A Stone in Summer's Shoe
Today is one of those few days of summer here when the temperatures reach above ninety (33ºC), and the sun is a blowtorch. It is a dry heat, and reminds me every year it comes around that I don't want to live in a desert.
It's not as bad as it was back in Boston during my childhood, when the meteorologist would put up the letters HHH on the forecast. Hazy, hot, and humid. I hated those heat waves absolutely. The humidity would envelop me like a second, wet skin, and there was no way to be dry and comfortable. Taking a shower didn't help, because I could never get dry, and would start to perspire as soon as I got dressed.
The heat here is not that bad, but as I get older, it seems my body likes it even less. If I'm out in the sun for a little while, I begin to get a headache. I lose my will to do anything more than sit in the fresh kitchen, hidden from the sun. Thankfully, the bottom floor of our house is cooler, though not cool enough when it's a few days into the heat wave. Our bedrooms, however, are on the top floor, and we leave the blinds down, for the wind to pass through the slats, and aim a small fan at the bed. Even the cats don't bother us at night like they do when it's colder. Evening will find them stretched out in cool corners, or on the floor right where you want to put your foot.
These days are the downside to summer, just like the coldest are the downside to winter, without a heating system. Fortunately, Galicia is not like Andalucía, and these days are not as common. But, with climate change, we will eventually have a similar clime to the south. Already, these hotter days are arriving more frequently.
The forecast is for cooler temperatures as of tomorrow along our coast. So, we should be able to breathe more easily, and not be scared to set foot outside the house in the afternoon. That would be wonderful, especially as next week is my summer vacation week. And I have plans.
It's not as bad as it was back in Boston during my childhood, when the meteorologist would put up the letters HHH on the forecast. Hazy, hot, and humid. I hated those heat waves absolutely. The humidity would envelop me like a second, wet skin, and there was no way to be dry and comfortable. Taking a shower didn't help, because I could never get dry, and would start to perspire as soon as I got dressed.
The heat here is not that bad, but as I get older, it seems my body likes it even less. If I'm out in the sun for a little while, I begin to get a headache. I lose my will to do anything more than sit in the fresh kitchen, hidden from the sun. Thankfully, the bottom floor of our house is cooler, though not cool enough when it's a few days into the heat wave. Our bedrooms, however, are on the top floor, and we leave the blinds down, for the wind to pass through the slats, and aim a small fan at the bed. Even the cats don't bother us at night like they do when it's colder. Evening will find them stretched out in cool corners, or on the floor right where you want to put your foot.
These days are the downside to summer, just like the coldest are the downside to winter, without a heating system. Fortunately, Galicia is not like Andalucía, and these days are not as common. But, with climate change, we will eventually have a similar clime to the south. Already, these hotter days are arriving more frequently.
The forecast is for cooler temperatures as of tomorrow along our coast. So, we should be able to breathe more easily, and not be scared to set foot outside the house in the afternoon. That would be wonderful, especially as next week is my summer vacation week. And I have plans.
Comments
Post a Comment