Summer in the Southland

Summer is a comin’


Down south here (just touching the Tropic of Cancer line) this year we didn’t have a winter. The cold Pacific stayed on the other side of the peninsula, we stayed balmy. Be that as it may, it looks like we will have a summer. The temp at the beach is 83º, the same as the gauge on my patio. Time to get ready, summerize.

This morning I’ll clean up all our floor fans, apply some appropriate lubricant which should invite copious amounts of dirt, grime and dust to accumulate around the fan shaft-- slow, stop or impede proper operation.

I’ve already used my shop vac to clean the fountain sump for the first time this summer. Have to establish a routine now that my dog Tino has begun to use the fountain to cool off after his runs around the neighborhood chasing every dog, cat, car, quad that might come within his very large territory.

Poured 1 ½ cups of good Mexican bleach into the pila to keep it fresh while I let the pressure pump rest for that tiny part of the summer I might actually receive city water – can save up to $25 a month on my power bill.

Refilled (and mark the calendar) all the car batteries with water. Changed the oil on the cars and boats.

Cleaned all outdoor speaker wires so my satellite music will come through clean and clear so I can spend more and more time on the patios, less at the computer.

Asked Maleno, my gardener, to trim any bush/tree/plant blocking my view of the ocean from my seaside patio lounge chair (more building in the next few months, years will be taking the view away forever).

Washed all the brown/green/puce recluse and Black Widow spiders off the patio furniture just to make em mad.

Put all my dark T shirts away, arranged the white ones in order of “rags, almost rags, could be a rag, still has fabric integrity in the back, looks like new to me, almost new, party wear”.

Time for an iced tea break. Whew! I’m bushed already and it’s not even June.

We have a Lhasa Apso that we kind of use as a heat indicator. Take him to the beach almost daily. In the winter ,November, December and January, he tipitoes in the water onto his ankles . February he gets in once for a few seconds. March twice and now about 3 times during the 45 minute walk. In a few more weeks he'll be in and out so often that I would have to take my shoes off to keep count. That's the time that his "cool bed" comes out. A styrofoam homemade bed ,that holds 3 blue ice packs, that pretty much last the day and on which " his majesty" keeps court for most of the day. Same ice packs go on the golfcart and it's fun to watch people's expression when they see the dog, with all that hair, in the summer heat , without panting.
Osprey, we lost a lot of our ocean view, thanks to Loreto Bay. But we still have the golfcourse,mountain view, which we prefer since it's on the shaded patio side.
Progress here is taking it's toll

just living the dream!