Tuesday August 9, 2005 Dog Days

I'm sitting here in my kitchen looking out on the parched earth where once I had a lush lawn. The digital thermometer reads 99.9 degrees F and my central air is having a hard time getting the internal temperature down below the 80s. These must be the dog days of summer that everyone refers to. Fortunately, here in the midwest, when the temperature goes up so does the humidity so the news keeps broadcasting the Heat Index. That really helps me feel better knowing that the heat index will fry your brain in a much shorter time today. One good thing about the heat and humidity - it keeps the tornadoes and floods at bay. Nothing much moves when it gets this hot. Even the parched leaves on the trees hang limply waiting for a refreshing breeze. Maybe my daughter, who lives in New Mexico, is right. She tells me that even when it gets in the 90s and 100s, it's really not so hot because the humidity is so low. The only trouble with that is that you won't notice that you are baking in a slow oven - here you know it and you tend to duck and cover. I guess I'll just have to spend a lovely summer down in the desert someday to see how cool it really is. Come to think about it, all the cowboys used to wear hats and vests, even in the summer. It must have been cooler. I do know that you have to wear heavy clothes up north even in the summer to protect you from the mosquitos. The mosquitos in Minnesota come out at night with flashlights looking for fresh blood. Here in the midwest we only have ticks who hang out in the shade of low bushes waiting for you to stumble through.

I suppose every place has its own problems to deal with and there is no perfect place to live. There may be a perfect place to live, but the folks there are keeping it a secret so the rest of us won't invade. Sip an iced tea, stay in the shade and look forward to the frigid, barren landscape of Winter - but be optimistic.