NInety before Nine

 

Saturday, July 7, 2012 – Ninety Before Nine

It’s been one week since the derecho.  Right before I went to bed Friday night, I checked weather.com for any late-breaking storm reports, just to be on the safe side.  And I put a flashlight next to the bed. 

When it’s over ninety degrees before 9 in the morning, as it was today, you know it’s going to be a scorcher.  And for anyone who still had doubts about the veracity of global warning, I hope you’re convinced now.  With heat advisories and air quality warnings assaulting us whenever we tune in to the local forecast, Elliott really has to limit his outdoor activities.  But it doesn’t keep him a prisoner at home.  We went out Thursday to see some relatives who live in Fredericksburg.  I was drenched with sweat after the 75- minute drive down I-95 although the car air conditioning was doing its best to keep up with the heat.  It was the sun beating down with relentless ferocity that made me melt.  It left us both parched and fantasizing about cool, drizzly days in the Pacific Northwest.  

This morning,  Elliott stayed home while I rushed out early to the Fairfax City Farmers’ Market shortly before 8, but he came along to the gym a little while later.  I showed him how to set the treadmill to a speed that he’s comfortable with.  I tried to pump up the intensity of my own workout on the elliptical machine after reading an article on interval training.  I could really feel the difference.  Afterwards, it was time to plunge back into the steaming heat (at least 100 degrees) for the brief ride home.

As I get older, I can tolerate the heat less and less.  I think back to 1980 when I spent a couple of weeks traveling around Thailand and India.  The month was June.  The temperatures in Thailand were in the upper 90s with about 99 percent humidity.  I used a parasol for shade as I roamed the streets of Bangkok.  It was even hotter in India, with temperatures climbing to 120.  The monsoon hadn’t yet arrived to bring even temporary relief.  And my hotel room in New Delhi had only ceiling fans for cooling.  (In the evenings, I found refuge in the hotel’s air-conditioned bar.)  Despite the conditions, I went out sightseeing everyday, and I survived.  I remember that I moved very slowly, expending the least amount of energy possible. 

All told, I must say I’m grateful that I retired from teaching this year.  Unlike my former colleagues who are on their brief summer break, I don’t have that manic urge to cram a year’s worth of fun into the months of July and August.  In years past, I’ve felt that pressure and I’ve been out there on the national mall, sweating away with the hordes of out-of-towners.  Fortunately, I have the luxury of postponing my plans until the weather is less oppressive.  Every time I think about doing something (a ride in the countryside, a trip into DC to see a museum exhibit, a walk through an interesting urban neighborhood), I preface it with, “When it cools off….”  Surely, after Labor Day, the temperatures will drop and the crowds of tourists will drift away.  Then I’ll be able to dash into DC or elsewhere whenever I desire.  I just have to be patient.

In the meantime, now that I’ve stocked the kitchen with lots of fresh vegetables and fruit, I’ll gladly stay home for the rest of the weekend.  I’m dreaming of garlicky kale with white beans, roasted zucchini soup, grilled eggplant and mushroom pizza, sautéed corn with fresh tomatoes and basil, diced peaches over Greek yogurt.   And if I get thirsty while I’m cooking, there’s a gallon-size Mason jar of oolong-pomegranate iced tea waiting for me in the refrigerator.