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Hot, Gas, Beat

August must be my least favorite month. Temps are reachibng over 100 degrees in the afternoon ecvery day for weeks now, but thank goodness I have air conditioning. I feel for those who don't. You go to the car, and feel like you've inserted yourself into a baking oven. Every summer there's at least one baked baby. One was reported last weekend, not knowing if the father left her in the car, or if she went from the apartment to the car herself in the night. God bless the baked babies. They never had a chance.

Gas is as expensive as I've ever seen it. The going rate in the neighborhood is just over $2.60. Disadvantages abound in this metropolis, where driving across town is often the norm. I miss the days of living in a small Texas town growing up. Gas was .25/gal when I got my license in the 1970s, and you could drive anywhere, including the beach, in fifteen minutes.

I miss the sea breeze, which now is replaced by big city pollution warnings. I don't have asthma symptoms often, but the heat, and the pollution do it to me. I feel for those who are worse off than I am.

What of the construction laborers who work on asphalt all day? I don't see how they stand it. They have a greater constitution than I. So, I'll be staying inside as much as possible. When you go to the store, look across the parking lot at how society has us trained. Most of the windows will be rolled up and the cars locked. Do thieves even work when it's so hot? Would they steal a car from a supermarket parking lot? I risk it, because it's so hot. If my car is stolen, I'll be sorry, and I'll be hotter. In the meantime, pray for rain, and clouds, and the middle of September when the first cool front gets far enough south to make a difference in Texas.

My second set of sunflowers are barely making it this year. I planted some Bermuda grass to fill in the bare spots, and with the help of daily water, the little sprigs are growing. Rain would help, and so will time. In the meantime, I'll be sweating for you!