Sweltering Stroll

I normally work on Wednesday, but since today was the Fourth of July the boss scheduled someone else for my shift. However, I forgot to turn off the alarm, so this morning it still went off at 6:30.  At first I was irritated, but by the time I woke up enough to tell Tony to hit the off button (the clock's on his side of the bed) I figured out if I got up I could get an early start on the day.

We're still in the middle of a heat wave. The forecast today was for a high of 103°, so I decided the first thing I was going to do was take a walk while it was still "only" 80°.  Since I knew I'd be a puddle of sweat when I got done, I put on yesterday's shorts and shirt, then found my shoes and socks.  Tony decided to join me, and fifteen minutes after we were groaning about the alarm's buzzing we were walking out the front door.

In this weather, there's no way to completely avoid the heat. The air was already sticky, and after just a couple of blocks my shirt was sticking to my back and I was wiping sweat off my face.  The last thing I'd done before leaving was grab the (already filled) water bottle from my car.  After being in the garage the water was quite tepid, but it was better than nothing. Tony and I shared swigs as we went along.

It hasn't rained here in weeks, and that's taking a toll on the vegetation.  As I walked by yards I could tell which had irrigation systems on timers, because they looked fresh, green, and wet. Other yards had sprinklers going, and I took the opportunity to walk through all of them.  I also changed sides of the street a couple of times to take advantage of the shade.

We walked for three miles and got back to the house almost an hour after we left.  I was hot, tired, and ready for coffee.  And the air conditioner.