Whatev

1) Hacker alert: Two of my friends have had their email accounts hacked today. I got messages allegedly from them, containing links to ... er, questionable sites. This happens periodically. So often in fact that Hotmail has a place to click on your email page to report that your friend has been hacked. It's a good idea not to open those links, by the way.

2) We are still in severe drought here, but we have had a bit of rain the last few days: 0.15 inches, 0.25 inches, etc. I attribute this to the fact that I washed a pair of denim overalls and hung them out to dry on the clothesline. While we have not had any gully washers, as long as those overalls are hanging out there, we get enough rain each day to keep them from getting dry enough for me to bring back in. I don't wear them much, so it's not a problem for me. And anything to keep Wisconsin Dells from turning into a dust bowl.

3) Retirement goes merrily along. I am writing every day, taking a morning walk or getting some sort of exercise every day, doing some of the cooking, goofing off, watching my budget. For the rest of this year, due to my reduced Social Security benefits (I had made over the annual limit when I retired at the end of June), my health insurance premium is going to be about twelve dollars more each month than I will be getting in from SS. Fortunately I have been earning book royalties each month, not a lot but enough to cover the difference with the insurance. On the other hand, all that means is that I break more or less even -- without spending a penny on anything else. Come January it will get better, but not a lot. Thanks again to the Carmelites and thirty years of living with a vow of poverty, I'll get by.

4) I gather there is some sort of sporting event going on in London? Hope you sports fans are enjoying it. I just hide in my room with the cats and watch Jeeves and Wooster DVDs. I mean, Bertie is English and he plays golf a lot. So  it's sort of the same thing, right?