Hotter'n the fifth circle of Hades. It went from June gloom to summer heat literally overnight. Just as soon as it was light enough to see I went out early and watered. In this kind of weather (nudging into the three digits), there's no skipping watering the tomatoes.

Tomatoes won't set fruit in this kind of heat, but the ones that have been taunting me (See me? I'm small and green and unripe) are now filling out and blushing quite nicely. There's a huge tomato salad in my future. I'll eat Batty's too, since I know she doesn't like them.

The cats are sensible about lounging quietly in the shade on the cool cement or brick patio in this weather. All except Max, who doesn't get it and is lying in the sun on the cement directly beneath the vent from the clothes dryer. I keep trying to convince him that it's about 10 degrees cooler in the garage, but he's having none of it. So back to his nook he goes. I keep expecting to find baked black Manx but he is OK so far. He drinks a lot of water.

The next door neighbor cat, the one who has semi-adopted me, got into a fracas with a coyote last night. Off to the vet (couldn't find the people who own him) to have the wound on his back looked at and stitched. His name is Cookie, and Cookie is afraid of nothing. Just went up to the coyote to make friends, nose to nose, and the coyote grabbed him in the middle of the back.

However, Cookie is big and strong and determined and well armed with sharp pointies. He got away, and I hope he's learned that coyotes are dangerous. The other cats raced inside and wouldn't leave the bedroom until later in the morning. Cookie now sports a square shaved patch in the center of his back where the coyote grabbed him and the vet repaired him.

Time to take a shower to cool down. Wonder if the cats would like one too? Jasmine used to love to play in the hose spray with me on hot days like this.