The Heat is On

My personal thermometer shows 103.3 degrees this afternoon. It’s our second 100 degree reading this year. We haven’t had that many 100 degree days since 1988, when we had four.

I remember 1988. It was a major drought year – we didn’t have rain until the end of August, and we baked nearly every day during that hot summer. People lost their lawns, because there were water bans. It was so dry and hot that the grass couldn’t rejuvenate itself when it finally did rain.

This extremely hot weather is almost like extremely cold weather. It’s dangerous and life threatening. No one goes outside. Everyone’s house is shut up tight because of air conditioning. There was an article in the paper this morning about health issues from excessive heat are cumulative. A study done on the 1930s heat waves showed that heat related illnesses peaked around the ninth day of the heat wave. Of course, back then, there wasn’t any air conditioning, so people tried to keep cool as best they could. My dad remembered that people went to the parks to sleep at night, because their homes were so incredibly hot.

Joe and I have huddled in the house since last week when the heat wave started. I’ve been off of work for these past couple of days. Joe has been careful, drinking more water than he usually does and staying indoors.

I go to workout early. I did lap swimming today in an almost empty pool. After breakfast, I water my poor parched plants. I might do a few things in the yard before coming back into the house.

I went out to my parents’ cemetery yesterday. I usually stop by about once a year. My parents, my grandmother, uncle, and cousin are all buried close together. I was shocked by the conditions. The roads had potholes, there were weeds everywhere, and the grass hadn’t been cut. I couldn’t brush off the grass from the gravestones, because sticker bushes were growing close and the stickers stuck in my hands. For an industry that thrives on referrals, they certainly lost mine.

I called the cemetery when I got home, but it’s now part of an association, and I left a blistering message on the answering machine. Of course, no one has called me back. I realize with cremations becoming more common that traditional burial is no longer the norm and the cemeteries’ profit margins are very thin, but seriously, does that mean cemeteries are no longer being maintained? It’s very sad.

The only consolation on that hot and humid afternoon was when I looked up from my cousin’s grave and saw three fawns cavorting a few rows up from me. I quietly snuck up to my purse and got my camera and managed to get a few shots before they zipped away into the woods.

Other than watering plants this morning, I skipped any sort of outdoor activity today. Joe and I went to Barnes and Noble, an awesome place to go when the weather is stinking hot, and I picked up sandwiches for us at Panera. Oh, and I stopped at the bank to make a deposit. It’s always nice to put money IN the bank.

Now Joe is watching the Golf Channel hoping Tiger makes the cut in the Greenbrier Classic. In a little bit, I’ll settle back onto the sectional and ease myself into a book. That’s the way to spend a stinking hot summer afternoon.