I went to the farm yesterday to buy raw milk. To you, that'd be unworthy of comment; to an agoraphobe like me, it was a great victory. I've been averaging less than one trip outside the house per week this year; in fact, I think I only went outdoors twice in April. This was only two days after my last trip, though; I voted on Tuesday.

Marie was happy to go, too. They say that dogs can't see two-dimensional images, such as television, but I'm not convinced. I think the problem is that dogs can barely see at all. They respond really well to things they hear, and things they smell, but they don't see very well at all.

Marie sits up, "smiles", and looks outside the window when we're moving down the road. When we stop, she quickly gets bored, and lies down on the floor of the minivan.

Dogs Aren't Hermits

It's pretty clear that Pat Toomey is a hawk.

• He voted "Yes" on the AUMF (Authorization for Use of Military Force in Iraq) in 2002.
• He voted "Yes" on the Iraq Anniversary resolution in 2004.
• He voted "No" on Istook amendment of the Kosovo and Southwest Asia Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act in 1999, that would have prohibited the invasion of Yugoslavia without a declaration of war.

And it's pretty clear that Joe Sestak is a hawk. He was a professional warrior, a (three-star) Vice-Admiral before he was retired as a (two-star) Rear Admiral in 2005. He supported ramping up the fighting in Afghanistan in 2009, and the drone attacks in Pakistan.

The Fighting In Afghanistan

We've been fighting Afghanistan for a decade - which is long than any war we've ever fought - and there's no end in sight. Yesterday, five US soldiers died.

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After voting on Tuesday, I headed to Willow Street to visit Taco Bell. They have a new promotion going on. According to news stories, their advertising for it won't start until Sunday.

There are four new meal deals at $2 each. They include a small Pepsi, a small bag of Doritos, and your choice of a chicken burrito, a double-decker taco, a Gordita™ supreme or 5-layer burrito. A Gordita™ is a taco based on a pita bread instead of a corn shell.

A TWO-dollar Meal Deal?

In the 1990s, there were a number of fast-food outfits that offered meal deals for $3, but I can't remember seeing a $2 deal recently, unless perhaps Turkey Hill was offering a drink, hot dog and chips for that low price.

The catch, of course, is that it takes more than one burrito or other item to fill you up if you're at all hungry. They used to have (and perhaps still have) a meal deal that consisted of ten tacos and a drink. And their menu board makes it easy to add more victuals at, oh, 79c or so, depending on the item selected.

Mark Souder has announced his resignation from the House of Representatives, effective Friday.

"I sinned against God, my wife and my family by having a mutual relationship with a part-time member of my staff,” he said in a prepared statement. “In the poisonous environment of Washington, D.C., any personal failing is seized upon, often twisted, for political gain. I am resigning rather than to put my family through that painful, drawn-out process."

Well, he won't escape entirely, but it'll get it over faster. They're already mocking him all over the internet.

My Former Bookseller

Mark used to be my bookseller, before he entered politics. When my first wife and I lived in Milan Center, Indiana, he ran the family business, Souder's, in Grabill. It was mostly a furniture store, but it had started out as a general store, and its origins had not entirely been erased. He still sold some groceries, mostly candy and such, and he had a bookstore there, where I kept buying Louis L'Amour paperbacks.