Yesterday I finally did what I've been needing to do for over a year: I bought a replacement laptop. I've had my current one since 2008, it can no longer be updated or stream video, and it eats batteries. The trackpad is recalcitrant and, worst of all, the text I type in tends to jump around and appear in the wrong places--really, really not ideal for a copyeditor. On the advice of my savvy older son, I ordered a refurbished MacBook Pro--only a year old but several hundred dollars cheaper than a brand-new one--and it should be arriving on Wednesday. I understand that this is a boring post, but remember that I'm a writer who hasn't had a new writing tool for more than a decade: a new lapdesk feels like a big deal. Also, it was this, or a replacement air-conditioning compressor for my car. They cost about the same and I can only afford one. If you ride with me, you will have to be hot. Sorry.

Yesterday I also managed to do a bunch of outside things that I've been putting off because of the extreme heat: for instance, hack out the ugly weeds along the curb. As I did this unattractive job, I kept getting accosted by neighbors. One wanted to know where I got my hair cut; another stopped by to have a pleasant chat about books. I still can't get over how friendly people are around here. Maybe that's a normal thing about neighbors, but the neighbors I had in Harmony were blackflies and a creepy guy who claimed to be an ex-bounty hunter and was rumored to sneak around staring into hippies' windows to see if he could catch them getting stoned.

I also picked these beauties: baby carrots, baby beets, and fat radishes.