It's hot

Yes, it's hot again, like August in Florida. It happens every year, and every year we're surprised. I'm walking the dogs with Anita every morning, all around the little pond. It's a little less than half a mile, but we're drenched when we get back around 8:00 AM. The dogs are in their little fur coats and their tongues are dragging. Buddy is missing the scooter ride he used to get when I wasn't up to walking yet. Blind as a bat, but he could hop in board and sit between my feet. He would stick his head out when one of his friends came in range, to get a good sniff. He also enjoyed the envy of his friends who had no chauffeur.

The birds and otters are amazing. This morning we noticed about 20 mallards, one muscovy, and a few ibis lined up on the bank, watching the water. There were two or three otters, putting on a show, fishing for breakfast. We haven't seen as many this year as last, when we watched six or eight babies grow up, belonging to two or three families. We have been joined by a roseate spoonbill this year. We've seen them occasionally in the past, but this one is there every day now, eating non-stop. His name is Pinky.

I'm enjoying playing the dulcimer and guitar again. For some reason, the six months of mending didn't make me want to play. Even though I had plenty of time, it seemed like work. I was pretty weak, and that's my excuse. I'm really glad to be past that, and I retired the cane August 6th, six months after surgery. Some of the tunes rattling around in my head need to be put on paper. I just finished putting a lullaby on Tabledit, the music writing program. It was one my Daddy used to sing to me, and I found the words he had printed out on hotel stationery, from Macon, Georgia. He must have gotten lonely on a trip. The music came back when I read the words. If I can figure out how, I'll post it.