Nate’s house is up high on the hillside and catches the breeze, but the historic downtown is in a bowl, missing the breeze, and therefore heats up sooner than the hillside.  The daily temperatures here follow a definite pattern.  Walking early to the downtown by 8 am is pleasant and cool, about 60 degrees.  By 11 am, the temp has risen to at least 75,  so it’s definitely time to walk back up the hill because by 1 pm it will be over 80 and heading to 85 by 4 pm.  Then as we lean past sunset, the air cools off again, dipping slowly through the night until it’s at 52 degrees again at 6 am.

Diego the cat has his own behavior pattern that follows the daily weather pattern.  Mid-morning he is stretched out and rolling around on the sun-warmed bricks of the patio, then by afternoon he has switched to sleeping in the shaded chairs of the patio table.  This is after he has audibly begged for his wet food at least 2 hours before he’s due to get it. This cat can also open certain doors if he’s in the mood.  He taps against the armoire doors until they gap a bit, then he jumps in and sleeps on his favorite pile of t -shirts.  He also scratches at the bathroom door until it pops inward, and checks out the shower to see if it’s wet—he likes water.  He sits on the floor beside a sink, meowing, until someone turns on the tap.  Then he leaps up and drinks from the running water, ignoring his beautiful pottery bowl of water on the kitchen floor.  He regularly strolls into the kitchen to check on the status of his food bowls (one for dry food, one for the treasured “Whiskas” treat.)  And if anyone crinkles any kind of plastic bag that might mean food, he comes running.