After what seems like weeks of full-on air conditioner weather, we woke up this morning to a day that felt distinctly Ramble Jammy. And why shouldn't it? With every day that passes we're getting closer to this year's event. Counting today, we've got just eight Thursdays between us and the opening of the gates. I don't know about you, but I'm excited.

Our speaker today is John Frawley, director and president of the Minnesota Zoo and president of the Minnesota Zoo Foundation, which means he can probably play with a taipir whenever he wants. john will talk to us about why he came back to the Minnesota Zoo after 23 years, why zoos are needed now more than ever and the strategic direction of the zoo. Hint: Real-life Pokemon.

Someone named Beth Burns will also talk to us about why the Minnesota Zoo is an important part of Minnesota as it relates to education and economic development.

If you're looking for a way to get those steps on your Fitbit this weekend, you can always join us and our friends in the Rosemount Rotary in Saturday morning's Leprechaun Days parade. If you can join us, please be in the Rosemount High School parking lot at 10:30 a.m.

Thanks to our sponsorship of Chris Janson's Aug. 4 boat-cruise concert, roughly two-thirds of our members will be in a nautical mood this time next week. As a result, we're turning that into our regular meeting and will not hold an official meeting in Farmington. If you won't be on the boat but would like to hold your own meeting, I mean, that's up to you, I guess.