Returning home from a trip abroad is so strange. Especially in the summer. The heat seems to compound the blur you're moving through. And it is so hot here. Anything said after 6:00 PM is generally forgotten.

It is wonderful to be back, in spite of aching backs and sore throats. A small branch the size of an elephant trunk blew from the gnarled tree in our backyard during high winds yesterday. It clipped the rain gutter, but missed the house. A near miss. The theme of the last four weeks.

You'll hear all about it. But don't say I didn't warn you.