I awaken with a headache—
not unusual as the pressure rises—
when the H on the weather maps
means high, which we all feel,
including the cats, who, despite all
that fur, morph into feline lizards,
typically flopping onto too-hot cement,
sponging up sun.
But today, they are inside by choice,
because, it turns out, they are smarter
than they look, and even 80 degrees
inside feels cool on this first day
of this month when, near the end,
I become officially senior, someone
of advanced years, all of 65, which,
as so many report, feels not all that old.
Here I am, demonstrating a lack
of common sense, outdoors watering,
though I know the day will suck up
moisture almost as soon as it leaves
the hose.
Here I am, sprinkling the tops of my feet,
as I did on long-ago summer days
walking a high school pool deck—
flip-flopped, red bikini’d, shades on,
red hatted and nose zinc oxided—
mornings teaching little kids how to
push off the side, glide, stroke, breathe,
do it again,
afternoons on the tall lifeguard chair,
whistle around my neck, scanning the pool
like a raptor watching for the vulnerable,
unlike the Mulligan brothers gyrating off
the high dive almost 10 feet up,
climbing out, climbing up,
doing it again,
evenings coaching the synchro team,
girls with ballet legs extended long into
the dusk, droplets glistening on their calves,
sculling to keep themselves at the surface,
not showing effort in their calm faces,
cool in the water, despite the air temp,
which, we always hoped, would
sink with the sun, blesséd rest,
before rising again, all of us,
to swim another day.
Güd wrtr 
Aloha Delta,
We are in like locations. I was working (mind you, not too hard) outside until I realized I was sweating way too much in spite of the liquids I had consumed. This time, I was smart enough, like your cats, to get inside to where it’s not 80 yet. That’s when the air comes on. Oops. Just kicked on. Yesterday was the first time it had kicked on.
It is now 3:46 pm and I just checked all my thermometers that are hooked up to monitors on all sides of the house (Why? I don’t know, except that I like to know what’s going on outside). East side – reflecting off sort of white sand = 104º West side – reflecting off red rock = 100º Southwest side – reflecting off desert rock (and monitor is closer to the ground) = 128º !!! North side – reflecting off cement (monitor up under the eave)= 105º I am glad that I am not a squirrel, chipmunk, quail or snake foraging for food today.
We can safely say that summer has finally arrived in Sacramento, the Sierra Nevada and Minden. Oh my! Just two weeks ago, the temperature dipped and there was ice in the hose I use to fill the birds’ water tins.My chiropractor told me there was still ice on Caples Lake (off Hwy 88 about 10 miles west of Kirkwood) about 10 days ago. Perhaps Jerri and I will be able to kayak sooner than we thought. The problem will be that the air is HOT while the water is COLD. Never happy, eh? Jerri and I have plans to attend the annual Americana Festival in Genoa on the Fourth. A fun time filled with hoky happenings – kiddy parade, kazoo band, various and sundry musical groups and culminating with the Carson City Orchestra playing many patriotic tunes, usually ending with a rousing march. If the heat is holding, we might leave mid-afternoon or earlier. My ol’ bod doesn’t like it as much as it used to. You have almost completed 65 circuits around the sun and I’m closing in on 79. How did this happen? It was just yesterday that you and Matt Rivers attended my 70th birthday party. Tempus fugit! Get everything on your bucket list going soon! I’m working on it as much as possible. Hope you and your kitties hare relaxing in your snug house. Perhaps a dip in the Woodside pool tonight? I’m having my favorite hydrating cocktail prior to dinner. This is comprised of diet tonic water and lime juice squirted out of its bottle. I love this because it tastes good and it is not intoxicating. Diet tonic water has no sugar and I’m trying to be careful about my intake. Have a great evening, no matter what you do. I’m planning on doing that. Love and hugs, Peachy Please give my regards to Matt.