Summer in the South

It's officially summer in the South. Okay. Maybe not officially. The calendar still says May so that must be right. But with 90-plus weather and humidity that just seems to hange in the air, it definitely feels like summer.

The dogs park themselves either under a vehicle or in front of the garage fan. Little Guy thinks that fan belongs to him. His sister, Sunshine, was lying in front of it. She's a big girl. Labs tend to be big. Little Guy, while not really small, is about half her size. He simply eased in front of her and plopped down. Completely blocking the air flow to her. It says a great deal about her pleasant personality that she merely got up and walked away. I would have swatted him had I been in her place.

Miss Lady Bug has decided the laundry room is the place to be. Unless laundry is being done, of course. That fan was blowing her ears and hair back, almost like she was riding in a convertible with the top down. This was one happy dog.

And for those who think we're awful, the dogs will come in the house when it gets a little hotter. Right now, despite what they think, it is cooler outside. That inside thermostat is still kinda high, if you know what I mean.

Dogs are like humans. We get hot. Dogs hassle. People sweat. We all stink in the South.

Except cats. Have you ever noticed that cats don't seem to get hot? And they rarely stink either. I don't think I've ever smelled a stinky cat. A stink litter box, yes, but not a stinky cat. Why is that? I have no idea. I don't have cats. I have dogs. And dogs stink in the summer.

Cats always seem so sophisticated. Even those of questionable parentage. It's like they're looking down on the rest of us, secure in the knowledge that they are better than those around them. Maybe they are. I watch the neighborhood cats crossing the pasture. They never seem to hassle. They never seem to be in a hurry. They just stroll about their business, seemingly oblivious that the rest of us are about to die in the sweltering heat. How do they do that?

Maybe cats should start teaching classes on how to be cool. I doubt they would go for that. If we could learn to be sophisticated and unaffected by the heat, that would bring us up a notch and them down a notch. And that would never, ever do.

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