How to Survive a Heat Wave

A Nelson Long Neck sounds like beer to me. A new kind of frosty, delicious beer. This explains why I got so excited when a reader wrote to suggest I try one while the weather is hot. But then the Nelson turned out to be a brightly colored hose nozzle ($12.95), with eight different spray settings and an ergonomic comfort handle. "The colors are a bit bright, but you can always find them in the grass," wrote Stephen, a gardener whose plants are no doubt surviving this summer's heat wave very happily.  (He also had nice things to say about customer service at Mastergardening.com, which replaced his nozzle promptly after a metal clip failed.)

Me? I'll be the person standing in the front yard, holding a hose in one hand and a sweating Bud in the other.