As I got out of bed, John warned me it was 41 F (5 C). He clarified it by saying, “You know, not far from freezing.”

I need this kind of clue to know what to put on for walking outside. With the Spring temperatures changing from hour to hour, it’s a wonder we don’t get whiplash. It was just a day or so before that I wore a cotton top with no sweater or jacket. I adjusted my mental outlook before choosing my warmest sweatshirt and lighter windbreaker.

Ten minutes into the walk, I knew something had to go. I was burning up. We stopped at neighbors Connie, Dave, and Marla’s place near the stop sign. To keep us from being totally embarrassed, I asked John to hold the hem of my top so it wouldn’t ride up when I pulled off the sweatshirt. I would never be in the mood to flash half my midriff to any hapless onlooker. I put the windbreaker back on, and we continued walking to the creek.

When we came back, I laughed at the scene. Our friends’ mailbox holder was also my shedding post. John held the sweatshirt while I pushed my lovely hat into the kangaroo pocket. He had a funny look on his face when I said, “You’ve been my lady’s maid today.”