If you’re on this website, your children probably enjoy being online and also love books. Want to combine these two interests? Check out a new series called The 39 Clues. Kids can read the books, collect the playing cards and solve the mystery online. They can even win prizes! My son took to this right away and told me this was really cool. Nice when worlds collide like that.

It's raining the proverbial cats and dogs here today. Where did that expression come from anyway? The rain is pounding on the roof in a pretty regular staccato beat, and I think my typing on the keyboard is keeping rhythm with it. Actually I think I am typing faster than usual since it's coming down so hard. In some ways I like days like this since I just hunker down and work. There is no thought about "whether to swim or not to swim." We also live in a neighborhood where a lot of people take walks. I watch them out my big office window on Fridays and feel guilty that I am being sedentary and ponder if one seriously can consider a keyboard a piece of exercise equipment. Today I will be happy I am not a walker.

As Monday heralded the beginning of yet another season, I found myself wondering where the summer went. Seriously folks, was this the fastest summer on record? I confess that I am not yet ready for mums, falling leaves and chilly mornings. As the temperatures in New York are beginning to dip into the 50s, I am looking forward to maximizing the remaining warm days ahead.

I guess I need to admit that the calendar turns to fall on Monday. This morning I got up, threw on my usual summer Friday attire of shorts and a t-shirt over a bathing suit (Note: if I swim in the AM I will drown since I am not awake enough, but having my bathing suit on reminds me to swim later!) and sat down at my computer. A few minutes later I reached for a sweatshirt. A few hours later I realized I was really cold, and perhaps I needed to acknowledge that the temperatures were in the 50s and jeans were a better choice of what to wear. I hope the pool heater is working and not being its persnickety self since I still want to get out and do some laps.