Saturday, June 7, 2008

Feelin' Hot, Hot, HOT!


We are now officially in the season of bug spray and sunscreen: Summer. Last weekend it was pleasant, mild, with a breeze. A very comfortable 78 - 82 degrees.

This week, we have apparently crashed into the sun. It is only the first week in June, and already our temperatures are soaring into the 90's.

This is NOT the Tennessee in which I grew up. When we were young, the Summers were hot, but 100 degrees was high. Now, we were close to 110 for weeks at a time. We used to have snow-filled winters. We were thrilled to get out of school to sled down the icy/snowy hills. Now, we have one or two snows a year that melt into slush while hitting the ground.

I know the environmentalists would point to this as a huge selling point to "global warming". And when it's 110 degrees in the shade, I kind of wonder myself. But, I also think the world has natural seasons- like everything in nature. The tide ebbs and flows. The earth has spring, summer, fall and winter. Everything has a time and a season. Why would it not be "natural" to have the earth have "seasons" -or time periods- of being hot and being cold?

I would have to say I would really like the pendulum to swing back the other way this summer. I would love to have the summers of my youth that made a dip in the pool sound like fun, instead of feeling like I'm being boiled in a huge, square pot, ready to be consumed by the world's largest carnivore.

The only thing that can match the blazing heat is the huge, killer mosquitoes. I think they are actually considered our state bird. These things are huge and they suck out enough blood to make you woozy. The whelp they leave behind looks like it was left by a low-flying bowling ball. And itch??? There are not words to describe the spastisity and jerky convulsions that ensue when I begin feeling itchy. And absolutely nothing soothes it.

We are supposed to feel OK about the grueling Summers because of the beautiful, color-rich Falls. And the blooming, fragrant Springs. But the thing is, we had about five minutes of Spring this year, before we went sliding head-first into the deep, sweaty depths of Summer. And nowhere in the world can you have the sneezing and itchy, watery eyes during the Fall allergy season like in Tennessee
It sounds like I'm griping a LOT about the Tennessee weather. And, to be fair, I guess I am. But I have to give equal time to the good things about Tennessee, too: My family is here. The rolling hills are gorgeous. The lake is serene and beautiful. You will not meet nicer people anywhere in the world. And it will always be "home."

I don't know that I will every "love" the heat & mosquitoes. But I WILL ALWAYS LOVE Tennessee! You could even say, "Tennessee is HOT!" (sorry. couldn't help myself...)

1 comment:

ThePrincessMommy said...

Tennessee - almost as nice as Alabama!