From Winter to Summer

When we moved two years ago from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to southern Wisconsin, we expected it to be a little warmer, but we're still astonished at how much difference there is. It was HOT today - almost 80 degrees. In the U.P. of Michigan, temperatures hit 80 on maybe one or two days in late July or August. Average summer temperatures there are low 70s. Heck, up there, they probably still have snow. I became so accustomed to the climate there that it wasn't unusual for my husband and I to wear shorts anytime the mercury climbed much past 45 degrees. As a consequence, now we're suffering. (My husband still says he's going to plant a palm tree one of these days.) I find myself longing for a nice 35-degree night so we can sleep without the air conditioner on.

Yes, before I started going through menopause I complained of being cold all the time, but that's beside the point.

In this fuzzy, not-very-good picture, our new puppy Buddha is sitting on Jerry's lap - or, more correctly, his chest. Jerry's got a bit of a belly, and both the dog and the cat seem to regard it as a kind of shelf for lounging on. The cat stays there for hours; Buddha doesn't last very long, before his puppy curiosity gets the better of him, and he's off adventuring again.

Despite our despair over losing our two much-loved dogs within three months of each other, watching Buddha grow and learn is a joy. He's very smart, and very opinionated about it, too. He will never be the kind of dog that obeys blindly and without question - he has to mull every command over in his head for a split second, while regarding you with that calm, inquisitive gaze. I often get the feeling that he knows a lot more about the nature of the world than I do. There's something in his eyes that reminds me of the way my mother looked at me when I had to confront a problem: a kind of amused patience after I rejected her opinion, while all the while she knew I'd come around to her way of thinking after all.

My new little dog has world-weary eyes for such a young soul, which is one reason why I named him Buddha. (Also, because "Confucius" was too long.)