Suzy Says

Yesterday was a really frustrating day.

I had a ton of work to do – which is supposed to be finished by the end of today – but I was frustrated at every turn by the perfect storm of my internet service provider’s failure to do same, and the “upgrade” of our on-line database, which meant, as upgrades usually do, that nothing worked. I lost track of how many times I called tech support for each provider.

I got nothing done by early afternoon, despite expending a lot of effort.

In addition to these frustrations, and despite Rob’s best efforts, it was 94 degrees in my house. Mother Nature certainly has a wicked sense of humor, what with natural disasters, bugs, and that whole gravity thing. All that complaining about the coldest summer since 1975 inspired her to say, “You want summer? I’ll give you summer!” The temperatures skyrocketed 40 degrees overnight, and smashed records all over the Bay Area.

The boys wilted on the floor, and Audrey was nowhere to be seen, presumably hiding under the house or in the woods.

Megan called to say that she was back from seeing the surgeon in Willits, and was cleared for takeoff on September 1, when she will resume her duties three months to the day after injuring her knee. She suggested that I take a break from my suffocating house and futile work efforts and go with her to walk the dogs on the beach. I opined that it would be just as hot there, and she laughed and said to trust her.

She was right, of course, and the sea breeze was refreshing. Star especially enjoyed frolicking in the water. I’m pleased to report that Schatzi’s leg is completely recovered, though she needs more exercise to restore her splendid musculature. You really would not believe that she is 10 years old.

I checked on the boys before camping out in Megan’s significantly cooler house. Her house is surrounded by trees, so it’s somewhat dark inside and never gets hot. On the other hand, she has to worry about trees hitting her house during winter storms. She and Rob lost six trees this past winter, and one just grazed the edge of the house.

Later, we went to sit in the garden and drink wine. Our brother came by, and we finally had the first barbecue of the waning year where we did not have to wear sweaters. Also, it’s the first time we’ve had dinner together in months. All’s well that ends well.