The temperature this morning at dawn was 56 degrees Fahrenheit (13 C), more like the end of May than the last day of July. I actually wore a fleece vest for warmth, and a long sleeved shirt.

I can remember the time I spent in the UK, when these temps would have been considered a mild to warm day. I guess it's all in what you have become accustomed to. I prefer this weather, and am rejoicing in the coolth.

Except for the dubious pleasure of taking a shower. Not cool enough, but downright cold, goosebumps and all, dripping hair, grab towel and bathrobe, shiver, shiver, shiver. I think I set a speed record for getting dressed.

If I were a cat, I could just lick the dusty bits clean. But no...as a human, I have to get totally wet. Sure, the water is warm, but bare wet skin in this weather freezes over pretty quickly. Good thing we're exothermic, or we'd be torpid and slow until the sun came out.

If I were a dog, I could simply ignore the whole bathing thing altogether and just be as nature intended and people lived for millenia, until the modern practice of bathing and the horror of the scent of a human took hold, the idea that cleanliness is next to godliness. Woof!

Enough blather. Onward to the tasks of the day. Carpe diem!