SUMMER!! or young at heart, old in body.

It's either one weather extreme or the other around here and it's a tough decision to choose which I prefer - snuggled up inside with a good book while an ice storm rages for several days or blistering heat and humidity making temps rise to +40c(104F) and staying in the central air conditioning inside with a good book! Hmmmmmmm....it's a toss up!

Yesterday I made a bicycle trip to Farm Boy to pick up a few things. After I made my purchases I paused in the seating area and had a cold drink to keep myself hydrated. Then back on the bike. I was fine for about 2/3rds of the ride home and then I started to feel weak....really weak...and my backpack felt like it weighed 100lbs.  I had to stop several times in shady spots to have a drink and thankfully found my legs again and made it home.  It was gruelling though and I flopped on the couch and drank several glasses of ice water before taking a cool shower. 

Where were these guys yesterday?!?

One good thing about playing as a senior -
no one wears a bathing suit!!! However, there
is one very bronzed (and saggy) man who wears
two nipple rings!
Look away...look away!

My dilemma is thinking that I can still do the things I used to do 40 and 50 years ago. And I'm stubborn as a mule. Also, I've been waiting months and months for summer weather so I feel I shouldn't waste a minute of it by staying inside, doors and windows closed, with the A/C running steadily. But I have to be careful and not overdo it. Easy to say, harder to do. I very much resent the fact that my body doesn't perform to its previous levels. I don't think that's fair. I'm not ready to be OLD!

Today I have beach volleyball and it's going to be another scorcher. If it remains cloudy then we should be ok but if the sun comes out that's a game changer. I'm going to drive there instead of bike - that's my concession for today. So if I feel weak I can get in my car and put the A/C on high. I'll have a high protein lunch and take a couple of Gatorades with me. We'll see how it goes. The one good thing is everyone is around my age so we're all in the same boat. There is no shame in leaving early!

How do you beat the heat? Or does it bother you at all?

Simply Sublime....

....the weather, that is. The last few days have been absolute torture around these parts - so HOT, so HUMID! How hot and humid was it?

I had to take my sweet little Lily to the vet on Friday. I noticed, after getting up early for an appointment, that she hadn't followed me downstairs as per usual. So I went on the hunt and found her in my bedroom asleep on a fur blanket. She was lethargic and wouldn't eat or drink. I loaded her into a pet carrier and carried it out to the truck, thinking man, why is she so heavy? I put the carrier into the truck and went around to the driver's side to get in. Then I took LUNA back into the house as she had climbed into the pet carrier when I wasn't looking! Nice try Luna!

I had to take this blanket away too. Luna likes to just lie on the floor but Lily likes to be very cozy - she doesn't have as thick of a fat layer as Luna does.

Sorry Luna, you can't go :(

Looking out the patio door on Saturday - starting to take an interest again.

The vet injected Lily with water subcutaneously as he felt she was dehydrated and she had a slight fever. He gave us a little pill cut into 4 pieces to stimulate her appetite. Back at home I put the fur blanket in my closet along with several other items that she likes to curl up on but are way too hot. She ate some of the special wet food that the vet gave us but then she threw up. Then I had the idea to tempt her with the water from cans of tuna - well she gobbled that up and it stayed down. Fortunately we eat a lot of tuna and I had half a dozen cans in the cupboard. I stayed up with her all night Friday getting water into her every hour plus I wiped her down with a wet washcloth as it cools her skin while it evaporates.

Watching the neighbours move.

 On Saturday she started to eat more and drink more but continued just to sleep. I had cranked the A/C and we didn't go outside. Yesterday was extremely brutal with the humidex reaching close to 40c. Today relief has arrived - it's only 17c with a nice cool breeze and we have all the doors and windows open. We went outside on the patio for about 15 minutes and Lily is spending time at each door and window in the house to see what she's missed. She still isn't her usual self, she doesn't want to play but she is moving around albeit at a sedate pace. She is back to her crunchy food with tuna juice on the side. Her temperature went down yesterday into the normal range and down more today - yes I have a thermometer and I know how to use it :)

In another day or two I think she'll be back to her normal activity levels. Zoom zoom zoom! Her sister Luna has been by her side constantly - she is so loving and sympathetic. Every once in a while Luna checks Lily and gives her a good licking :)

On Wed. I'll be flying out of Toronto on the red-eye to Heathrow then Dublin and Annie and I will meet up on Friday!! Very exciting. So I am going to take a blogging break and catch up with you all when I get back, around mid September.

See you....in September....everybody sing along!