It is in the 60’s today and last night was downright chilly; Der Bingle got a firepit fire going and by eight o’clock, we were huddled around it. We decided to let it die out because we didn’t want to go get sweaters in order to enjoy seeing flames in the dark at nine. The tomatoes just don’t ripen; normally, by this time I’d be thinking, “No, no. No more tomatoes. I can’t stand to look at another red round thing. Last year I had blisters in my mouth from the acid. July was the coolest on record. Not that I am complaining – I really don’t like the transition from outdoor air to air conditioning during a normal summer. It just seems odd to be thinking of wood for fireplaces and we haven’t truly been HOT.

Today, I started moving furniture around to accommodate the baseboard heaters on the porch  And, gasp, Alison asked me if we were going to have the tree on the porch this year. The tree? The Christmas tree. Frost warnings are in effect for Northern Iowa. Der Bingle says the forecast is for the area east of us to be cold and snowy, and the area west of us to be very cold. He opines that we will come in very cold and snowy. I just hope we don’t have a lot of ice. Jeez, I can’t believe I am talking about winter and I have not melted once this summer.

I forgot to mention that I was born on the hottest day of the year – a record that still stands for that particular area. Der Bingle says the Gates of Hell opened and Mother keeps reminding me of that. It is a big HA HA between them. Come to think of it, Summer was born on a  hot August day also. Well, it’s probably a coincidence.

Got the lawn mowed last afternoon because the grass looked tallish and the sky looked like rain. My butt hurts because the ground was so soft the mower wheels wanted to bog down and I had to really put some leg power into it. It’s just a tiny little yard, but that means lots of turning and no momentum build-up. Anyway, my buttockal (not tiny) area is not being helped by the aspirin I took – perhaps I should have sat on it.

I sat on the buns last month when we roasted hot dogs – mercy, they were flat. Last night everyone made certain they were safe. Der Bingle ate the hot dog that fell on the ground (before it was cooked) and discussed with Cameron and Summer the origin of the word wiener. Austrian, dontcha know? Then they went on to hamburger.

Another reason they abandoned the idea of staying out for a night-time fire was that a SyFy movie beckoned – a new one about a giant shark and a great big octopus and the Golden Gate Bridge and Tokyo Bay. I decided not to fight the trend and started to watch but groaned myself out by the dialogue. The others gave up about 2/3 of the way through. Hey, tonight High Plains Invaders is going to be aired. I think they have six legs. And to think, just two nights ago, I watched How Green was my Valley.