We haven't had much of a summer here in the North Bay, to be perfectly truthful (and somewhat petulant) about it. We always have cloudy days in the summertime, but what makes it okay is that they fall between a string of hot, sunny days. Not this year, though. This year we've had day after day of heavy, looming clouds, where any patch of blue in the sky seems to be a streak missed by some celestial painter.

Naturally, today was different. "Naturally," I say, because I spent an hour or so this morning chasing little boys around the big back yard. In the sun. Crazy? Yes, probably, but I was trying to do my part. D.J. and Dakota are a handful even when they're at their best, and Suzanne was staying with them all day while Tammy and David (and Aiden) are in Canada. They'll stay with their father the rest of the weekend.

Frankly, they weren't exactly at their best today. There was a lot of noise and commotion that wasn't really necessary, but I managed to keep D.J. busy. That's not hard, as long as he has some sucker who will listen to his tall tales and make an effort to be with him in his vivid imaginary world. Today I was a member of his ranger squad, helping him fight evil. I even had wings (because otherwise, someone would have had to carry me).

The game can turn at any time (sort of like Big Brother). We were trying to destroy the evil Zerk (or maybe it's Zirque), when D.J. stopped and asked him, "Zerk, instead of being evil, could you be our father?" And just like that we had one more family member and one less enemy. This kid needs to be steered toward a career in the diplomatic corps. (Not really, to tell the truth.)

But it was hot out there in the sun today, and I couldn't last long enough to do any real good. I left to go back to work, leaving Suzanne to wrangle monsters (real and imaginary) by herself.

Mom was going to drop by later in the day to help out, but I hope she didn't do what I did. I was racing across the yard looking up in the air (can't quite remember why, but I'm sure D.J. does), and I stepped in a hole. I didn't go down the way I did the last time, but it made for an awkward change of direction. I'm sure we worked it into the game somehow.

While I might be neglecting my garden, the gopher has been his usual industrious self. Since I've been back from vacation, he has expanded his business, branching out all the way across the paving stones. I could take counter action, but I'm biding my time, waiting to see what he has in mind next. I do have to be careful when I walk out to the garage, though.