This weather has me reminiscent of Africa, of the hot, hot dry season. The only difference is I didn’t profusely sweat my life away as I do in this humidity, but I did sweat while sitting in a chair. When I’d get up, my body would be outlined in sweat on the cushion. I only had cold water. I took night showers, didn’t dry off then jumped right into bed. I air-dried which helped me fall asleep. Last night I air-dried. I slept downstairs on the couch which was cooler. I left the back door open, but I did shut the dog door. I do have an air-conditioner, but, to my dismay, it is not working and my finances are low. I’ll have to wait until next month, the hottest month, to have it checked. Meanwhile, I’ll sweat, and the dogs will pant. We make a lovely picture of panting dogs and a sweaty old lady.

The thick humidity dampens sounds. My neighborhood is quiet. I don’t even hear the birds. My dogs are finally sleeping. Nala is on the couch. Henry is on the tile floor in the kitchen in front of the back door. They have stopped panting for the meantime. I can find a way to feel cooler but not my poor dogs.

I am an idler. On the table in my den are my distractions to fill time. I have a crossword puzzle, a jigsaw puzzle, my book and my iPad. My TV is also here in the den. I have been watching movies and detective series on Acorn. My only movement is to drag myself to the kitchen or the bathroom.

When I was a kid, the weather never bothered except me for thunder and lightning storms and heavy rains both of which kept me housebound. I spent most days at the playground. I did crafts, played tennis and horseshoes and pitched for the softball team. I made gimp lanyards and bracelets. I knew all the different weaving styles. My bracelets were flat weaving, and my lanyards round until the hook end which was square. Sometimes I used three colors. I painted a tray. It was filled with flowers. It was the best thing I ever painted, still is for that matter.

I used to love to sit on the back steps in the darkness. It was the coolest time of the day. I could see fireflies. I could hear the clank of dishes being washed after dinner and the muted voices of my neighbors. I could hear TV’s. Usually I was the only one out, the only one enjoying the beauty of a clear, starry summer night.

My father would say it’s a scorcher. It is already 88° with 70% humidity. The cape is always cooler than near Boston in the summer so today is uncharacteristically hot for this early in the summer. My back door has a southern view so if there is a breeze, it comes from there, and I can feel one very now and then. Nala is lying in the hall to take advantage of that breeze. Poor boxers with their short noses don’t do as well as other dogs in the heat. Henry is stretched out in the kitchen by the back door. Both are asleep.

My mother always kept the shades down in every room on hot days. The house was a bit cooler but seemed cave-like in the darkness. I don’t have shades in my windows so the sun travels around the house and comes through the windows from front to back. I am in the back of the house so it is the coolest spot most of the day.

I was on a drill team for years. Every summer we had competitions on the weekends. Our uniforms had long sleeves, and the skirts too were long and were heavy. We wore boots. We’d stand outside in the sun waiting for our turn on the field. We’d start on the third line, move to the inspection line then on to the ready line. Marchers fainted. I remember one of my friends fainting on the ready line. They hauled her off so we could start. Nothing deterred us. If someone fainted on the field during maneuvers, you just had to sort of walk around or over them. If you didn’t, you could lose cadence and step counts which could result in a lower score. We were hardy souls back then.

I have no intention of doing anything today. It is the perfect day for all of us to embrace our inner sloths. Let’s find a big branch on a leafy tree and just lie in the shade. If we need a snack, we can just grab a leaf and take our time eating it. We can listen to the birds and nap a bit. If only….