My apologies for the lack of column yesterday (Monday). Our power went out at 5:30 A.M. Sunday morning, when a power pole with four transformers on it blew over in a storm, about 20 or 30 houses down our street. The power stayed off for the next 46 hours. It came back on a little after 4:00 this morning, and then we had to deal with refrigerator salvage and other fun stuff in the wee hours. As this wasn't enough fun for one weekend, in the middle of all this we had car problems (fuel pump died), and had to arrange for a tow to the shop. So, as I said, it's been a busy couple of days! I'm getting caught up on what's been going on, and will be writing a new column later today, but again, my apologies for the silence yesterday -- it was due to circumstances beyond my control. The silver lining? The California drought is definitely over, with all of these storms marching through.

-- Chris Weigant

Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant