Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Summer Heat

It has been blazing hot here in Bethlehem, PA. The humidity is high, the cicadas are humming up in the tree tops, and it seems that I'm always just a little bit hot, no matter where I am. (Well, it's cool inside the movie theaters, restaurants and stores, but I can't very well go to those all the time.) I'm mostly sweating my balls off, so to speak.


Back in California, I hear that it's the least summery summer they've had in a while! The daytime temps have been low 70's, even dipping to the 60's. Evenings were always cool in the Bay Area. Here, you're lucky if it gets cool at all in the evenings! Last night it actually got down to 69, which was lovely. It was right back up into the 70's with the sun, though... and over the next couple of days, it's supposed to hit some record 100+ highs with high humidity in the mix. That bears the question: how do you keep cool?


Is cool just a state of mind? A matter of style? Or all about the relative temperature around you?


My mom was always telling me, "If you think that it's cool out, it will feel cool out. It's all in your head!" Well. I don't know. I've tried that before, and gotten some minor relief. I admit that you can sort of tell yourself that it's not that hot out, and that your skin isn't baking off your body. It helps if you can see or hear some water nearby. It also helps to be under some big, leafy trees. They are the best kind of heat relief in this area because they're abundant, whereas water features are not! 


We really wanted to go on that hike up to Sunfish Pond soon... but it's only going to get hotter this week, and then K leaves for Austin, Texas, for a Teacher's Workshop for a few days. No beach, and no glacial pond in the foreseeable future for me. (I never hike alone... though I'll go for walks alone all the time. Best to be safe!)


Here are some of my heat remedies.... lots of ice. Slices of lemon and lime. Fruity popsicles and sorbets (just went to Trader Joe's yesterday and stocked up! Have you tried their Pomegranate Blueberry Sherbet yet? Delish!!) Also, frozen fruits, like watermelon and grapes. Minimal heat-producing activities, like vacuuming or baking. One problem is that our bananas have gone bad, and I wanted to use them for banana nut bread. Guess they'll have to wait.... Staying away from my computer is another way, but nearly impossible for me, since I'm working on it for work, and I hate being out of touch! Oh, I also wear my hair up, and wear cool, free-flowing clothes. Check out this tutorial by Keiko on how to do "the messy bun." Looks fab, right? And it's as easy as it looks! Thanks, Keiko! It's my new go-to hair style this summer.


Do you have any special ways to keep cool? No cold showers, please. I take slightly warm ones in the summer, but I can't stand cold showers... no matter HOW hot I am! I will, on occasion, dip into a freezing cold pool of water, but only after being in a steamy sauna for a long time. It's the only way to do it! My friends and I used to swim in the Merced River, in Yosemite... it was freezing cold. All snow-melt water! But it was over 90 out, most of the time, and felt good after the initial shock wore off. I'd take that right now, that's for sure.... So 'fess up, friends! What are your favorite ways of keeping cool? Let's hear it!



4 comments:

-E- said...

that's all well and good, but did you or did you not kill a hobo yesterday?

Fenny Setiawan said...

darling Shari.... how are you been, dear? kinda miss you :).

I thought I will experience Summer at LA, but in fact I was freezing haha.... here in Malaysia is always sunshine and average 80F so when at LA the weather is so nice for Summer. Lovely.

the late phoenix said...

coffee ice cream, black, no cream

shari said...

No, I didn't kill a hobo, E. Au contraire, I fed one, instead.

Heat has ramped up today... ridick! Fenny, glad you're back, Sweetie!

Love coffee ice cream.

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