42 DEGREES: Dan Whiteman of Mesa, Ariz., dropped us an e-line
late last week:

“Today at 4:30 a.m. while on the way to work, NPR radio reported
Bradford, Pa., as having the national low temperature of 42
degrees. At the same time the outdoor temperature at 4:30 a.m. here
was 97 degrees (our overnight low). Our outdoor temps have been
running at 116 to 120. Enjoy the cool. Just 3 more degrees and our
all day temps will exceed 100.”

NEW LIST: OK, admit it: On those cooler than normal days we’ve
had recently, you were eagerly reaching for that sweatshirt,
right?

Bradford has had an unusually hot and dry summer so far – not
that we’re complaining. When temperatures climb into the 90s,
though, you have to admit it’s not as pleasant as we dream all
winter long.

And that gave us an idea:

During those hot and humid days, drag a pen and paper out onto
the porch with that tall glass of iced tea. As the sweat drips
between your shoulder blades, work on a list of things you want to
remember come December.

Our list?

• Ice doesn’t last very long.

• Gnats, flies that bite, mosquitoes, and those annoying bugs
that buzz repeatedly around your head.

• Swollen hands and feet.

• Body odor.

• You can’t buy any shelled nuts – like walnuts, pecans, and
butternuts – in the grocery stores.

• Thunder and lightning.

• Bee stings.

• You have to water your flowers and garden, and mow the
grass.

• You can’t leave your garbage out overnight because you’re
worried the bears will get into it.

• Birds fly by and crap on your head. (Yes, it even happened to
our president – if not on his head.)

• Snakes come around.

• If you sit in the heat too long, you fall asleep.

• Constant battling with your co-workers over the air
conditioning.

• If you can think of one, let us know. We’ll keep track and
drag the list out in January.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “We will not be driven by fear into an age of
unreason, if we … remember that we are not descended from fearful
men – not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate and
to defend causes that were, for the moment, unpopular.”

Those are today’s words of wisdom from Edward R. Murrow,
broadcast journalist, 1954, according to our Freedom Forum
calendar.