This humid heat has been nigh on unbearable, and my little free dehumidifier is working overtime: I needed to empty it three times yesterday. We have no air conditioning, so languid is the word of the hour. Today I might drag the boy to the bowling alley or the movies. Something must be better than sitting on a sultry couch beside the tepid breeze of a box fan and reading about 15th-century political machinations as dump trucks bang and the smell of boiling tar rises from the street holes.

For the next few days I will be traveling, so you are likely to hear from me only intermittently. Imagine that I am brisk and cheerful during the days and sleeping through the nights. Maybe our dreams will come true.