Cold showers out of doors!

I have been getting plenty of use of my outdoor shower this summer. I have had one for years. The current model is plastic and was ordered from a mail-order outfit about five years ago. It works fine. I surrounded it with a bit of an enclosure using plastic fencing. I even have a blue beach umbrella for shade!

There is no hot water, of course, so you have to get acclimated to the temperature. I don’t think I have had three indoor showers since Memorial Day! On very hot and humid days I may take more than one. Sometimes I keep my T-shirt and shorts on so they will cool me off as I continue with my work.

I think this may go back to summers camping in the White Mountains of New Hampshire when we were kids and the kind of “roughing it” we had to endure. Showering with only cold water outdoors was the routine in those days.

This evening I felt slightly chilly for the first time in many weeks while showering. The coolness made me a little sad. I may not be able to carry on with this for too many more weeks although I hope I can get into October before I have to put it all away.

The Three Cap Rule for bald men with thin eyelashes

I have invented and pretty well stick with the three cap rule in hot and humid weather. It’s very simple: when I have completely sweated through three baseball caps, so that each in turn is dripping down from the brim, I stop working, take an outdoor shower and do something less active.

Depending on that very heat and humidity, it can take me two or three or more hours to use up three caps completely. I do sometimes cheat a little by sitting quietly in the shade for ten minutes to rest while the cap sits in the sun, hopefully, drying out some. But, inevitably, we reach a point where the cap is no longer useful in keeping sweat out of my eyes and it’s time for the next one or, better yet, time to call it a day.

I realize this is probably more than anyone would wish to know but aren’t old people supposed to say outrageous things that annoy and shock younger, more sensible people?

Bunny Dogs

I was so excited last evening when I finally spotted my first baby Cape Cod Bunny Dog in my yard! These wonderful and completely unique animals have only recently been discovered here.

As you have probably already heard, Bunny Dogs are the result of mating between your typical wild brown rabbit and immature Eastern Coyotes.

Supposedly, they will grow to a larger size than other bunnies as they mature, eat all the vegetables in your garden, not just the leaves, and chase small pets around the yard until the pets collapse and let the bunny dogs snuggle up.

How exciting! I feel like a real naturalist. I’ll try to get a picture next time I spot one.