Heat stroking

Ilook at the tiny patch of yellowing grass I call a backyard, then look up at a yellowish haze full of horse flies buzzing about the smoky skies. The sun’s heat is in the high 20s, as the ashy dust cakes your skin. Aaahhh, the summer weather this year.

The weather is the least of anyone’s worries. It’s the urge to splurge on downtime, holidays and hopefully forgetting about life for a while to enjoy it. As for summer events in the communities, there’s a long list of them and it looks like it’s going to be a festive season. As usual, there are fishing contests, berry picking, log splitting and other great outdoor stuff (which we used to call daily living) to keep our spirits alive with tradition. Plus, the annual gatherings and summer weddings, so people can lighten up and have a good time before returning to the workplace in the fall.

However, any trip out of the community calls for intensive planning and backup plans, just in case the unexpected happens, like a flat tire in the middle of nowhere or the only time it rains like hell during the entire summer. I even remembered to carry some spare Covidera masks to fend off pesky ashes and smoke. I admit that using a mask again was a lot easier because I didn’t have to taste the acrid smoke on my tongue.

Indoors is a safe haven. But as many know, leaving their homes is a concern.