Sunday: Hili dialogue

It’s the Lord’s day, and throughout Poland good Catholics are getting ready to go to mass. (I’m writing this 6 hours before it’s posted). It’s a lovely sunny day in Dobrzyn, and yesterday’s high was only 29° C, which is a cool 84° F. That seems almost Arctic to someone who’s lived under the Heat Dome the past week. And it’s quite cool at night—perfect for sleeping.

It’s the last day of July (31st), and tomorrow we’ll have August. It’s a holiday in Poland today: Treasury Day, although Malgorzata says it’s a worthless holiday since it was established only in 2010. On this day in 1492, Ferdinand and Isabella expelled the Jews from Spain under the “Alhambra Decree,” and, in 1941, Göring, under orders from Hitler, ordered SS General Reinhard Heydrich (later assassinated) to draw up plans for the “final solution” (Endlösung). On July 31, 1954, an Italian team made the first ascent of K2, the world’s second highest mountain. This day in 1970 was “Black Tot Day,” the last day in which sailors in the British Navy got their daily allotment of rum, a custom that began in 1655 and was formalized in 1740. What a pity that it’s gone! Finally, exactly ten years ago today, Fidel Castro handed over the presidency of Cuba to his brother Raúl. Fidel, who is clearly ill, has almost disappeared.

Notables born on this day include Friedrich Wöhler (1800), Primo Levi (1919), John Searle (1932), and J. K. Rowling (1965 ♥). Those who died on this day include Franz Liszt (1886) and Gore Vidal (2012). Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Hili has found a new beast on her property:

Hili: This hedgehog is in love with our garden.

A: You shouldn’t pay any attention to it.

Hili: That’s just what I’m trying.

Hili: Ten jeż zakochał się w naszym ogrodzie.
Ja: Nie powinnaś zwracać na niego uwagi.
Hili: Właśnie próbuję.

Leon, Oh, my friend, a hare!