While we are having a hot summer and there have been many extended periods of dryness, your lawn shouldn’t have suffered much damage if you’ve been mowing properly. As June winds down, make sure you start raising your mower’s blade. By July (our driest month) you should have a lawn 4″ to 5″ tall and only mow it back to 3″. This keeps the soil cooler and the lawn will come back just fine. As far as clover is concerned, you are right in all you say…it can be a great addition to a lawn as long as you like it. The only other thing to take into consideration are the clover flowers. While you might like the flowers be aware that they will attract bees. If you have small children or someone who live there or visits regularly who is allergic to bee stings then you’ll want to think twice. I’d broadcast the seed really early spring right after the snow melts. Spring rain will pound the seed into good contact with the soil and it will sprout with the first warm weather in late April or early May. You can also use this procedure for grass seed. I always like to suggest Hewitt’s Sandy Blend since it has deep rooted tall fescues as a majority of the blend. Modern tall fescues are fine bladed but deep rooted for better drought resistancy.