Whole lotta rewriting going on. That's about it for the news around here. The end of our new Byzantine mystery is finally in sight and when that happens I tend to put blinders on. We're even on the verge of figuring out a title!

The old crow counting rhyme we were using ended with "seven for a secret, never to be told." There are variants, however. Actually, "Three For A Letter" came from the version with which Mary was familiar, so either we're on firm ground finding another suitable rhyme, or else the ground is not shaking much more than it already has been for several years.

Okay, so there was an earthquake in Pennsylvania last week but I don't think it was a sign. We didn't feel it. I saw it mentioned on a weather forecast page. Is an earthquake "weather"? It's amazing how many small quakes hit the northeast. The USGS Earthquake Center keeps track of all the shaking that's going on all the time.

We also survived the first heatwave of the year. For four days the high temperatures ranged from 87 to 93. In April! That's July weather in these parts. The first three days set local records. Which was good. I always say if I'm going to suffer it might as well be for the record books. That's the baseball fan in me coming out, I guess. When the weather gets extreme I keep checking the official temperatures and cheering for that extra degree.

The real tragedy is that the heat has got the grass all revved up. Which means I need to get the mower revved up. But the grass and the mower can both cool their blades until the book's done.