May 29, 2013

White Dog decided that if Nature has truly decided that Summer has come to Albuquerque, that we better get White Dog Ranch switched over to hot weather mode. Puff and Oso have been assigned to get up a little earlier with Steve in the mornings so that he can go outside and turn on the slow drip hoses before he begins to study.

Our city has watering restrictions but encourages homeowners to sensibly maintain their established trees because of their conservation value in lowering ground heat and providing shade to the house. So every morning Steve and his helpers turn the hoses on "drip" and gently soak the roots of the huge mulberry trees that shelter the front of our house from the harsh afternoon sun. The trees soak while Steve does homework and when he is done with his morning studies (before the hot drying sun evaporates the efforts), he turns off the water.

Michael's choice to have his young man cave and bedroom in the basement does keep his space cool even though it does not get the advantages of our evaporative cooler. But in the summer, the rooms get musty and the air stagnant. We found a great sale on old fashioned floor fans and thought they might do the trick to add some circulation to that subterranean space...but they came assembly required.

The White Ones supervised as Steve put together the air spinners, but insisted that the construction work be conducted in the path of the cooling breezes wafting across the living room. After, they stood at the top of the stairs and Michael and Steve took the fans down where they will be used.

"I think it is cooler in the basement already," Michael came back up a few minutes later and told them.