Anyone living in New Jersey during the summer of 2010 had the same reaction when the weather wizards officially proclaimed it the hottest Summer on record. You could hear a chorus of “Big surprise,” all the way from the pastoral farmlands in northwestern New Jersey down to the lonely pine barrens (home of the infamous Jersey Devil) in South Jersey.

However, thanks to Hurricane Earl slobbering its way up the Eastern shoreline like a Bull Mastiff in heat, those of us residing inland awakened to a stunning display of mostly blue skies and a coveted 60 degrees. There was a gentle but constant breeze interrupted by brisk gusts of wind.

Olive’s reactions to the gusts of wind buffeting her were so funny, I actually laughed out loud. Clearly, a brand new experience for her, she reacted to each gust as if it were something physical and solid, like a bumper car sneaking up on her from all different angles. When a particularly stiff gust slapped her in the butt, she did a “crazy eight” trying to escape from this challenging invisible foe. And when another gust slammed up against her head and shoulders, she again took evasive action, doing a 180 on the sidewalk.

And yet the funniest part was still to come. Back in the car, I opened the rear windows to let the glorious fresh air envelop us. Olive’s reaction? In the cargo area, she immediately took cover from the bursts of oxygen, racing from side to side and ducking from the wind as if she were running from B52 bombers overhead. God, this dog is funny.