Monday, July 24, 2006

The Heat is On

It’s hot; I mean really hot, even for a Sacramento July. I’m not one to complain about the weather much, and I wouldn’t necessarily call this that (although you may), but after nine consecutive days ranging from 100 to 113 degrees in my little corner of the Sacramento metroplex, I’ve just about reached my limit. Ok… that’s not true. I’ll endure the heat because I have to – it’s just a figure of speech; I have no limit. And just to make these dog-days of summer that much more memorable… in my truck - no AC!

It’s not broken, it doesn’t need to be fixed or recharged – it’s not there. Never was. I’m not even sure if it was an option for a 1983 Toyota SR5. It doesn’t much matter, if it was, mine didn’t get it. So why am I griping? Well, as I said, I’m not really. All those things that may be going through your mind have crossed mine as well. Sacramento summers are hot – every year. No surprises there. My truck has no AC and I know that one won’t magically appear. And I know that when it tops 110, it makes little difference whether the windows are up or down. I am fully aware of these realities.

I’m down with the heat, really. I’m good with lots of wind and rain, extreme cold and as much snow as will fall too. However, even with my appreciation for the vast variety of weather Mother Nature throws at us, I think it’s when that variety comes to a grinding halt; when she provides over two weeks of nearly identical weather that I become somewhat disgruntled. Careful! I said disgruntled, I’m not complaining. Not even when our low was a record high!

Eighty-four degrees, the highest low ever recorded was ours to enjoy yesterday morning. On my way to work in Colfax this morning, the thermometer in my truck measured the outside temperature at about 91 degrees – that was at 8:45 this morning! Right now, at 7:16 p.m., it’s 104 degrees. Did I mention that it’s hot! One hundred nine (a record high) on Monday, July 17 – then 104 – 100 – 106 – 106 - 111 on Saturday (another record) - 113 on Sunday (record), and today, 108. But I’m not complaining.

And I know that this heat wave is affecting far more than just us. Indeed, it has hit places that really do not typically get extended heat waves and they are certainly suffering. Many have no AC because of power outages or because, like my Toyota, they never did; many have health issues that are exacerbated by the heat; many have died. We that have not-so silently had to suffer this unusual but certainly not unexpected heat should stop and realize that we are indeed fortunate – and no one here can claim that they have been blind-sided. This is hot, but we knew it was coming sooner or later.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

sorry i can't comment, i'm too hot.

Belizegial said...

Hey Mike, it's hot all over the world, eh?

We bzeans are used to the tropical heat but welcome an occasional sea breeze or rain to cool things off here.

I am lucky enough to work in an a/c office, but have worked in other places where only 'fans' were used to disperse the hot air. I can appreciate the difference~lol~

Congrats on hitting the 5,000 mark on your site counter. Stay cool!

Enid

mckay said...

no AC? ACK! may i just say that i love the AC in my car? i can crank it to a whopping 63 degrees...ooo. i'm getting goose bumps just thinking about it.
sorry, is that rude of me to mention this?

what really gets me is the humidity. can you say "bad hair day"?

;0) hang in there, sam.

Lacey said...

You're not complaining ... but maybe you should :) Because in this heat, with no AC, heatstroke is a very real possibility and therefore a potential medical emergency.

So be careful and stay cool!!

CyberKitten said...

Not quite as hot here... but this IS England.. but we've been peaking in the 90's for a few weeks now. July temperature record was broken a few days ago.

Can anyone say 'Global Warming'...?

Ellen said...

Yup, gates of hell here too... but this is the South, and rightly expected this time of year. If only it would rain more often!

I did the no A/C in cars for about the first 18 years of living down here, and probably bought the last car made without A/C back in the 90's. My hat's off to you for enduring it, because even rolling the windows down, it must feel like a confection oven in your truck. Hope you bring lots of water to drink on those rides.

Lee Ann said...

I have heard California is suffering from the heat right now.
Hope you can stay cool.
We finally have gotten a little relief. We were right at 100* for a week or two.
Hope we don't get that back.

OldLady Of The Hills said...

You speak for me dear Mike...This is really ENOUGH, Already!!! I am staying very quiet here in Hot Town!

BarbaraFromCalifornia said...

It was 112 here over the weekend. Heat makes me edgy and a bit frantic...I certainly wish it were a bit cooler here in Los Angeles too.

have a good day, Mike! (and stay cool.)

Saur♥Kraut said...

Awwww. Just sit in front of the fridge, with the doors open. Trust me. Yeah, it's steamy hot here, too. Bleah.

I mentioned you to my ex today, will email you more about it tomorrow.

awareness said...

Hey Mike.

The heat in your neck of the woods even made it on the Canadian National news today. Steamin'!

The heat story led to a story about baby bats and how they are so hot they are dropping out of their caves and crevices and getting hurt.

Please make sure you wear a hat ... to protect yourself from the sun and the bats! :)