Wow! We're having a record cold day today here in NW Illinois, and perhaps the entire Midwest. I'm actually wearing a pullover sweater as I sit here typing. It is 63 degrees F outside, with an anticipated high for the day of 64. And of course, on the East coast you are bracing for Tropical Storm Arthur, the first of the year, and a hurricane watch has just been set for part of North Carolina.

So it's a bit hard to realize it is July, and the week when we would normally be celebrating/sweltering with mid-summer picnics, parades, fireworks and other festivities.

Perhaps even a clambake on the coast... A fish boil in the Great Lakes area, and carnivals and street dances everywhere.

In the Quad Cities, an hour to the south of me, this weekend has meant a huge event: the Mississippi Valley Blues Fest at a park beside the Mississippi River for 30 years. But it's being relocated away from the River this year due to flooding. (Yes, Davenport, IA is the only city on the Mississippi which doesn't have flood gates, preferring instead to offer locals and visitors an unobstructed view of the beautiful riverfront.) I won't debate the intelligence of this decision, I'll just say that the US Corps of Engineers isn't happy. But the tourism folks are...

I hope you and yours are still able to celebrate Canada Day or the 4th of July, in some way, regardless of the weather in your "neck of the woods."