It has been HOT around here at the end of the week and over the weekend. We have basically tried to stay indoors and run the fans directly over us. Luna and Push have been sleeping with tongues out most of the time as they try to stay cool. Pushkin is usually flat against the tile in the kitchen or in front of a fan somewhere.

I know that Oregon is going to get this heat wave this week as well. I worry about people making sure that they are hydrated and cool. In places like Berlin and Oregon, there isn’t air con as much or ways to keep the cool so please be careful! This morning seemed to show the first break in the heat around here although with days of over 90 degrees the concrete holds the warmth and doesn’t allow for much to cool off for very long. I already have the fans running at 9am this morning as I sit to write.

I guess it is appropriate that we moved into the sunniest and warmest times so far while we celebrate the summer solstice and the longest day of the year yesterday. It seems as though it just doesn’t get very dark these days which is a nice thing to put in my memory after thinking that the days were so short not too long ago. Last night the official setting sun time was 9:32pm but the light lingered for well beyond that. The halfmoon poked its way into sight as we walked the dogs at our nightly 10pm time around a few blocks.

Lockdown is less and less of a reality around here. The numbers are going down more and more each day which is a relief even with talks of variants and concern still about what is safe. We shall see what happens and we are taking our precautions but still living into being able to go for a beverage or a meal someplace other than our home. This weekend, because it was so hot, felt a little like lockdown again even though the options of being out and about were available, it was just too hot to do anything but wait it out.

Plus we have 25 days until the big day so the details pop up here and there. I got a notification today that the dress I ordered is on the way…let’s pray it is the right thing and fits just right. I need to get things like shoes to go with and a hair comb. For the most part we are enjoying the planning of it all and every once in a while we get a little overwhelmed with what next. This week we booked a mini honeymoon for a place just south of Rome…now the task of pup care is on the to do list. We are following up with places and people and gauging the weather for all of the what ifs. We are obsessively watching the Standesamt page to see if perhaps our parents will get to come into the ceremony (please pray they do) and we are hoping that the cakes won’t melt, the flowers will be ok, and our photographer won’t have to have surgery that week.

All of the things. And yet we are so grateful that it has eased up enough to worry about such things.

How are you dealing with the heat?