Can it be?

Each day the weather service says the high temperature will be 99 F. (37 C.) or less.

Each day, the temps in the afternoon have been diddling 106 and 1o9 (43), but today, at what should be the hottest part of the day, the temperature outside is a mere 99. What's even more promising is that the low overnight is supposed to be -- 60???? (15???) Dare I believe in such a scrumptious tale?

That, if true, should slow down tomato production a bit. I had to freeze two big bags of tomatoes because we couldn't eat them fast enough, and there's a whole basket out there that need to be picked today. If the Delta Breezes pick up in an hour (and they should if we're going to have such a temperature drop) I'll go pick tomatoes in the evening light.

Yesterday I spent twenty minutes brushing the big dog. And let me tell you, this was no leisurely thing of caresses and detail. I was using a special brush called a "rake" and working as fast as I could to comb out the loosening undercoat before the old guy had to lie down again. Babe is 11 years old, and his hindquarters are shaky, but he stood for the whole 20 minutes while I drew the rake through his fur. I think it must have felt good to get rid of all that fur. There was so much coming off with each stroke that Alex, passing by, stopped to gawk in amazement at the pile of hair on the floor. When Babe had had "enough," I took a picture of the pile of hair -- it will accompany my article in the Piker Press on August 15th.

Last night I decided that I would strike the tent today and return to sleeping indoors. How radical this is for me! What on earth am I thinking? Basically I am just tired of sleeping outside alone. The air mattress we've been using prohibits Howie from cuddling with me, and Bernie has to work overtime so much that it's dawn by the time he gets home. Maybe I'll change my mind again after sleeping inside tonight, who knows? I just need a full night's sleep. Between the bluejays screeching at 6 am, and lost ducks that circle the neighborhood at 4 am, and that damned fat black and white cat that tries to get into our yard at 5 am, my sleep is too broken, and I'm starting my days in exhaustion.

Can it be? Can the temperatures really be moderating? Can a dog really shed that much hair and not be bald? Can this hedge shaman really sleep indoors?

We'll see.

Color me skeptical.