The temperate went well into the 90’s this afternoon, it was hot and humid. The heat wave is expected to last through Thursday evening. I got wise today, I went for a walk with Maria and Fate early this morning, then did some sheep-herding before it got too hot. Fate is doing very well, she is getting stronger and more assertive with the sheep, who continue to challenge her.

I turned on the air conditioner in my study, wrote up a storm. I worked on my book, “Talking To Animals,” and wrote on the blog. I kept looking for photos that reflected heat, and then, in the late afternoon, a daisy in a vase on my study windowsill caught the afternoon sun. I had my heat photo, the daisy fairly radiated it.

In his encyclical, Pope Francis calls upon the people who use air conditioners to think about turning them off. This is where the petal hits the metal, if I did not have an air conditioner in my bedroom, I would not be sleeping tonight. Can I make that sacrifice? Is this one we all will be making one day? I’ve used it once all summer, but I was planning on turning it on tonight and getting into bed.

I am not certain if I can do that. That is a spoiled American, I suppose.