Monday, July 27, 2009

Running Through the Sprinkler

See that thermometer on the left? It's on my front porch, and I took the picture today, 7-27-09 at 4:29 p.m. It's 99 degrees Farenheit in the shade.

Here in the Pacific NW, few of us have air conditioning, because this kind of weather is rare. We've been having weeks and weeks of temps in the 80s and 90s, and this week they're predicting we'll break 100. There's an Extreme Weather Advisory and an Air Stagnation Alert in our area.
It's been so hot and dry that drought-resistant plants are dying. Today when I went to clean out the horses' water trough, I found a dead squirrel floating in the water. Obviously he'd tried to get some water and fell in and couldn't get out again.

How does one stay cool in such hot weather? Well, if you're a 9-month-old Boxer pup named Asterisk, you run through the sprinkler. Or you lie down in your very own kiddy wading pool and then roll onto your back, legs spread, begging for tummy rubs. Or you chase the spray from the garden hose, biting at the water and ignoring the spray blasting you in the face.

As you can see by the pictures, Asterisk knows how to stay cool and hydrated.

2 comments:

NinaP said...

You have a very smart dog, Sherrie. Mine are not keen on water. They'd rather whine when it gets hot. And it's been HOT!

Nina, tired of dog whine.

News From the Holmestead said...

Nina, my Boxer just loves water. She likes to drink it and she likes to play in it. My kitchen floor is a mess because both dogs are wet and they keep tracking in dirt.

After I hose them down, they go lie in front of the fan that I placed on the floor for them. I feel sorry for animals in this heat. I've placed buckets of water out for all the woodland creatures that are dying of thirst. Yesterday I found a drowned squirrel in the horses' water trough. He apparently tried to get a drink and fell in and couldn't get out. :-(