Just Right

Texas felt hot upon the family's return early this afternoon. The air was hot when we stepped out of the terminal; the minivan was hot from baking in the sun; our home was hot from having the air conditioning off during our absence. Annalee, like her father, does not thrive in such conditions. We cranked up the a.c. and watched the temperature readout barely move for more than an hour, and then someone said the magic word: "Pool." We blew up the inflatable pool, which was leaking air at a pretty good clip, enough to hold about half the normal amount of water. And then Mommy, Daddy, and Annalee took turns spraying the hose on each other and dumping buckets of water from the pool on one another's heads. Within about fifteen minutes, Texas seemed just right.