Well, it's August in Texas now. Except it's felt like August since June. Each day, I log onto the Weather Channel website to see what misery awaits us. We've been in the mid triple digits for weeks, with almost no rain. What does this mean on a daily basis? I do anything that involves leaving the house first thing in the morning. Otherwise, one could get heatstroke in the few moments it takes to load up the car with groceries, return the cart and get back in the car, which has now reached an extremely high temperature. Then I go home to an oven-like garage and remove said groceries from the trunk and waltz them into the house as quickly as possible. Our pool looks lovely, but it's much too hot to swim, especially during the day. Even after the sun goes down, the outdoor temps are near one hundred degrees. We must add water to the pool periodically due to evaporation so that the new pump functions properly. The pool deck is incredibly hot and I worry about the kids burning their feet. I must soak my pool planters once a day, either first thing in the morning or after dark. They may not survive the next couple weeks. Sitting on the patio with a book and a cool drink is not happening, as the west-facing side of the house gets the fierce afternoon sun. Same for using the gas grill to cook dinner. Our dachshund Toby misses his daily walk. He stares at me with sad eyes every evening because he doesn't understand. Toby is very smart and immediately pricks up his ears when he hears the word "go" or "walk". Even if we dared to go out, the sidewalks retain heat and could burn his toe pads. He goes out into the back yard to do his business but doesn't stay long. Occasionally, we take him for a ride in the car so he can see the outside world. The kids start school next week and I've worried about the state of air conditioning in their schools and buses. It will be way too hot for elementary age children to go out to recess and touch playground equipment. I cringe when I see roofers up on houses, guys doing landscaping or working construction. There seems to be no relief in sight right now, so we'll just have to stay inside in the AC and wait for October.
0 Comments
|
AuthorI'm Chris Barabasz, retired from a 35-year career managing communications for health care development (that's fundraising for you civilians). I'm a wife, mother, grandmother and freelance writer. My husband Andy and I moved from Delaware to Texas to be closer to our daughters and three adorable grandchildren. Archives
January 2024
Categories |