Hot heat

Since everybody talks about the weather, I almost didn’t mention this. That kind of stuff is old news. But, it’s as good a place to begin as any, so why not?

It’s sure hot and dry here. Here being Missouri, more specifically the Kansas City area. Depending on what part of the city, or which suburb you live in, temperatures have reached highs of 97 to 104 this week. Monday the 6th (mid to late morning), I went out to check my garden. I wasn’t outside ten minutes, and I didn’t do anything I thought was strenuous. But in the process of opening part of the fence, picking two cucumbers, and putting the fence back, I almost passed out. I got back into the air conditioning just in time. A few hours later a reporter on the TV news said that temperatures and heat indexes are measured in the shade. In direct sunlight, you could be exposed to 115 to 125 degrees.

Now he tells me.

I’m not surprised that it’s hot (after all, it is August), and I’ve heard all the warnings before. What did take me by surprise was how quickly this affected me. Not that many years ago, I would stay out in the heat for hours. Bring it on. But now, it seems I don’t tolerate it as well.

My wife and I talked about this, and the discussion turned to how different our lives are from years ago. Long gone (for many, though not for all) are the days of houses without air conditioning. Gone also are long summer road trips with “470 air conditioning” (four windows rolled down, 70 miles per hour), sitting on hot vinyl seats with your shirt drenched with sweat. Sometimes we had to adapt our travel plans, driving mostly in the evening or at night. At home, we’d draw the shades and turn on some fans. When we were kids, we’d sometimes run through a lawn sprinkler outside to cool off. But now, we wouldn’t stand for houses or cars without air conditioning.

Enough about how times have changed. If it’s hot and humid enough that a heat advisory or heat warning is in effect, do the smart thing. Don’t go out unless you have to, and don’t stay out long. Wear a wide brimmed hat. Keep hydrated; drink more water than you think you need. If you have pets, make sure they have enough water. And, if you know people who have health problems or don’t have air conditioning, do them a favor and check to see if they’re all right.