Comforting Clouds

I am glad it is August and the heatwaves will soon come to an end. The summer has taken a toll on this mid-life body. I get to work in the morning, clean up with a wet towel and change clothes, turn on the fan for a half hour at my desk, then finally cool down. Later, I pedal home and water the garden or wander and pick vegetables on the pretense that I really need to do these things, but in reality I am looking for any excuse before going inside the stuffy house. I require a period of cooling before I feel human. Cleaning the bike always works too. Sometimes I peek inside the screen door and briefly greet my family, notifying them that I have arrived home and not to call out the troops.

Last weekend I was having a cocktail in the afternoon heat, relaxing on the deck at camp in one of the two new Adirondack chairs which put you in such a position that you can't help but notice the clouds. Wispy tails of white were floating by. The next day I commented to my mother-in-law that the sky had changed and the cotton ball clouds were strikingly pretty. I've nicknamed the furniture the "cloud watching chairs".

Today, it was such a relief to return home under mostly cloudy skies and, dare I say it, against a pleasant headwind. It was definitely cooler and a welcome relief. I look forward to September weather, my favorite month of the year.