You must go see these photographs of red pandas.  I’ve always thought these raccoon cousins were terribly fascinating and cute; the images prove it!

I don’t think anything from China is safe now.  First it was the various vegetable products that killed and sickened pets before finding their way into the human food supply, and now it’s toothpaste.  “The government warned consumers on Friday to avoid using toothpaste made in China because it may contain a poisonous chemical used in antifreeze. Out of caution, the Food and Drug Administration said, people should throw away toothpaste with labeling that says it was made in China. The FDA is concerned that these products may contain diethylene glycol. The agency is not aware of any poisoning from toothpaste in the United States, but it did find the antifreeze ingredient in a shipment at the U.S. border and at two retail stores: a Dollar Plus store in Miami and a Todo A Peso store in Puerto Rico.”  As with the tainted foodstuffs, the poisonous toothpaste has been discovered in several countries already.

I said before I thought our weather had been a bit strange this spring, what with two years of drought leading directly to a season of constant rain.  Well, it seems I was right.  From the National Weather Service:

DURING THE SPRING OF 1957…TORRENTIAL RAINS BROUGHT AN END TO SEVERAL YEARS OF DROUGHT. FOR DALLAS/FORT WORTH…APRIL AND MAY OF 1957 BROUGHT 24.83 INCHES OF RAIN…A TOTAL ON PAR WITH THE WETTEST CALENDAR YEAR DURING THE DROUGHT (1951-1956).

TEXAS IS A LAND OF EXTREMES…AND DROUGHT-BUSTING RAINS ARE OFTEN THE WAY THE LONE STAR STATE RECOVERS FROM PERIODIC DRY PERIODS. THE SPRING OF 2007 HAS FOLLOWED THIS PATTERN…HELPING TO FILL AREA LAKES AFTER 2 YEARS OF PERSISTENT DROUGHT.

AT DALLAS/FORT WORTH…MAY 2007 IS THE WETTEST MONTH SINCE JUNE 2004 (10.49 INCHES). IF RAIN FALLS ON MAY 31…DALLAS/FORT WORTH WILL TIE THE RECORD FOR THE MOST RAIN DAYS IN MAY (INCLUDING TRACES).

By the way, it did rain on May 31.  If it did so at DFW Airport (where the official records are taken), we’ll have tied the 1957 record for the most days of rain in May, set the #1 or #2 record for the highest precipitation totals for May, and set the #2 or #3 record for the highest precipitation totals for any spring season.  If it didn’t rain at DFW, those records are #2, #2, and #3 respectively.

And yes, severe thunderstorms rolled through around twelve this morning, and our forecast includes chances for storms over the next several days.  June seems intent on following the example set by May.