Hi. I’m MacKenzie.
I couldn’t wait for summer to get here. Bugs, garter snakes, mornings in the swinging lawn chair, lots of late afternoons in the garden…

How am I supposed to chase bugs? This is all Yellow Boy’s fault, I’m just sure of it. The Mother of Cats says that this is record-breaking heat, whatever that means. I just want it to cool off enough to whap a couple of grasshoppers. Is that too much to ask?

Anyway, happy summer everyone. The Mother of Cats and I will be spending as much time as we can taking it easy in the swinging lawn chair…

…and when I’m not patrolling to ensure Enemy Cat isn’t in the yard I’ll be on the lookout for moths and hopping things. Hey, summer is for cats!
I’m such a good boy.
Can I have some cookies now?
>^..^<
Notes from the Mother of Cats: yesterday we set a new heat record in Denver, Colorado, and today we missed the record by a single degree; it is so bad I have to carry the cats in as they refuse to cross the hot deck. We are all outside in the mornings while I drink my latte, water the plants and do a little knitting, then it is inside for weaving, knitting, and cat naps.

Happy summer everyone.
Happy summer! Try to stay cool everyone:)
Cold drinks and shade…
Your rose is lovely. We were spoiled all fall and winter with cold weather and now we’re gettin’ slapped with hot temps here in the Bay Area. How fun to have a swinging lawn chair to relax in.
Our spring was so crazy; snow with a hard freeze one day and hot weather later in the week. I felt like I was whipping covers on and off the roses for weeks. They all made it. The heat is concerning as fire season will be on us before we know it…
Tell Mother her good wishes are reciprocated, MacKenzie
MacKenzie: I will if she gives me cookies first…
Oh, MacKenzie! You are DEFINITELY one handsome kitty!! And what a lovely rose you and the Mother of Cats have in your garden!
MacKenzie: the Mother of Cats tells me I am photogenic. >^..^<
Me: Thanks! I gave the roses compost this spring and added in water absorbing crystals in the hopes that they would weather the dry heat better. It seems to be working. The bushes are growing well and there are more blooms than usual. Happy roses!!
We broke a record here in San Jose, too: 104. Pure misery. The kitties are doing their best to stay close to the fan while resting on the tile floor. I hope you’re doing well otherwise.
San Jose!! That is way too hot for your guys! My heart goes out to people everywhere dealing with triple digit heat. This just came on too fast. Our heat broke this afternoon when a small weather front came through, and there will be another one tonight that may give us rain and cooler weather over the weekend.
The lawn and I are counting the days until the monsoon arrives…
It’s been a relief to be back down into the seventies. My mood lifts and my energy returns, too. Did you get that promised rain?
We did, but it was just enough to tease the grass…
That’s a shame. We took out our lawn 18 months ago after our fifth year of California drought. It’s nice not having to worry about that anymore. We replaced the lawn with drought tolerant natives. Here it is not uncommon to go from May through October without a single drop of rain.
I originally came from the San Bernardino area, where it was always dry. How smart you were to put in native plants. Here in Colorado we usually get the monsoon in July and can count on regular rain storms in the afternoon. Monsoon, hello…. can you hear me calling you?
San Bernardino, eh? Well then you know our climate well. We’re in San Jose, a few hundred miles north of SB. I have family and friends scattered throughout Southern California. Interestingly, our friends moved from Long Beach to Colorado many years ago and they never looked back. They love it there. They lived in the mountains for several years, but now that the kids are grown, they’re in Denver. I hope you get that monsoon.
We did get rain, but it wasn’t very much. Still, the higher humidity and lower temps were a relief for all living things (especially cats!)đŸ˜€
Wow, record breaking temps, then for no reason a couple of days in the 70’s. Oh well, enjoy while we can for one day soon we shall be the new Phoenix!
Ugh. My tomatoes are crying at the thought.