The day is a pretty one again, but it is also a hot one again. We are in the mid to high 80’s every day. The dogs pant. Their morning naps are now on the cool tile of the kitchen floor, quite the change for my couch dogs. Despite the heat I did go to the dump yesterday. That means today I can loll. I have become quite adept at lolling.

I lived in a hot country. It was especially hot during the dry season, but I abided the heat. It was expected. Here, I grouse when it is this hot. I even grouse out loud though there is no one to hear me. The weather report predicts this same weather will hang around all week. I’ll get even more dramatic. I’ll swoon on the couch overcome by the vapors.

When I was a kid, I lived in a dark house. My mother pulled down every shade to keep the sun at bay. My sisters ran through the sprinkler. They laid out towels on the lawn as if they were at the pool or the beach. The sprinkler water was cold so they screamed and laughed. I sometimes went to the pool, but it was at the other end of town. I always got hot walking home. Sleeping was difficult. The upstairs never cooled down. I tossed and turned before I finally fell sleep. It took a while.

Every now and then I’d sleep outside with my friend in her backyard. It had a fence on the backside of the grass separating it from the big, white house on the street behind it, on Green Street. Close to the fence on the other side were pear trees. We’d eat the fallen pears. They were always hard. We’d put my father’s old, stiff tarp on the grass and sleep on top of it. I’d bring my sheet and pillow. I remember lying on my back looking at the sky filled with stars. They brightened the night. They cut through the darkness. Their light made shadows on the grass. I could see the old man in the moon. He was always smiling. Those were magical nights.

This entry was posted on August 9, 2026 at 1:28 pm and is filed under Musings. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.