A couple weeks ago, I talked in passing about beating the heat and those who go crazy from it. With our recent ongoing heat wave--dare a cat call it the "dog days" of summer?--people's idiosyncrasies often come out, just like the cocoa butter does when you chill chocolate that's been allowed to melt.
Speaking of melting, those who venture out in the midday heat (aside from mad dogs and Englishmen) go to great lengths to keep cool. Spotted recently strolling down the street was a dressy lady carrying an equally aesthetic parasol. Quite Victorian. A little more modern are the manual and battery-operated fans that sell like hotcakes this time of year.
At various fairs and festivals held this time of year, the Prowler has been in turn horrified and then amused at what always appears to be callous people "exterminating" their so-called friends and family members with poison. It turns out, of course, that these individuals are actually quite considerate, spraying a cloud of delightfully cool mist pumped from portable water-holding containers.
But what about pets? Animals may look rather svelte in our colorful fur coats, but unlike you, we can't bare all our skin and run naked through a fountain or a sprinkler when it's hot.
At any rate, please remember your furry friends when the mercury rises. When in doubt, leave an extra water dish out or an extra window open for some nice cross breezes. A black-coated spaniel friend of mine (now there's a hot color when the sun's beating down) is lucky enough to have a mommy who's been known to come home early just to hose him down. Even the pet rats a friend of mine once had discovered their own little way to beat the heat--they stretched out under the water bottle and let it drip on them!
As for cats, we're always "cool."
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, August 7, 1996.
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