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| view as I exited the the car at my house--catwalk |
Walk slow and stay in the shade. This is the Southern way to stay cool. Of course, sitting in the shade works, too. This saying was in evidence well before the advent of air conditioning. About 95% or my yard is in full shade. But, the part that is not in full shade is on the west and against the back side of the house.
(Yes, I know the proper word is "slowly." But that is not the saying.)
That back side of the house has a 1 foot thick rock wall about 4' high, part of the basement. So, the heat is especially horrendous back there. As I go across the back of the house, the hens' pen is in full shade always. If I walk slowly to the hens' pen, I will die in the heat. I hurry across the torrid, sunny part of the yard. Back to the cat.
closer view of the nimble cat
Sitting in the car, watching the cat, I wondered how cats do this. The squirrels often skitter across the tops of the 2x4s. If you notice, the guy who put up the fence has the boards lying flat. I have never seen a fence constructed this way.
This is the hottest weather of the year so far. I am going to go a step farther than walking slow and staying in the shade. Under ac is my plan.
cat easily steps over the vertical board
Days like today are why Southerners sat under the back-yard scuppernong arbors in a straight-back chair with a woven white oak seat and plucked one grape at a time, trying not to exert any energy.
I have not written lately because I have swimmer's ear, feel awful and had no will to write. Since I don't know how to cure swimmer's ear without visiting a doctor, I suppose I will go to Urgent Care.
Your turn
Have you ever heard this saying? Are you from the South in the US? Do you ever wonder how cats can balance on things and walk? Well, what I really wonder if their seeming lack of fear.
We have a similar fence in our back yard. And not only do the cats walk along it, they often run. And their miss-steps are rare.
ReplyDeleteIn the height of our summer I do my best to turn into a troll and only come out at night.
Good luck with your ear.
EC,
DeleteI have not seen a cat run along the fence. I rarely see cats up there, but this day the cat was just lazing along. Mosquitoes come out at night! If my swing were not broken, I could sit over on that side of the yard in the daytime and not suffer too much.
Thanks for the wish for my ear.
We had this huge, tall bookcase and one day, one of the cats was on the top of it. I'm talking like 8 feet tall, have NO idea how he got up there...had to have jumped from table to another table to a smaller bookcase and then somehow up on the bookcase. Funny thing, he couldn't get down so we had to get a chair and get up there to get him down. He never got up there again. Silly cat!! Stay cool!!!
ReplyDelete1st Man,
DeleteThat's is funny you had to rescue the cat. He probably looked down and could imagine no safe route down. At least he learned his lesson. At this moment, I am in front of ac. I love ac.
I can't think of the cat when you are suffering with swimmer's ear!
ReplyDeleteThe old home trick is to warm some olive oil, drip it into the ear canal and massage it it. It works! You just have to make sure you haven't picked up an ear infection, too. That would need the dear ole' doc.
Hope you feel better soon.
Cherdo,
ReplyDeleteI thought about doing that, but don't have the energy...lol. I am going to the doctor in the morning. I took a nap today. Thanks for the concern.
What is swimmer's ear?? It sounds nasty, I hope you feel better soon, and stay in the shade!
ReplyDeleteLL,
DeleteSwimmer's ear is a fungal or bacterial infection in the ear canal. It hurts, itches, the whole ear feels swollen, and hurts to touch. It is nasty. And, it hurts! Thanks. It is very shady inside in front of the ac.
We have had a miserably cold summer, I wish that I could send some of our cold weather to you. Really, it has been miserable.
ReplyDeleteI think Walmart sells drops for swimmers ear. I would call them and see before going to urgent care.
Sonya Ann,
DeleteThere has been nothing that could be called cold except for three nights in a row when I used a heavy wool blanket on my bed.
At least, this is a dry heat. Seriously, humidity makes a difference.
Walmart sells drops to prevent swimmer's ear. They also sell something for the pain. I need a cure. Using those would be like taking aspirin for strep throat.
It's been blessedly cool in the Midwest for the most part this summer, compared to last year where it was in the 100's for what seemed like weeks on end. Stay cool, the cold weather will be here soon enough.
ReplyDeleteBrigid,
ReplyDeleteWe have only had one 100 day this year. Overall, we have not had our normal hot weather. I do like hot weather better. I just hope it's not as cold as predicted this winter. I really do prefer the hot weather over the cold.