This morning when I stepped outside to move the lawn hose, I noticed a black spot alongside one of the lilacs that form a border between the front yard and pasture.

It appeared to be a black cat lying on its side. I thought, perhaps, the cat was dead, but then after awhile he raised his head.

The cat was just resting there in the shade, and it wasn’t yet 10 a.m. — cats usually shade up later in the day. I didn’t blame him. It was already hot.

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I don’t know just how hot it is today because my outside thermometer quit working, and it’s probably better that I don’t know, but according to the weather forecast, it is supposed to be in the upper 90s.

So as I write this week’s column, “heat” is about all that’s on my mind. (I wonder if heat contributes to writer’s block?)

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Just how hot is it (as if you didn’t know)?

Here are a few of my thoughts.

It’s so hot that …

• the lilac leaves have curled up.

• there’s green algae growing in the bottom of the cat water pan.

• the air conditioner/fan runs all night long.

• necessary trips to Craig are made early in the morning.

• the steering wheel has to be covered with a towel when the car is in the sun or else I have to use gloves to touch it.

• wet laundry hung outside dries in a hurry.

• the shop is a real cool place to hang out.

• the deer that come into the yard drink water from leaks in the hose or loose hose connections or walk to the stock tank to get a drink.

• the cows shade up under the elm branches that hang over the corral fence, even more delightful when there’s a breeze.

• water is the preferred “beverage.”

• most certainly, an egg broken open on a cement surface would cook.

• robins enjoy searching for worms on a watered patch of lawn.

• two young skunks wait until it cools off to check out the cat food pans.

• scattered, unpredictable storms are common at the end of the day, accompanied by thunder and lightning – sometimes downright scary, as with the storm a few nights ago.

• flies, which apparently like the heat, are plentiful at the corral.

• the grass is drying out, and it is a challenge to keep a big lawn green.

• the desired meals for the day are often cold.

• when the shade reaches the front porch, one can find cats draped over a bench or under the bench or in between the pansy pots,  and there is a cat under every tree.