It’s hot outside! Not a news break, I know, but beating the heat in Oklahoma seems to be a fulltime job these days. I don’t handle the heat the way I used to.

When I was young with young children, we had an old house with window air conditioners and ceiling fans. We played in the sprinkler and ate popsicles. The kids played baseball and tennis and we cooled off at the neighborhood pool where I lifeguarded and taught swimming to the whole town. I was outside as much as I was inside. My husband worked as an aircraft mechanic on the flightline inevitably in the daytime during the summer and at night during the winter. We were young and the weather didn’t affect us as much as it does now.

Lately as I water my flowerbeds before dark in the evening, I try to keep the poor plants alive in the blistering heat. I made sure I bought heat-resistant plants that take little water, but this year has been one for the books.

I am thankful for central air conditioning and plenty of water. I hydrate constantly and work inside as much as possible. My husband has a riding lawnmower and still I worry about him as he mows. We aren’t as young as we once were.

I made a donation to the local thrift store yesterday and as I drove down the alley I was in line behind several trucks doing the same thing. My air conditioner was humming and I listened to music while I waited. There were three young people out in the heat unloading the donations from the trucks and me. I hope they had a way to cool off and could get inside after my car went through. It is too hot for that kind of work. But they persevered with smiles.

The heat in Oklahoma is always bad. We’ve had storms to go with it this year but we are a resilient bunch and we always manage to survive. I hope you are staying as cool as possible and are taking care of your neighbors in this heat. But that is Another Story for another Time.

What are you reading/writing/creating this week?