It's supposed to hit 103 today here in my so-called Sun Belt town. I'm hiding in my cave, testing the limits of central air conditioning.

It was Stewart who used the term "Sun Belt" in a conversation last week, which brought out my southern girl ire. No true southerner would ever use that term, coined by northerner Kevin Phillips during his tenure as Richard Nixon strategist. Stewart pointed out that it was not just a Deep South word, as it includes New Mexico and other states known for their heat. As usual, he's right. But I don't cotton to the branding of my ancestral home by folks who don't even live here.

Unfortunately it's the miracle of air conditioning which I cling to today that made all this dang progress possible.

I can't adequately explain why I go all Scarlett O'Hara on everyone's ass at unexpected moments. Sometimes it seems justified, and other times it just feels like PMS.

NTD