Summer Dormancy

This is a picture of a California Buckeye. It covers the hillsides around here, and in the spring it is one of the most brilliant greens, covered in beautiful white flowers. But in the summer, I noticed that it turns orange, and then brown, and ultimately looses it's leaves, as if it were autumn. I looked up some info on the tree, and learned that it's family comes from cooler, more moist climes. And so in order to survive, it adapted the ability to go into an early dormancy. Rather than going into dormancy during the harsh winter temperatures, (which don't really exist in this neck of the woods), it goes into dormancy during the harsh summer temperatures.
Today the predicted high for our town is supposed to be 102 degrees, just awful for our mountain area! We are supposed to get a 10 degree cool off later this week, but they forecast the temps will climb again for the month of August. I've entered a sort of dormancy myself. I don't really belong in this climate, I was transplanted here in 1988, and have since adapted to a life of dormancy in the summer. I don't cook, wash dishes, iron or do laundry during the day (and only when in dire need, at night). I don't garden except for between the hours of 5-7 AM, and 8-10 PM. I conserve energy by naping underneath my airconditioner, you see we moved our mattress from the bedroom to the livingroom. And, yes, we sleep in the livingroom during the summer. My little window air conditioner can barely keep up with the sweltering heat, so we close off every room in our house, except for Lissette's room during naptime. Currently, the AC unit can only take about 10-12 degrees off of the ourside temperature.
So, if you call and I don't answer, I may be in dormancy, and will call back at night...or maybe this winter....