The weekend swelters on,

but for now I am happy. Sunday morning is a cool 80 degrees. It actually feels very refreshing. Having breakfast on the patio with family, it's sweet potato pancakes and maple syrup, the birds are singing, a very, very weak breeze blows the scent of our Maid-of-Orleans jasmine our way. It's so cool compared to how it has been. Even the hens are softly cooing and preening themselves. That means they are happy.

Yesterday, everywhere we went was within walking distance: Austin books (I *heart*), Titaya's (um,tres delish!) and Half Price books where I managed to read most of Diet For A Dead Planet: How The Food Industry Is Killing Us while Wm found some Trini Lopez records. If the weather had been nicer we all could have walked to these places but it was just too hot.

Ages ago, we had a few days of triple digits and I bought an orange blossom hydrosol at Sabia's. I'd keep it in the fridge until I had to go out into the heat. Then I carried it in my purse and made sure I never ran out. I rode around in an old 1974 BMW 2002 without AC, smelling of orange blossoms. How did I do that?