No problem finding gas, since I filled up the car about a week ago and only go to the grocery store/farmers market about once each week, have only used a couple of gallons.
Those that have to drive 50+ miles to work each day, are worrying, I'm sure!
It's a problem that could be rectified within a few days, if anyone in the oil industry really cared.

Water problem, i.e., absence of rain, is something none of us can control. I water when I can and hope my plants will somehow survive. A bright spot emerges in the garden occasionally, in the form of fall blooming bulbs, that seems to make all of the labor and concerns worthwhile.
The Suprise Lily's have finished, but were followed by the Oxblood Lily's and now Fall Crocus are starting
Beautyberries are loaded with fruit this year and really stand out in the garden.
The Annual Begonias have about given up, but are still colorful. The Hardy ones are now in full bloom.
Purchased a few Mums for color near the front entrance, until the Hellebores begin blooming. All of the tender plants will have to come inside fairly soon. The lemom, lime and banana trees have grown so large, it's going to be struggle to bring them indoors.
Tomatoes and Hot Peppers are still bearing fruit, since I'm permitted watering them, but they sure do miss the rain!
Very meager crop this year.
Hope everyone can make it through these trying times, without too many hardships. There are better day ahead!
Ye ole optimist___

Long lines at the stations that have gas, but I have not run across any 'gas rage' yet.

I have kept rain records for 6 years now and this is by far the driest stretch I've ever had. As horrid as last year was there was not a period that comes close to this. The driest month was August, and there was almost an inch(0.93") then. I'm going to finish September with less than one tenth of an inch. Its truly unbelieveable how this rainless weather just keeps on going. Its even more frustrating to hear about so much rain everywhere else. Quite frankly I ain't handlin' the dry weather well at all!

Its painful, we've had a few more evenings with big black clouds and oppressive humidity, but no rain.

We went to Costco on Saturday morning and the line for gas must have been well over 100 cars (we decided not to join it). It was incredible, and surprisingly orderly.

Very few gas stations locally (decatur area) with any gas. I found one by chance and paid $4.59 for the luxury of no line. Ouch. Still, my parents in England are paying the equivalent of about $8.50/gallon.

Mayland,

I'm in decatur and noticed 2 this morning with gas. Shell on N. Decatur and Dekalb Ind. (I think the price was $4.09) and QT on Lawrenceville near Dekalb Ind. ($3.97). Both had lines but they didn't look too bad.

In my passes through the yard these last few days (especially out there watering!), I have been pleased to notice that the Tea Olive flowers are perfuming the air in a very strong way. I wonder if the dryness magnifies their sweetness?

Tea Olive, one of my few non-native plants ... because it's worth it (and it doesn't spread).

Have been considering adding O. fragrans, but can't find a suitable location for one. Growing several O. heterophyllus "Variegatus' & 'Goshiki'. They are non-invasive also, because they never flower, thus no berries(seed). I also have zillions of the native, O. americanus, seedlings of one large, 50 year old tree at the rear of my property. Wind storms often break it up and it may be in it's final years, before returning to the earth! It is the most invasive plant I grow, bar none! The Celandine Poppy, Stylophorum diphyllum and Ilex sp. are a distant second & third!
Maybe, one of these years(very soon, I hope!) we will return to a normal rainfall pattern and I can remove some of the dead lawn (Fescue) and plant some of the nearly 1000 plants now growing in pots, if any are still living.
Rb

I am taking a trip to Baltimore, MD. They have plenty of rain and gas is no problem. the low grade gas is $3.60. they are in zone 7 too!

I have one confirmed osmanthus (holly prickly leaves) that hasn't quite bloomed yet. Just in the last few days the cleyeras or tea olives (I can't tell which) have bloomed and smell great. The firewhitch dianthus continue to crank along in the drought adding fragrance to the front yard.