Remind me about today when I bitch during the summer about the weather here in Southern California. Today we have light breezes, brilliant sunshine, and temperatures in the mid 70's. Doesn't get any nicer, anywhere, any time.

I could wish for weather like this year-round, but sure enough someone would complain that there were no seasons. So let us have seasons: a couple of rainstorms (winter), a month of mild weather (spring) and the rest being blistering hot summer, Indian summer, almost fall weather, right through mid-October when it cools down again. Then a week of mild weather (fall) and we're back (we hope) to a splash of rain.

If you like hot, dry weather, come-onna my house. I'm gonna give you everyting you could wish for. A desert paradise watered by aqueducts whose origins are hundreds of miles away. Without imported water, we'd look like Gila, Arizona.

So I'm lovin' it, right now. Tomatoes and herbs and squash have been planted. We did some heavy soil amendment this year, so hoping for a better harvest than last year.

Sure is different from my New England childhood home.