This morning I woke up to the most beautiful fog layer I’ve ever seen in my life. It wasn’t just the striking gray sky and shrouded hilltops, but also the fact that the sun was well-hidden. That sun. It’s been a menace for the last week, and I’ve been moving in slow motion. I read somewhere that we’ve had more 100ºF-plus days this year than in the last four years combined. That’s not what it’s supposed to be like living in the North Bay. It’s what it must be like living on Venus.

Coming back down to earth today improved my mood a lot. Okay, a little. After all, it was a Monday, with all the minor irritations that keep a day from being all it can be. But I have to say, it’s a lot easier to take on a day when the temperature doesn’t get into triple digits. Low eighties? That’s perfect, and that’s what they promise for the next few days. It’s like being dropped into spring, after a week of walking through soup.

During the heat wave, it was nearly impossible for me to get all my work done. I worked as long as I could at one time, and then sat in front of the cooler for as long as it took. Unfortunately, it usually took so long that I ended up working well into the night. I don’t mind doing that some of the time, but I’m not ambitious enough or dedicated enough to feel that I have to work late every day. If the only time I can get anything done is after the sun goes down, I feel I should be allowed to sleep later in the morning. That’s a compromise I’d buy into.

In case I haven’t mentioned it, I’m officially disenchanted with the air cooler I bought earlier this summer. I never expected to have to use it this much, and it’s been a big disappointment. I thought it would cool the whole room, which would have been the justification for spending the money on it. That would have made it possible to work more. As it is, it works as an excuse to sit more and work less, because the only time I feel cool on those days is when it’s blowing directly at me. I’m so glad that I haven’t had to use it at all for two days in a row, and I’ll be content if I can drain it and put it away until next summer, which I assume will not be this hot again.