One of our team of little dogs, Henry, is half Chihuahua so he lives for hot weather. He suns himself on the deck as the sun comes up, even in the heat of summer, deeply snoozing like a president at a fundraiser.

Nah. I rescind that. Henry’s smarter and way more lucid.

He loves a good joke. Dog jokes. He is usually the only one who gets his jokes. He’ll do something he thinks is hilarious and sit and smile to himself as he ruminates on his own comedic timing.

But chiiiild. It is haaaawt out today! It’s even too hot for Henry. The hottest days of the summer are upon us, quite literally, as a ‘heat dome’ as they call it, hovers over us. I remember when they just called this ‘summer’.

So it was an indoorsy time. Augs had a great vet visit – his persistent conditions are being managed well, his bloodwork looks “perfect”. This vet clinic is so sweet. They know us by name and Augs is much loved. Auggie!!! It’s sweet Augs! Everyone says as they pass through the waiting room. They are always so happy to see him. He is the sweetest dog I have ever known. He just loves.

When Augs came to us, he had been dropped over a nine-foot tall wall into the back yard of a man who was known to ‘rehabilitate problem dachshunds’. Auggie has two inch legs! The evil in this world….

His name was previously Nacho. Yea. Nacho. Uh huh.

They just got tired of the stubbornness typical of his breed, I believe. He was no longer a sweet cute puppy and so he got dumped over a wall. Thrown. THROWN.

There’s more but for another time. The short version is he loves everyone. Anyone who comes to our house he just follows around, sniffing feet and bags and is genuinely curious about this new person he wants to get to know. He has never held any ill will towards mankind for the trespasses committed against him.

I didn’t set out to write a treatise on Auggie this morning but here we are. Moving on.

I finished some fermented hot sauces today. I will purchase some bottles this fall so they are cute. I ranted about bottles earlier but I’m at peace with the whole thang now.

Still fighting squash bugs. We tried one of the squash and it was sooogood baked with ghee and sea salt. The plant is worth saving. Came home yesterday, still in my ‘town clothes’, and picked/squashed/vacuumed bugs. I do admit I did say (shout) ugly things at those dirty lil suckers as I attacked. I bet my sweet new neighbors musta thought I was crazy out there sweatin and shoutin in the 95-degree heat and haze.

Back to indoorsy. Early in summer, I took two clippings of a beautiful umbrella plant that a sweet friend has in their family home. I nursed those clippings all summer as the roots grew in water. They graduated today to a pot topped with stones from the Aegean Sea.

I love propagating plants from people I know or have even just become acquainted with. When I look at these plants, I remember the people who provided the clipping fondly and with love.

The end.