I hope you are holding up in this scorching summer heat. I can already feel a bit of the summertime blues creeping in, but when it's this humid and hot it doesn't take long.

I hope you were able to catch a few recent sights and sounds of summer--last week following a good summer shower and thunderstorm, there was a beautiful double rainbow that lasted a long time; the town square was abuzz with Pokemon scavengers and we had a taste of Christmas in July with the filming of Dolly Parton's 'Christmas of Many Colors.' I watched as they filmed and even got to see Dolly arrive in person on the set. All the festive Christmas decorations made me forget about the heat, if only for a moment or three.

We've found a few ways to beat the heat-- a few trips to the water park, splashing around at Centennial Olympic Parks water fountains, water balloon and soaker gun fights. It has been so hot I was tempted to drive through the car wash with the sunroof open and the windows down but the best way to beat the heat is by staying inside as much as possible. Opie and Little Bit are content to lounge around being lazy except for the occasional squirrel that gets their dander up for a good chase. Even Sassy, the cat, has lost his desire to venture outside occasionally for a little catting around.

Summer isn't quite over yet but when school starts back, it is a sign that the end is just around the corner. Something about starting back to school in the middle of summer “just ain't right” and I'm sure a lot of kids will agree. I miss the good ole days when summer vacation lasted from May until September and school started after Labor Day. Kids, when you get a little older and finish school you'll understand what I'm talking about. Two months is not enough time for a break-- especially if you have a summer job. Once you get a job, those vacations dwindle from a few months to a few weeks a year and you wish you were back in school.

There's still plenty of things left to do to these last few weeks of summer-- the garden is still producing, fish are still biting good, there’s still time to work on your tan, finish that summer read, take in a few concerts, cookouts and picnics and maybe even squeeze in one more trip to the beach or the mountains. Isabella says preschool can wait—she’s ready to go back to White Water and Six Flags.

The idea of a casual picnic dinner sounds great to me - no cooking! But Sweet pea's idea of a picnic consists of beef jerky, beanie weenies, pork rinds, pimento cheese sandwiches and root beer. That’s not exactly the picnic fare I had in mind and I'm not even sure it would appeal to those pesky picnic ants. If I get really lucky, I might be able to talk Sweet Pea into a trip to Stone Mountain to see the Laser Show and hike up the mountain. After my last attempt to climb that mountain, I think I'll take the easy way out and ride the incline to the top.

There have been several good movies released this summer and my grandkids gave 'Finding Dory' and 'The Secret Lives of Pets' a thumbs up but we haven’t seen 'Nine Lives' yet.

Everybody has their own way of beating the heat but I think Opie, Sassy, Little Bit and I are gonna make the most of it. I'm going to fill up their little wading pool, turn on the sprinkler and get out the Slip ‘n Slide and I bet it won't take long before we'll be joined by some neighborhood kids looking for a little fun. We may throw a few wieners on the grill, definitely toast a few marshmallows, and before we call it a night we just might see how many lightning bugs we can catch.

That's my idea of fun and entertainment, lame as it may be, but it helps beat the heat while enjoying the sights and sounds of summer.