Because the summer (it starts today) heat is already beginning to fry my brain, and because I can't seem to stay focused on any one thing for very long, this week's column is an assortment of unrelated random thoughts.

On a lighter note ...

I am eagerly awaiting Tuesday's release of the newest Janet Evanovich novel. I became a follower of this author after my former neighbor gave me a box of books she and her husband had read and no longer wanted. There was an assortment of westerns and romance novels, a few historical novels and some mysteries. Among them was "High Five" by Evanovich. It was love at first paragraph. I was hooked.

I've pretty much read all of what is called her "by the numbers" series, the last of which was "Fearless Fourteen." In these novels, Trenton, N.J., female bounty hunter Stephanie Plum gets in hilariously funny but dangerous predicaments as she attempts to apprehend her latest "skip," or bail-jumping crook and solve some mysterious crime. She is assisted by and comes in contact with a number of eccentric characters, both human and animal.

Evanovich's latest — "Finger Lickin' Fifteen" — is scheduled to go on sale June 23. I called Hastings last week to inquire if they would have ample supply for fans like me. I was told the book was on order, but if I wanted to secure my copy, I could come by and reserve one.

I can't wait.

I read a few chapters on the author's Web site, and it looks like Evanovich has done it again.

(To learn more about Janet Evanovich, go to www.evanovich.com/)

On a more serious note ...

In the past few years, I have dedicated space in this column to Lightning Safety Awareness Week, which is June 21 through 27.

Each year in the United States, more than 400 people are struck by lightning. On average, between 55 and 60 people are killed.

A wealth of information about lightning safety can be found at www.weather.gov/os/lightning. Here are some things you might not know about lightning:

All thunderstorms produce lightning and are dangerous. In the United States, in an average year, lightning kills about the same number of people as tornadoes and more people than hurricanes.

Lightning often strikes outside the area of heavy rain and may strike as far as 10 miles from any rainfall. Many lightning deaths occur ahead of storms or after storms have seemingly passed.

If you can hear thunder, you are in danger. Don't be fooled by blue skies. If you hear thunder, lightning is close enough to pose an immediate threat.

Living on Lake Nacogdoches, I often see boaters and fishermen pushing their luck by staying on the water when a storm is approaching. Just because the sky is not dark and rain isn't pouring doesn't mean you're out of danger if you are outdoors.

On a lighter note again ...

Happy Father's Day to my dad and all dads. In honor of all fathers, here's a cute real-life joke I found on the Reader's Digest Web site:

Father's Day was near when I brought my 3-year-old son, Tyler, to the card store.

Inside, I showed him the cards for dads and told him to pick one. When I looked back, Tyler was picking up one card after another, opening them up and quickly shoving them back into slots, every which way.

"Tyler, what are you doing?" I asked. "Haven't you found a nice card for Daddy yet?"

"No," he replied. "I'm looking for one with money in it."