The corn is in but the tomatoes have been shy. Weeks of cold wet weather set them back and only my Trailing Toms—cherry tomatoes in a hanging pot—are delivering small red nuggets of goodness every day.

Lobster prices have dropped due to the Trump Tariffs and lobstermen from Maine to Massachusetts are feeling the pinch. The law of supply and demand doesn’t seem to work in this case, though. Restaurants still treat lobster as a luxury commodity—with prices to match.

Red Sox in First Place

Still, the Boston Red Sox have taken firm possession of first place, which is all good. They’re now 5 games ahead of the New York Yankees and 41 games ahead of last-place Baltimore in the American League East. We in Red Sox Nation are not complacent, however. The Sox have been known to blow a 10-game lead at the end of the season. We know full well that the season ain’t over ‘til it’s over and the fat lady hasn’t sung yet.

Chart Courtesy of Sox Lunch

Susanne and I found a lot to write about in July—the big and the small, along with random thoughts on a variety of topics but not too much business. I don’t expect anyone to be all that focused in the summer. The warm weather encourages a bit of rambling.

Without further ado, taking time to heat up the barbecue grill or warm up a new pitcher, here’s the roundup of July 2019 posts.

Roundup of July 2018 Posts

Animals

• Talking to the Wildlife: Do They Listen? — Aline

Boston

• The Niles Building: Hub of a Financial Scandal – Aline
• Boston’s Missing: Charlesgate Park — Aline
• Lost Buildings: Does Bias Affect Preservation? — Aline

Business and Technology

• Facebook: Falling and Failing — Susanne

Culture and Current Events

• 

  Not every hack is a good hack

  On My Mind: July 2018 – Susanne

• Finding Your Personal Plumb Line — Susanne
• Living While Black: Why Do Police Respond? — Aline
• The Four Horsemen of Calumny Return – Aline
• How I learned to Love My Unusual Name – Susanne
• Life Hacks: Getting Organized After a Move – Susanne
• Too Many Charities for Senior Citizens — Aline

Language and Writing

• The Pesky Subject-Verb Mismatch — Aline

Movies and TV

• 9 Science Fiction Movies: 2H 2018 — Aline
• Report on Science Fiction Movies: First Half 2018 — Aline

The Summer Landmarks

I measure New England’s short summer by its five annual landmarks:

• Memorial Day
• The last day of school
• The Fourth of July
• The All-Star Game
• Labor Day

We are now in the long stretch from the 2018 All-Star Game to Labor Day. Make the most of every beautiful summer jewel. Each day is precious.