I went to bed last night knowing our oppressive weather was supposed to break today. Sure enough, after breakfast when I went outside to throw some scraps in the compost pile it felt much nicer, and the radio confirmed that it was 10 degrees cooler than it was yesterday. Since the temperature was more acceptable, I decided to take a walk through the neighborhood today instead of going to the gym. That would save me a half hour of driving time on a busy day, and let me discover what had changed in the last few weeks when it was too hot to be outside. I decided to document my observations in terms of all five senses.
Sight-The bit of rain we got on Thursday wasn't really enough to green up the dormant grass, but enough to encourage the weeds; they were really obvious among the straw-colored turf that's our front yard. My route took me past several schools, and I figured out that today was the first day of practice for high school sports. I saw a group on the soccer practice field, some girls assembled around their coach on the track, and the football team on their practice field.
Hearing-As I left I started up my mp3 player. Today's selection was a musical meditation that lasted the entire half hour of my walk. However, the volume was low enough that I could hear the greetings of the three people I passed, the noise of an industrial sized lawn mower in a neighborhood common ground, and the "hut hut" of the football players as they ran drills.
Touch-The nicest thing is what I couldn't feel. It wasn't hit-you-in-the-face, like-a-sauna hot it's been the past few days. There was a slight breeze blowing that helped dry off the sweat that accumulated on my face. I walked over some red, bumpy handicap warning ramps that had been installed in some newly-replaced sidewalks.
Smell-They were adding another layer of blacktop on the street in front of the elementary school. The acrid asphalt smell was quite unpleasant, and I was happy to get past it.
Taste-The best part of my adventure happened when I got back home and drank a big glass of cold water!
My family is enjoying the break. They were out doing yard work this morning. We're getting the cooler temps tomorrow. Like you said, the grass isn't doing much but the weeds surge with every rain drop. :-{
ReplyDeleteLovely! Thanks for taking me along!
ReplyDeleteGlad you got a bit of a break. We did too. Then it was back full force on Sunday.