And the heat creeps up on us. There are the annual worries about water, hurricanes, all the fun stuff that comes with living on the Gulf and being caught in the vise.

It's enough to make one long for a cold drink, a hammock, and shady place to park both. Unfortunately, our back yard is a good few years away from that possibility. I cooked a brisket this weekend, but copped out and put it in the oven on 270F as soon as it had reached its good color stage.

That'll change eventually when our shade trees catch up, but until then I regret nothing! Going out and playing with the fire in Texas as the summer catches up to us is not my idea of a fun time. I'd rather just let the coals wind down and go find something else to do besides tend the fire. Besides, the oven's a lot less work.