I had failed to leave my windows cracked open yesterday. When I got to my car after work the thermometer read 107°, and “oven” was an apt description for how it felt! We all know, of course, that standing temps are higher than actual temps, so it was no surprise that it dropped once the air was running and I started driving. It drop to 103°.
So I’ve been debating about todays entry to Marie’s “Celebrating the Ordinary” challenge, but with an eye to the most simple, ordinary choice, I will go with: SHADE.
Being the fan of anthropology that I am, I’ve often considered what it must have meant for my So Cal predecessors who lived here BC…before (air) conditioning. Global warming notwithstanding, it’s always been a desert! And so as I sit in the carpool line at my son’s school, I am deeply grateful that the middle school parents line up on the shady side of the driveway!!
Living in the valley in northern California, I know exactly what you mean about those 100+ scorchers, Lori. Natural shade is so hard to find when I’m pulling into a parking spot that I usually put on my windshield shade to keep the steering wheel from burning my hands when I come back to the car later in the day. I don’t know how our ancestors coped. Maybe their blood ran thinner as they adapted to the heat. They didn’t even have popsicles. All I know is, like you, I’m grateful for AC, the shade, and those delightful mouth coolers. xox
Yes! I had to find a sweater to cover the gear shift! We’re 100+ again today…I may indulge in a Popsicle! Thanks for stopping by…stay cool!
Love it! So basic, yet so essential!
It reminds me of a story my dad told me. He was a B-17/B-24 pilot in World War II. On one mission, he had to make an emergency landing on the beach of an island in the South Pacific. As soon as he shut off the engines, the locals came running out of the jungle toward the plane and clustered under the wings. They had no curiosity about this big thing that had dropped from the sky. They were only interested in the shade it provided them. Can you imagine what they would have thought about popsicles? LOL:)
XOXOXO,
Brenda
I wonder which they would have preferred…. What a wonderful story!
Hi Lori, Your pointing to shade reminds me of sunshine. I take neither for granted. Everything in balance -
Stay cool!
And I could have certainly had greater appreciation for the sun yesterday! I suppose today is another opportunity…
I hate the heat…I love the beautiful colors of the shade. That’s where you’d probably find me lingering. And the ice pops are a refreshing treat to deal with the heat!