There are Things Worse than Magic Valley Heat Waves

Just when I believe I’ve had enough of summer heat, I consider the alternatives.  I don’t like 100-degree days.  I don’t like snow.  I like heat better than snow.  I don’t slip on pavement in summer.  My car doesn’t skid in summer (I’ll qualify that and say if it does, I’m going too fast!)  I worked with a guy 30 years ago who liked winter better than summer.  He explained he could always put on more clothes to stay warmer, but cooling in summer was a challenge.  We were both young at the time, and as you age, winter is a challenge.  In a couple of months, some of the higher elevations in Idaho can expect snow, or in an average year it happens.

Things Will Change Soon Enough

A few years ago I was in northern Montana in late summer.  It was over 90 degrees as I passed through Cut Bank.  A few days later, the area received over three feet of snow.  Heat makes me sweat, and a shower washes it away.  Cold makes my fingers hurt.  To get leverage on the windshield scraper, I take off my gloves.  Then my cold fingers inevitably bump against ice or cold metal.  My vocabulary becomes rich, and then I need to ask the Lord for forgiveness.

Summer is Wasting Away

To think, winter, or our first taste, isn’t all that far away.  I enjoyed the change of seasons as a boy, but I haven’t ice skated in almost 25 years, and haven’t been on a sled in probably 20.  The more I ponder winter, the more working from home looks better.  You wake up, look at a fresh carpet outside, brew a cup of coffee, and then never do the job indoors.