Only six months. Nur noch sechs Monate bis Weihnachten. Dann keine ungezogene Liste mehr. Gott sei Dank dafür.

Six more months of being good (mostly). And guys, that means three more shopping days before all those presents must be under the tree. For now, we enjoy barbecues in the back yard and wish for cooler weather.

On the topic of cooler weather, it was 118 F in Siberia last week and that is above the Arctic Circle. Stranger and stranger this thing called weather.

The current forecast calls for temperatures of 115 F in Portland, Oregon and something above 100 F in Seattle.

Sei brav. And no humbuggery. I know, I know – the world is going to hell or at least it feels like that.

Six more months.