It’s Too Hot

I hope that everyone enjoyed their Fourth of July. The holiday has always been a favorite of mine. It brings to mind buying fireworks at Stonewall Gift House on U.S. 11 North, setting sun tea to brew in a giant jar on my grandparents’ back stoop and grilling hot dogs and hamburgers in the backyard.

It amazes me that we even have a Fourth of July at all. I can’t imagine how the early settlers on the Eastern shore of Virginia felt when they were confronted with the first heat wave. How they managed to not drown in the perspiration gathered in their doublets is a true test of their perseverance.

I think that this past Fourth of July had to be one of the hottest on record. For weeks we have been caught in an endless round of hot and humid days. I’m sure there was a time when hot weather didn’t bother me. Probably when I was young and cooled off at the city pool until storm clouds rolled in or my sunburn started stinging. Honestly, I would audit a calculus class taught by Marjorie Taylor Greene if I were promised a break in the heat.

One of the worst things about heat like this is that it makes me a prisoner of the indoors. It’s too hot to spend much time outside so I am inside sequestered in rooms cooled by air-conditioning. I try to be miserly when it comes to turning on the AC, but I’m not going to suffer for the sake of saving a few dollars on the electric bill.

I really hate not being able to use the kitchen. I love to cook, but I loathe heating up the house just because I want baked spaghetti.

I like to make a lot of salads at this time of year. A favorite is a Mediterranean inspired chickpea salad with sliced grape tomatoes, diced red onion, cucumber, crumbled feta, and a dressing made from olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice and dried Italian seasoning.

Unfortunately I have fallen into the trap of grabbing take-out or getting fast food since turning on the stove makes the house hot as a kiln. During this period of insane heat I have discovered that Wendy’s chicken nuggets are a crispy delight and Arby’s sauce on a Chick-Fil-A chicken sandwich is a revelation.

Recently I put in a carryout order for a pepperoni pizza from Frank’s on a lazy Wednesday. On the way to pick it up I had a craving for ice cream so I stopped in Kroger for a carton of Neapolitan ice cream. The party size was on sale. Who says you need to have a party to buy a party size container of ice cream? In an effort to save the ice cream from the oppressive heat, I kept the AC running while I popped into Frank’s for the pizza.

I thought that the party size Neapolitan ice cream would last the whole summer, but it’s taken a hit because some suppers consist mostly of ice cream.

I was assigned to take pictures for the paper at the annual Balloons Over Rockbridge event this past Sunday. I was not looking forward to it. Up on that hill across from the Virginia Horse Center, it feels like a giant magnifying glass is positioned over the proceedings, melting everything beneath it. Because of gusting winds in the vicinity, piloted and tethered hot air balloon rides were canceled that evening.

The balloon glow was scheduled to go on as planned at 9 p.m. I went home after the flights were grounded, but I decided to return to take pictures of the inflated balloons illuminated against the backdrop of the dark summer sky.

And I am so glad that I did.

The temperature had gone down a dozen degrees. It was still hot, but as the sun went down behind the mountains, the heat wasn’t too terribly oppressive. I loved seeing the balloons light up and hearing the crowd cheer.

I caught up with a woman named Nancy at the end of the event. She was with the crew that brought the firehouse dog balloon to the event. It had been a long day for her. She was looking forward to going back to her hotel room and downing about a gallon of cold water. She told me that the people who had paid for piloted rides were rarely angry about cancellations. They knew that decisions made by the pilots were brought about by an abundance of caution.

Seeing the balloons all lit up, I was reminded that summer doesn’t last forever. Soon pumpkins will be for sale and they’ll be gutted, carved and placed on porches for Halloween.