Summer has unofficially begun.

I know the first day of summer is still weeks away, but Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kickoff to summer in the U.S. Mine was lots of fun, though HOT and HUMID - where's that cooler mountain weather I'd dreamed of? We're hitting near-record temps this week - today we may tie or break a record with highs of over 90 degrees F. And it's as humid as Florida. My thoughts of moving into an older cottage without central A/C suddenly don't feel so practical.

It was a lovely weekend, despite the heat. The intro of Murphy and Supergirl was a qualified success - she tolerated his extreme affection with exasperated good humor. He refused to be worn out by a walk in the heat followed by a ball game at their neighborhood dog park. A couple of hours in the presence of his True Love just energized him. Sigh. The dog park in their neighborhood is also kind of gross - tree shaded, but without a blade of grass on the bare dirt and tree roots. The neighbors are also not that fastidious about poop picking-up. My own complex's dog run has only one forlorn tree, but lovely soft, clean grass. I'm hoping this heat wave will break in a few days, and we can move the ball game to my place.

Because the ball game was adorable - Murphy wanted Supergirl to play ball with him, and kept bringing the ball to her and dropping it at her feet. We got her to throw it a couple of times, but after a throw or two the ball was pretty disgusting. I didn't blame her for her reluctance. So she watched the game rather than participating, though each time he brought the ball back, Murphy brought it to his Beloved. We must continue this socialization on a regular basis, because they are very close to being BFFs.

Yesterday I went on a hike along the Swannanoa River with my hiking group. It was very nice, though the heat and humidity were so extreme, it was a bit like hiking in Florida.



If you look closely, you can see a swing dangling off that big branch:



One member of our group had the right idea about dealing with the heat:



Unfortunately, I wasn't dressed for an impromptu swim - I have no problem getting in the water in shorts and t-shirt, but mine would have gone soggy and transparent, worse than they already were from the sweat. If we do that hike again this summer, I plan to be prepared to join her in the water.

It was the kind of long weekend that makes you lose track of the days. I spent all day yesterday convinced it was Sunday, and having to get my head into the upcoming week is a bit of a struggle. First task - calling an appliance repairman. My clothes dryer is not putting out any heat, though the drum turns normally. I've checked the breakers and they are on, so something else is going on here. Fingers crossed that it's not an overly expensive problem, and that they can get out here today. My holiday is over, and it's back to doing something work-related every day through next weekend, and I can't be shlepping baskets of wet stuff to the laundry room to dry.