Excessive Heat Warning

“(The sun) rises at one end of the heavens and makes it circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.” Psalm 19:6


Today's forecast is HOT.  In fact, it will be EXCESSIVELY HOT.  Great.

Today: Mostly sunny, hot, and humid.

Winds: South 10-15 mph

Afternoon High: 96(Heat Index: Near 112)

Drink plenty of fluids. Stay in air-conditioned rooms. Dress in light colored, light weight clothing. Take frequent breaks from the heat. Check on your neighbors and relatives.

Also, be aware that pets need extra protection from the heat, and a lot of cool fresh water.

Since the heat is so prevalent, I thought that I would share with you some heat-related childhood memories from the good old days today.

As I’ve said before, I stayed with my Nanna a lot as a kid. Nanna’s trailer didn’t have air conditioning. Her trailer had small roll out windows under bigger plate glass windows that allowed plenty of light and heat to come in, with little hopes of getting it out. We put aluminum foil on the big windows to try to reflect the sun away from us. I remember peeking through the foil to see if my mom had come to pick me up. And that aluminum foil got HOT.

Nanna also had a screen door for a while that we would leave open as more of a symbolic gesture. You see, when it is 100 degrees outside, any breeze feels like a hairdryer.

My summers were filled with the whir of box fans that probably kept us from overheating during the day, and made it a little more possible to sleep when it was still too hot even at night. I would sit right in front of the fan and I remember talking into it to make my voice sound funny. Nanna was always worried that my long hair would get sucked into the fan, but it never did.

Then one summer, when I was 10 or so, some of the elders from church came over and cut a hole in the side of my Nanna’s trailer and installed a window unit air conditioner. We thought we’d died and gone to heaven! My Nanna was probably about 75 at this time and that a/c could have been a life extender for her. Summer is hard on old folks. See above about checking on your neighbors and relatives.

These days, I couldn’t live without air conditioning and my children should be thankful they’ve not had to experience the true heat of an Oklahoma summer. Our respite inside or in the shade or in the pool is awesome in this kind of weather.

So if you come across a stubborn old woman who lives in a trailer that is much too hot because she’s always lived without air conditioning, and her windows are much too small, and she thinks the fans work just fine, remember you may have to make a window where only a wall was before. And that she’ll eventually thank you. And that it is for her own good.

Stay cool! 
“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9