It's A Heat Wave!

Yeah, it's hot! Are most of us spoiled? I am sure that most of you out there, under 30 I'm guessing, grew up with air conditioning. My wife did and I did not. Yes, it is more comfortable in the the air but I really think it cut's down on our all around tolerance for the heat. I mean if I start the day out in the heat I sure don't notice it in the afternoon as much as I do if I have something to do inside in the morning and try to get going outside in the afternoon. There are only a few days, growing up, that I can remember that it was just unbearable. Those were some pretty memorable nights. I remember sitting in the living room late at night with a couple of fans blowing on my family and I. We didn't have any lights on and we were just trying to get a few zzzs, but my brother and I always managed to get a conversation started with our parents so we could stay up later and pretty soon we forgot all about the heat. I admit, I have become soft since I was younger. I have become spoiled; or maybe just old. My mom and dad just got central air around four years ago or so. I am glad they got air. I am not glad for me, but for their health. They are not spring chickens anymore and I really think it helps them cope with the summer heat. My mom still doesn't like to turn it on but she will if it gets hot enough (like today!). I think my dad benefits the most. He works in an office all day and is used to the air. It would be really hard to work in the air all day and come home to a hot-box of a house. I don't think it used to bother him much, but now I think it really drains him.

This week's temperatures are a little early! As stated on the average weather page for where I live, the average temp for June is supposed to be around 84. It was around 94 today. At least it didn't get record hot today (102!). With temperatures like this in June what do you think July and August hold for us in the Midwest. Like they say, "If you don't like the weather in the Midwest, just wait fifteen minutes."

What do you do to stay cool during hot weeks like this?