The dog days of summer are here, and the weather has taken a hot and steamy turn. Seems like only a couple of weeks ago, we were sitting through another dreary, cold, drizzling weekend in late June. This year without a spring suddenly has turned.

Maybe it's the current ninety degree weather, but we find it necessary to unburden ourselves

• It is sad to see how crassly commercial that once-wonderful Fourth of July Esplanade concert has become. When grocery store heir and concert promoter David "Show Me the Money" Mugar sold out the broadcast rights to media giant Viacom, we were worried things might change for the worse.

And we were right: when a national CBS-TV audience tuned in to see how Boston celebrates the 4th, they were greeted by Harry Smith &emdash; Harry Smith! &emdash; standing in front of the Pops stage, introducing some country singer with her "new big hit from Legally Blonde Two."

This is Boston? And what about the performance by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, straight from Utah. What were they doing there? Doesn't Boston have enough local talent to showcase on this once-a-year production? Sadly, under the Mugar/Viacom combine, it was all about money, and the Boston Pops played only a small role in the telecast. A classic case of bigger, but not better. Too bad.

• And what's the deal with Bain and Company's Mitt Romney spending his vacation out of state at a private beach, on his exclusive compound in New Hampshire? Isn't there someplace in the Commonwealth &emdash; the Cape, the Berkshires maybe &emdash; that's good enough for Romney and family to vacation? What message does it send about tourism in Massachusetts when the titular first family flees out of state? If Massachusetts isn't good enough for him, maybe it's time for him to go.

• The Red Sox are still in the fray and as the All Star break approaches, there's every reason to hope the chances are good for post-season play at Fenway. Millar, Mueller and Walker have been splendid additions, and if that bullpen can stabilize, this could be our year! Brookline's own Theo Epstein, the Red Sox's new general manager, knows what he's doing and he has done it very well.

• Is there a public park anywhere in the city that beats Dorchester Park in Lower Mills? The historic, tree-lined paths were reclaimed by neighbors two decades ago and the volunteer Dorchester Park Association, which watches over the park, continues to make it a true neighborhood delight. A Family Fun Day is set at Dot Park this weekend and everyone's welcome.

• The opening of the new Shaw's Market on River Street is just two weeks away, and early reports indicate it's going to be a great attraction. Some neighbors want the traffic engineers to reverse the one way traffic flow on the Adams Street bridge, in the hope that any congestion resulting from the new market would be alleviated. Not a bad idea.

• Meanwhile, on Morrissey Blvd, it's about time the Stop and Shop folks decide how to make use of the closed Bradlee's market at Victory Road. The expansive parking lot is now regularly used for roadside furniture sales by vendors operating out of two trailer trucks &emdash; hardly an attraction for the neighborhood.

-Ed Forry