The Wicked Witch of the West would be melting if she lived here. Humidity hangs in the air. The temperature is already 78°. It is not a day fit for man nor beast or, in my case, woman nor cat nor dogs.

My dance card has one item, the play tonight, Jersey Boys. For the rest of the weekend, I’ll be home hoping to stay cool despite the humidity.

When I was a kid, jumping over the sprinkler was a great way to feel cool. Back then, my father had a metal sprinkler which circled. It was in the side yard. I’d run then jump. The water always felt cold at first but after a few jumps it felt warmer. My father was not a fan of sprinkler jumping because of the lawn. It got waterlogged and flattened. If the grass was even a bit tall, our feet left a path from the edge of the grass, over the sprinkler and onto the other side. My father always noticed.

The weather makes for lazy days, sloth days. If I didn’t have to go out, I wouldn’t even get dressed. The dogs lie on the floor, cooler than the couch. Dogs are quick to adapt to lazy days. As for the cat, every day is a sloth day whether summer or winter.

I don’t use my oven much regardless of the season. Right now it is an extra cabinet holding boxes of crackers and a few frying pans, none of which fit in the cabinets.

I wore my red high top Converse sneakers for July 4th. Underneath were white socks with blue stars. They complimented my white blouse covered in blue and red stars. On my head was a fascinator, also with stars, my fashion theme of the day.

My front garden has the tallest of flowers. They look like small sunflowers. The hollyhocks have buds. The clematis has spread across the front fence and now the gate. Small ground level purple flowers have bloomed. A huge bush, name unknown, is getting ready to flower. Along the edge of the grass, my day lilies are blooming. Another flower, name unknown to me, is blooming in the small center bed near the little library. I love to stand in front and take in the beauty of my garden. I feel lucky.