Morning During a Heat Wave

The temps will soar to 105 degrees in my town today. Yesterday was 102. Tomorrow will be 100. I woke up in an air-conditioned house at 6:30 a.m. No open windows.

I opened one to see what was what. Cool air streamed inside. The thermostat was set at 72, and AC wasn’t running, so outside was cooler than that.

I ran around the house, opening up windows to let in the breeze. After my hot cup of fake coffee and apple slices that I now share with three dogs (the apple, not the coffee), I decided it was time to water.

I tucked my pajama top into an old pair of too-short shorts and went out front, dragging the hose from drought-tolerant plant to drought-tolerant plant. Even they need help when we have three 100+ days in a row.

I watered pots, filled up the green Rubbermaid tub I have out front for the wild animals, and then said good morning to a young guy passing by with his dog.

Dang! I didn’t have a bra on. I hope he didn’t notice.

Then my neighbor, Tom, waved from across the street. Dang! Maybe I should put on a bra.

I went back inside and then out the back door to water the pots and fill up the fountain and bird baths.

Dog A loves to attack the water stream coming from the nozzle. Dog B, who never cared about it before, now has to compete with Dog A over the nozzle spray. After a few choice curse words, I had watered everything, including two jumping dogs who were as wet as my leather sandals.

Then I wandered over to the clawfoot bathtub that I’d painted red, to see if the wild strawberries were ready. I had originally planted calibrachoa in the bathtub, but a bird pooped a strawberry seed, and soon the wild plants took over and drove out the $8.00-a-pot perennial.

Nothing tastes so sweet as a fresh-picked strawberry, so I ate a few on my way back inside.

I took off my drenched footwear, knocked all the tan bark out of them and went down to the bedroom to get a bra and tennis shoes. The dogs hadn’t been walked in two days.

But first, I closed up the house again, washed my face, threw on a t-shirt, a hat, and some sunglasses. The dogs were still wet and smelled like wool sweaters. I went back to the bathroom for two squirts of my antihistmine for pollen.

I put the pinch collar on Dog B and put the purple harness on Dog A. Dog B got to have her walk first.

The cool breeze reminded me of Midwestern summer days. How often have I walked around California at 8:00 a.m. in just a t-shirt? Usually, the fog from the ocean makes its way inland enough to justify putting on a second shirt or even a jacket.

Not today. The dogs and I enjoyed our cool morning outside. The rest of the day we’ll hunker down to survive the heat.