Summer's coming

Weather we don't normally see until high summer; 90 degrees, wild thunderstorms, hail and torrential rains made an early appearance yesterday.  Some areas received several inches of rain and there was a tornado warning from the weather service.  On the NCR, we had a much milder ride, with about .4 inch of rain and some wind, but no hail or other damage.  I was even able to transplant some lettuce on a bed I had tilled last Saturday.  All in all it was good, but some lettuce growers in Quebec said they suffered damage from hail which will impact prices in the weeks to come.  New Jersey was suffocating in the heat yesterday, so its lettuce deal will wind down sooner than normal..  Although, who knows what normal is any more.   I was sad to hear Doc Watson died yesterday at 89.  Mrs. M and I saw him perform only once, and he was already into his mid 70s. at the time, but he was an amazing musician who brought the music of the mountains of North Carolina  to generations of Americans.  He interpreted that heritage in a graceful and articulate way that was far less traumatizing than the "Deliverance" soundtrack, but nonetheless aware of the power of the music.  We will not see his like again.