The Heat Is On...Too Much

Perhaps it’s a misconception, but everything always seems to happen at once. With this year’s election contests piled on with two notable tragic shooting events in Orlando, Florida, this already feels like a tense, long and hot summer.
Speaking of hot. Wow. Does the heat have to be this ferocious so early in the season – and it’s not even summer as of this writing! It doesn’t take a climatologist to know that rain is our savior like has been during the past few years. So far, things are a little bit different this year. Rainfall in Georgia is lower than usual. Here in the Peach State, we’re entering drought-like conditions – again. No one ever said that we were guaranteed rain forever, it’s just a roll of the dice in Georgia. I wonder if we depend on the rain too much to fill the few sources in which we drawing from all of these years. I’m certainly no ‘water source maven,’ but aren’t there better ways to improve upon our ‘water cache’ so that in times like these, we aren’t in danger of scrambling for our most precious resource? Actually water is probably number two on the precious resource list – maybe we have to go with air.

If we do indeed reach those ‘Exceptional’ drought conditions again, will we once again see the outdoor watering bans back in place? Worse yet, will water rationing be implemented? Of course that is all putting the car before the horse. Here’s hoping that regular rainfall will return to the area, but without the strong winds, floods and lightning.
As the heat continues to wrap us up like a blanket in the Southeast, folks are looking for ways to get that exercise in which is a challenge. Obviously early morning and evenings are the best time for running, walking, skating or cycling. I’m puzzled as to how anyone could muster the strength to get out there and run in 95-degree heat. I’ll wait ‘til I cannot see the sun thank you very much. In fact, the Weather Gods say to stay indoors due to the bad air quality especially between 3-7 p.m. Indeed running outside in the mid-90s is self-defeating, but if you’re going to brave it out there in the heat, common sense is in order with plenty of cover, sunscreen and of water.

One knows the heat is bad when squirrels are too tired to chase each other up the trees and rest atop fences. Cats sleep under cars a bit more. Dogs’ tongues hang well to the ground. Sometimes I’d like to hop on a plane up to Canada for a few months.