During my daily phone call to my mom, I told her that I was very amused by the boys’ non-stop discussion of kickball rules. She launched into a rant about how kids don’t know how to play any more, because they have been over scheduled and too closely supervised by adults. I know better than to derail this rant once it has begun, so I let it run its course.

Today, David Brooks writes about how Americans are irresponsible spenders, whose habits have been enabled by corporations, banks, and government. He had an interesting fact about American’s lottery habit. "A household with income under $13,000 spends, on average, $645 a year on lottery tickets, about 9 percent of all income." He has a series of recommended reforms, including a return to Ben Franklin thrifty values.

My recommendation, David? Lose the Style Section of the New York Times.

My efforts at thriftiness have been undone this morning. Fat Bastard, the resident groundhog, has eaten the tomato plants in my victory garden.