Let me start this week by congratulating autumn’s marketing department. The first official day of fall was Tuesday, but they were way ahead of the curve this year. Do we really need orange and black Peeps? Candy corn wasn’t doing it?

Fortunately, there was back-to-school stuff on the shelves right after all that red, white and blue crap got pulled. Kids had to get notebooks and lunchboxes quick, before they were relegated to the junk bins right after Labor Day. Of course they were.