Sophie makes good company

It's been a long, dull Saturday, turning from warm and wet to downright cold and dismal. My human interaction has consisted of a trip to the grocery, a brief converation with Elizabeth, and a brief visit from an old friend and her husband--they came to pick up the orchids that I was slowly killing. Sophie was overjoyed with their company. After all, they were new people. She jumped, she growled, she barked, she welcomed them heartily, and they, being dog people, loved it. Sally kept letting her up in her lap, in spite of my protests of "Down," and Len scolded, "Sally,  you're not helping." Sally's response was, "I know, but she's so adorable."
She is adorable, and she's been my company today. When I'm at my desk, she curls under my feet. If I get up, she tries to anticipate where I'm going and then parades in front of me, as though leading the way. But this dog with unbounded energy parades so slowly in such a stately manner that I am reminded of a British dowager taking her constitutional walk in Kensington Gardens. If she goes to the kitchen and I turn off to the bedroom, she is momentarily confounded but then comes bounding in. Brushing my teeth? She lies on a rug and watches.
And oh my, does she talk. From growls to helps to sounds I can't explain--it's a whole vocabulary, very vocal. Some of it I understand, mostly the part that says, "Pay attention to me!" If her talk doesn't help, she's taken to flinging herself at me, which I discourage with my strictest tone of voice.
I think Sophie keeps me grounded in what is only occasionally a solitary existence. And, yes, I do talk to her--a lot, in conversation. I had a trainer say I could never train her properly as long as I talked to her. His idea was that until she was trained I should only address her with firm commands. I couldn't do it, and it's probably why she's still part wild Indian. After the third session, he looked at me and said, "I've done all for you that I can." So Sophie and I are a good mix--she irrepressible, and me a softie. We get along just fine.
I feel obligated to add tht on this long, lazy day, I've edited thirty-two pages of a manuscript, written 1700 words on my own manuscript, and had a nice long nap. A pretty good life, if I do say so. Now I'nm going to read July Hyzy's new Fonduing Fathers.

Hot day

Whoa! No a/c in Texas in July is NOT fun. Last night I noticed the house was hot, but when I went to turn the thermostat down, there was no cool air coming from a vent. So I did what my a/c guru recommended--turned the fan to on and the unit to off. He said it was probaby freezing up. One of his repairmen came out, added freon, and said if it happened again we'd have to look into it further. The bill I got said a new unit may be needed--oh, joy! Well, it's happened again. I turned it on about 6 a.m. and it lasted until about 9, when I could hear it begin to labor--the sound I'd heard yesterday. Turned it off until 2:00, turned it on again, and it cooled things--not cold but an improvement. I had to turn it off again about 5:00. Now I'm waiting to turn it on until I go to sleep. In the evenings I have to close off my office to keep Scooby in with me--which makes it hotter. I did just open the vent windows in the kitchen. For security purposes most of my windows won't open--a hardship at a time like this. I've put in an emergency call but of course nobody will be in the a/c company office until tomorrow morning.
A dinner guest tonight--a woman who's a good friend and has had a hard time recently with the sudden loss of her husband. Fortunately, we could eat on the porch, with the fan on. The fan in combination with a natural breeze made it quite pleasant. We chatted animatedly all evening until just before dark, when she said it was time for her to go home. I understand that feeling completely.
I fixed another good dinner, if I do say so--egg salad sandwiches with capers and tarragon from my front porch, plus watercress and smoked salmon--wonderful combination. Sliced tomatoes and avocado with more tarragon and a dash of vinaigrette, and a bowl of sliced fruit.
Finished reading a mystery I really enjoyed today--one of those I hated to see end. It is Judy Hyzy's new series, and the first book is Grace Under Pressure. I was reading along on my Kindle without realizing I was getting close to the end until I came to that climactic scene where the heroine is in real peril for her life. Also did some work on my Texas foods book. So it was a good, if hot, day.