Hot Kitty

It was another strange weather day. The smoke still made the view seem surreal. I kept the windows closed to protect Mehitabel from the smoke. And I felt hot and somewhat weird by the strangeness of it all. 

I got stuff done and made myself a float for lunch. The cold drink helped me cool down a bit. I had a great conversation on the phone with my son Jason. While we talked Marleny and her daughter arrived to clean. They had to vacuum around boxes to do the job. As usual if felt great to have a clean house even with the boxes everywhere. I also did the wash.

I was patiently waiting for 1:30 to arrive because that is when Connections and Pilipo were due to arrive. Cynthia came for a second day of doing sorting and packing with me. And Phil came to pick up a small table top and a box of legs so he could turn it into a small cocktail table for my new house. I made the clay tiles that form a peacock on a terra-cotta ground. My brother Dave mounted and grouted the tiles on plywood and then framed the whole thing in thick oak. This all happened about ten years ago and the result has been leaning against a wall in our stairwell for a very long time. Now that the huge pen table is no longer going to be the living room table, I finally get to have the peacock take its place.

Cynthia and I worked in my study downstairs. The good news was that it had to be ten degrees cooler down there than upstairs. We worked for several hours and managed to clean out one half of my study room closet, no mean task. We were both chuffed that we got that much done.

Meanwhile Phil had a chance to select some tools from the huge bunch in the garage. He took off carrying those, the table top, the legs and a few other things that Cynthia chose as we worked. C and I kept working until five o'clock. We were busy little beavers.

This photo of Duma splayed out in the heat seemed to best express the way the weather has been. Since I had the house closed up to keep the smoke out the temperature got up to 83 degrees F inside. Finally, this evening, I gave up and opened doors and windows and turned on the fans. The heat was just too much for me. I think about all the folks down south in Portland and at art camp in Menucha where it reached over 100 degrees F today. Yikes! I am sorry to miss my friends but so glad I decided to stay home and get ready for my move. So all you hot folks, take a moment to lie like Duma, on your back, curved back, open tummy, letting a fan blow over you so you can cool off. I'm sending waves of cool (or would if I had any cool) in your direction.

And for those who are near the fires, I am so concerned for you and yours. Be careful out there.