Dog days usually come at the end of the summer, not at the beginning. The studios seem to have this all turned around as most of the fare in theaters have been lackluster. For all that we were promised for a big return, the five majors haven’t really given much to write home about it. In an attempt to wait out until more interesting films are released, I perused the streaming services to catch up on previous material I had messed over the past few months. And let’s answer a question that is starting to plague me more and more: Do we really need superhero movies anymore?

My son, Mike, recently had a business trip to Palm Springs, CA. His wife accompanied him as she wanted to hike the desert and expand her photo library. Sounds great, right? Well, when they stepped off the airplane it was 100 degrees in the shade; a dangerous situation. The trails in the Joshua Tree National Park were marked but had major warnings regarding the situation. “Danger, if you attempt this trail, you may die!” Basically, if you’re not prepared, do not attempt. One park sign insisted that you have liters of water and a full day of food before attempting the trail.

For years I was lucky enough to have a job that allowed me to work right next to my grandparent’s home. Many mornings I would stop by to visit for a few moments while they were enjoying their breakfast. Each and every day my grandfather would be eating a grapefruit and each and every day he tried to convince me that I should also eat one. He was convinced that it was the key to his good health. Although he was never able to convince me to begin my days eating the bitter citrus fruit, I did adopt his habit of starting my day by doing something healthy. Before I drink any caffeine, I drink two bottles of water. This guarantees that I drink at least half of the recommended daily amount of water before 7 a.m. Although I make a point of hydrating myself, this summer, I challenge all of us to make a point of hydrating our plants.