By now everyone -- unless they live under a rock in a cave in a forest that is galaxies far, far away -- know that Jon & Kate are no longer a couple. Hey, they haven't been an actual "couple" for a long time; we all know that.
Now it's official.
After they got yet another freebie for their kids on Monday ... the crooked houses that would have set them back about $20,000, if they actually would have had to pay for them ... they finally got down to what everyone had tuned in to see.
First, they were separating. Then came the somber graphic that stated that legal proceedings had begun to dissolve their marriage.
Anyone who ever glimpsed this show on an even semi-irregular basis had to see this coming.
Kate was always bossing and complaining; Jon took it and carried out her orders.
And chaos was everywhere.
Hadn't they thought about this after having twins, when Kate "talked Jon into" trying for "just one more"? Instead they got six.... and apparently a vision of dollar signs began to dance in their heads.
But please, TLC, please. Cut the cord now.
Don't air episodes showing these poor kids having to deal with their parents' divorce.
These kids have been on display basically their whole lives. They haven't ever lived a normal life.
And it is annoying that Jon and Kate have been whining about the press hounding them, when they asked for this.
But it's time for these kids to grieve in private.
Since Jon and Kate apparently didn't want to opt for any counseling, make it short and sweet.
And private.
Spare the kids, please.
Think about them at last.
They don't deserve this.
You've reaped the rewards, abundantly, for producing so many kids.
Now stop capitalizing on them and let them have some semblance of a life.
Are you listening, TLC?

Our Online Editor Chris Stanley posted this and another really cute photo on his blog in reference to that hail of a storm we had Monday afternoon.
I wish I had had a camera on my way home .... but my photo wouldn't be as cute.
How do you capture terror?
It was such a weird weather experience. First a little rain, then a downpour, then the heavens opened up with a vengeance and pelted the poor motorists, myself included, with hail.
I've never had quite that driving experience... and hope to never again.
So if you were trembling behind the wheel yesterday, know that I was, too.
Oh, and of course by the time I got close to home, there had been no precipitation of any kind...
Ah, luck.

The fog was thick this morning for quite a bit of my drive into work.
And far too many drivers were thick as well, especially the guy in the gray pickup truck coming across Route 113, near Harleysville.
It was about 6:30 this morning, and making out other vehicles at that point was a challenge.
So here comes Mr. Dimwit with, you guessed it, no lights on.
I flicked my highbeams at him, thinking perhaps he had just forgotten.
His "look" as he passed me as I was heading in the opposite direction let me know he had no intention of going to the trouble of flipping the light switch.
That, or perhaps his brain has no "on" switch.
I glanced in my rearview mirror, and, sure enough, still no lights on.
Anyone care to enlighten me on why it's so hard to follow the law?

Did you head out to the last open house at Souderton Area High School on Saturday? As a graduate, I decided to give the place a last look.
It has changed a lot in some areas since I was a student; and it some areas, I could walk right in and attempt to follow my schedule unimpeded.
It's a bit sad to think that the Grand Old Lady will be razed so some development or another can take its place.
But it's inevitable. She's showing her age in many areas.
But it's still hard to see her go.
I wish the event would have drawn even more people, though. I didn't see anyone from my class -- at least anyone I recognized. Memorabilia was sparse.
But at least the public was allowed back in for one last visit.
So if you missed your chance to pay your respects, sorry.
There won't be another chance...

Like an accident that people say they just must look at, "Jon and Kate Plus Eight" is a train wreck that tops them all.
And now, please, it's time for them to go away. Now. Not later. Now.
It would have been better if they -- and the many like them (Table for 12, Eighteen Kids and Counting) never would have "graced" the airwaves.
But Jon and Kate are especially irritating. And obviously the marriage is over and these poor kids have been in the spotlight, literally, their entire lives.
Why would you do this? The money is an obvious answer. Look how they've upgraded from desperately scraping by to living in a huge house on more than 30 acres.
Look how tan and trim Kate is. Look at Jon's hair plugs.
Look at these poor kids. What will happen to them once TLC turns off the lights and they're left to become normal kids?
A lot of damage has been done already, but let's not encourage these people any further.
Stop glorifying those who opt for raising litters of kids. That's their choice, but it shouldn't make them celebrities.
As evidenced by the Memorial Day marathon of Jon and Kate shows, leading into the present chaos, we've had too much. They've had too much.
Please spare us and maybe, just maybe, they can find some bit of peace and reconciliation.
TLC, do the right thing...

Can someone please tell me how it got to be Memorial Day Weekend already?
Somehow in the hubbub of work and worry about the economy, the “beginning” of summer has slipped up on me and slapped me in the face.
I shouldn’t be that surprised, I suppose.
Having finally gotten my lawnmower in working order — why does a tire go flat and a belt self-destruct just at the time you have to start mowing? — my yard is now somewhat under control.
Although after the rainy days of spring and the mower ailments, it was a bit harder to tackle than other years.
And my yard certainly wouldn’t be welcomed by my neighbors if I lived in town. I happen to like the way dandelions look, I would never put chemicals on my lawn, critters and birds are always welcome and whatever sort of green stuff decides to pop up is OK with me.
Being surrounded by fields means that no one else really has to look at my yard, and that’s just fine by my estimation.
Another hint also should have warned me that the cold months were past.
Two cats decided to call our outdoor area their home about a month ago and, you guessed it, one of them was a female and she just happened to be extremely pregnant.
Since they aren’t tame, you can’t get near them, but they will deign to use food and water bowls I put out for them.
Then, three weeks ago, Wotzit Cat, as we call the mom, had her kittens. First I found them under a bit of wood in our fence row and then they were gone.
I thought — make that, I hoped — that she had taken them back to wherever she had lived before.
Nope. Instead, for some reason, she moved them into our firepit in our yard ... the one that perhaps we would have fired up on Memorial Day to roast veggie dogs and make s’mores.
Now, in an effort to keep the kittens dryer than they would be under the branches that are in the firepit, a few pieces of plywood adorn the top, held up by cement blocks.
Again, I’ll never win the Neighborhood Beautification Award. Again, it’s good I have no neighbors that close.
At least Wotzit, Gary (her apparent beau) and the kittens aren’t complaining.
But kitten season should have smacked me into the realization that summer is hot on my heels.
Summer — my least-favorite season. It’s hot. It’s humid. You have to mow the lawn. People expect you to wear shorts. People wonder why you don’t have a tan.
Oh well, hot weather or not, I suppose I’ll muddle through with all the others who dislike the dog days.
And that might even include the new kittens.

Tomorrow is the primary election in Pennsylvania, and in the Montgomery County area there are plenty of candidates running for school board, township, borough, district judge and county judge nominations.
Remember how excited you were to vote in last November's election?
Well, reignite those engines and GO VOTE on Tuesday.
Local elections are extremely important, but far too often turnout is horribly low.
Buck that trend on Tuesday -- VOTE!