s and the nighttime lows are closer to 50. It feels like autumn is swooping in. Tonight it is chilly (~60 right now) windy, and rainy. It literally feels like a few of the Halloweens I remember as a kid...
Joshua is back in school, football is starting, the trees are already beginning to change. Bummer, I am not quite ready for it yet. I am not a huge fan of overly hot summertime, but I am clinging to it, right now...
I harvested all of the hops off my one still vigorous plant, and am going to see if Brad at Original Gravity can figure out some way to work them into a small batch. He seemed to be willing to entertain the idea, but we'll see if I have enough that are of good enough quality to make it worth it. If you live in the SE Michigan area and haven't been yet, you should try to check it out. They now have a big-screen TV and open at 11:30 AM for college football on Saturdays, and they tap a new small-batch specialty beer every Tuesday at 6 PM.