Random Observations and Such – July 22, 2008 Edition

I’ve come to realize that the older I get, the less I care for summer. Maybe when I have kids and stay at home with them I’ll enjoy it again, but for now, I can’t wait for Fall. The first obvious reason and cause of most, if not all, other reasons is because of the heat. I don’t particularly care for excessive heat. I don’t know how I managed to survive all those years of July church camps and band camps when I was in high school. Perhaps the teenage body is better equipped to withstand the heat than that of someone in her late twenties, or perhaps I have less incentive to whither and sweat these days.

I feel sorry for my dog, Lucy, when it’s hot I only make her spend the mornings outside. She, being the spoiled house-dog that she is, is always only too glad to spend the remaining three hours after my lunch sleeping on the couch, under the air conditioner and ceiling fan. Playing with her and exercising her is an ordeal for dog and owners. Our nightly run has become a short walk, only taken after dark.

Since I am an adult, no longer in school, there is no long, lazy summer vacation. I work every day and save vacation days for cooler weather, when people who have school-age children can’t take vacations. Dressing for work is a chore because though you can fry an egg on the pavement outside, as long as the air conditioner at the office is working, the workplace is often a freezer.

Cooking large meals is out of the question because you end up heating the whole house so much that the air conditioner can’t stop working. By the time you’ve managed to prepare and entire meal, you’re too tired and exhausted from the heat to actually what has been prepared. Then there is the dubious task of cleaning the kitchen after you’ve decided that you can’t possibly eat the meal you’ve worked so hard to prepare.

So, I long for the Autumn. I can’t wait until the start of the college football season. I miss a cool, gentle breeze brushing against my face while I walk the dog. I want to step on crunchy leaves. I want to be able to wear clothes that are comfortable both outside and at work. I really want to step on crunchy leaves.