Another rainy dawn . . . pouring pouring pouring, over cars and trees and sidewalks and chimneys and gardens. The forecast claims the storm will clear out shortly and we'll have a rare weekend of sunshine and warmth. But that is hard to believe.

This morning I'm taking my car to the garage around the corner to find out why the a/c is still not working right. I've got student poems to read, an editing project to finish up, and then a lemon tart shell to prebake and a house to clean before my company starts arriving tomorrow.

I'm still slowly revisiting Richard Ford's Independence Day, but mostly I'm spending my free time in Boy Land, where I'm listening to loud playlists and being trounced in Scrabble. Warning: This is what happens when you encourage your children to read.