I'm not sure any of us Texans ever get (gets? sorry...unsure) used to the
extreme summer heat. I was actually born in
North
Carolina, but came to
Texas
when I was six months old. Long, unnecessary story. Except for almost three
years when I was in elementary school, I've been a Texan. Living here for over
55 of my 59 years on Earth has made me feel like a Native Texan. My Sweet Hubby
(MSH) was born in
Little Rock, Arkansas.
He's been a Texan for 63 of his 69 years. We’re pretty sure you become
officially “Native” once you’ve passed the fifty-year mark. All five of our
kiddos are Native Texans.
Texas children learn early that
they have to be cautious of the viciously hot
Texas
temps--especially in July and August. By the time August appears, 99.9% of us
are getting cranky. (The other 1% apparently have snake blood coursing through their veins.) We’re getting touchy.
Stressed. Worried. Ready. Ready for crisp, cool Autumn days and nights.
Here are some things MSH and I have been doing to survive
Texas
in August:
1. Trying not to use our oven more than once or twice a week. We
faithfully keep our thermostat set at 76 degrees. (Lately we've been turning it
down a notch--to 75--at
8:00 p.m.
Just to try to cool the house down for a couple of hours before we go to bed.
Uncertain it helps much. It sure doesn't hurt. Except our electric bill will be
outrageous. It always is for the months of July, August and, sometimes, even
September.) We've found turning even our smaller oven on for 40
minutes-ish can make us want to submerge ourselves in a tub of ice.
2. Getting all outdoor chores done by
10:00
a.m. Really should try for
9:00.
It's evil out there.
3. Thinking of every errand we need
to do, in town, and desperately trying to get them accomplished in one morning or early afternoon.
So we don't have to get out every day. Even every other day. It's simply
unbearable.
4. Trying to find new and
entertaining shows on TV to pass the time indoors. Of course, it's
SHARK WEEK. Woo Hoo. Y'all remember sharks give me the shivers. But they make
MSH's evenings sweet. Lordy, that Man O' Mine can find some innerstin stuff to
watch. Sheesh.
5. Straining our few working brain cells to
remember to throw some York patties in the freezer periodically. We're
all about
frozen treats:
Snickers; Twinkies; grapes
. TLC
put us on to frozen
Yorks via her idol
(yes, it is quite shocking, I realize, that her idol is not moi), The
Pioneer Woman. Beyond refreshing and YUMMO!
(A caution: Your teeth
should be strong. They're pretty chewy.)
We need relief.
RAIN. Cooler nights. Kinder days. Texans
never give up hope for one or more of these gifts. We can't.
Hope y’all are comfy Wherever in the World you are, Friends!
