Trapped

We're on day three of the heat wave that is ravaging out landscaping. Saturday's forecast was for 106, but compliments of some early morning clouds, we only got up to 95 degrees but unfortunately the clouds produced a humidity of 78 degrees! That's more like something that should be in the South or a Volkswagen van without air conditioning. We've essentially been trapped in our house for the past few days. We ventured out to see a movie and to go get some food--since there was no way we wanted to cook in the house. If this global warming thing pans out, I think we'll have to cave in and buy central air or move to Norway.

Speaking of Venus-like heat, I remember when Margaret and I returned to Lewiston, Idaho after our honeymoon to Glacier Park. We got married in August, but up in northern Montana--in the mountains, nonetheless--it was nice and cool. We had sweaters on the whole time and sat around the fireplace in the lodge at night to take the chill off. Well, at the conclusion of our trip, returning to Lewiston to 110 degree heat to a house that we'd rented but had never actually been in before, without any ventilation, that had been sitting closed up in 100+ heat for days, we were in for a rude awakening! The house was stone block construction, which absorbed heat throughout the day and radiated it all night. You know the principle of a brick oven? We were the pizzas slowly roasting in it. It probably wouldn't have been such a shock, but having come from the chilliness of Glacier Park it felt like we were moving on to the surface of the sun. I still remember going up to Wal-Mart to get a fan. The two of us just stood in front of all the fans in the aisle as the reality of our situation washed over us--this is REAL! WHAT have we DONE? While in Montana it was easy to imagine that we were just having a vacation and that our lives would go back to college-age irresponsibility at the conclusion. The heat was really a metaphor for such a huge life change and here we were looking for a solution--at WAL-MART!!! It was probably more traumatic for Margaret, who had never been to a Wal-Mart before--and here she was, making first real married purchase and her new husband brings her to WAL-MART. Fortunately it all worked out--and my parents took pity on us and bought us an air conditioner shortly thereafter. But we still have that trusty fan we bought on that fateful night--and just like the two of us, it's still going strong. I don't know if that's a statement on Wal-Mart merchandise or on the metaphor of our lives--maybe it's a little of both.