Good Morning: Try Not to Tartle

Why is it that boring weather is good weather and vice versa? I happen to like the sound and smells of thunderstorms, the way a blizzard coats everything, and the way dark skies create a sense of foreboding.

Saturday's weather is a big yawn. Mid-60's and partly sunny. That's it. No rain, no storms, no approaching hurricanes.

Which brings me to tartle. Because you're going to be out and about today bumping into neighbors and friends, you should be prepared to use the Scottish word, tartle, which means to hesitate when introducing somebody because you're unsure what their name is. But don't let that uncertainty keep you from going out.

And if you are going out, BabyLove is having a clothing drive today, until 1pm.  Here are the details:

Saturday, October 16, 9:00 am-1:00 pm, outside the Broad Branch Market 5608 Broad Branch Rd., NW, between McKinley and Northampton Streets. Wanted: Stuff for kids age 0 - 6 and pregnant women.  For a full list of accepted and needed items visit BabyLove's website.

Good Morning: Why Waste Time in Line on Such a Beautiful Saturday?

It's been 41 years since the first time-saving automated teller machine appeared. (Trivia for the day: The first bank ATM appeared in New York City on September 2, 1969 and was installed by Chemical Bank.)  But step aside, ATMs, there's a new timesaver in town that's going to let us spend more time enjoying the weekend and less time standing in line at the ATM:  Check deposit by smartphone.

I just deposited my first check using my iPhone and it's a modern miracle of convenience. Instead of slogging down to the bank's ATM, I was able to deposit a check with two clicks of my iPhone's camera.

More and more banks are offering smartphone apps that let you deposit checks by taking a photo of the front and back sides of the check. If your bank doesn't yet have that app, sign up with PayPal and get their iPhone app, and start spending less time in line and more time enjoying the sunshine.

Saturday's going to be warm and sunny with a light breeze.  How warm? About 77 degrees warm. Sunday will be a few degrees cooler, but also sunny.

Good Morning: Lights On

Unless Pepco puts power lines underground, the District of Columbia will remain especially vulnerable to prolonged power outages. During the recent Cleveland Park area power outage, courtesy of tropical storm Nicole, we had a chance to test several power failure lights and one came out a clear winner: The Durofix LED light. It's bright and it lasts 8 hours, unlike many other emergency power lights that either are too dim or go dark after 20 minutes.

But sunset tonight isn't until 6:38pm, so in the absence of a weather-induced power failure (none are on the horizon, phew), you probably won't need a power failure light right away. And speaking of the weather, how does low to mid-70's and no rain through Sunday sound? We're in that magical season --weather twilight-- when we don't need to have the air conditioning or the heat on.