Back in the 1950s and early 1960s, before I came along and then my little brother ten months later--before you bend your brain thinking about that, I should tell you we're both adopted--my momma worked in the Lafayette County Courthouse. It's affectionately known as the Cannonball Courthouse because it still has a cannonball stuck in one of its big white columns from the Civil War Battle of Lexington in 1861. Up until fairly recently the Cannonball Courthouse did not have air conditioning, and even with big windows and high ceilings I imagine it got pretty darn uncomfortable in there during the summer. The County Commissioners instituted The Rule of 150: if the outside temperature plus the humidity was equal to or greater than 150, the Courthouse closed for the day. That seems like a good rule. In fact, it seems like that rule could apply quite well to working outdoors in the heat, too.
The next several days are predicted to be hot and humid, highs in the upper 90s with humidity at 50% or higher. The Rule of 150 is likely to kick in and keep me from working much outdoors. As my cousin David said, "Any paint you put on the house in that heat would just blister right away." Weather that hot doesn't seem conducive to standing on a ladder scratching away at old paint with a scraper, either.
So I'm making other plans. Like pulling staples out of the back bedroom ceiling and maybe getting some planks up there. Playing hooky with my momma for an afternoon and picking through heaps of vintage linens at an antique shop outside Warrensburg. Chowing down on one of Mr. Bruce's hand-breaded tenderloins at Riley's Pub. Watching movies on my new Roku box, which my son has renamed "The Box of Magic".
If it's hot where you are, too, please be careful. We've had a cooler-than-normal summer here in the Midwest and folks just aren't acclimated to this heat. Stay indoors if you can. If you can't, drink lots of water and take breaks frequently. Don't forget to check on elderly neighbors who might not have air conditioning, and be kind to your animals, too.