JOURNAL: August 2, 2006

We are in the midst of a serious heat-wave in southern New England. Temperatures these few days have been in the low 90’s, and may reach close to 100 today. People have been talking about it as though it’s a blizzard or a hurricane, and I guess, in some ways, it is a grave weather situation. The very young, the sick, and the elderly can suffer greatly in this kind of extreme heat. I’ve been doing fairly well, treating it mostly as a challenge similar to climbing a mountain. Rather than moping and complaining, I’ve been organizing ways of combating the heat: placing fans around the apartment, closing window shades during the middle of the day, wearing as little as possible, and drinking lots of liquids. I spend a good part of the day reading directly in front of a fan with a frosty glass of lemon water close at hand. Yesterday, in fact, I discovered a wonderful way to defeat the heat (at least when it’s breezy). I walked down to the park around 4:00 and sat on a shady hillside above the pond. While a pleasant breeze stirred the trees and cooled me nicely, I listened to an excellent lecture on my iPod and watched the branches sway back and forth. I’m not sure I’ve had a more relaxing hour all summer long – and the temperature must have been close to 95. I may try that again this afternoon.