106 Degrees in the Shade--But It's a Dry Heat

Now this is really hot!

The state of Texas is so huge that we Texans have choices in life.  We can drive pickup trucks or BMW’s, eat barbecue or chile, wear boots or Birkenstocks, and take our hot summers either dry or humid.  But is 90 degrees with 90 percent humidity (think Houston), or scorching sun above 100 degrees with ten percent humidity (think El Paso) more life-altering?

 

“A high of 106 in El Paso today,” announced the TV meteorologist, pleased, it seemed, to finally have some kind of weather to report.  “Restrict all outdoor activity between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.”  I pondered how to heed that warning while leading a normal life, but being a native El Pasoan, I was determined not to let a little hot weather keep me from my errands.  

As I went from grocery store to filling station to dry cleaners, I observed that El Pasoans now had something new to discuss.  “Going to be a hot one, huh?” “Is it hot enough for you today?” “The temperature gauge in my truck read 108 before lunch!”  “Can you believe this heat?” and the futile command “Stay cool.”  There were discussions about breaking heat records in June.  Did it really matter if it was 106 or 107 or 108?  It was darn hot!

 

What does one do with the sun blazing down at 106 degrees? Well, for a start, I made an almost instant jar of sun tea.  The tea steeped in about 15 minutes.  And speaking of tea, I believe that I could have made an acceptable cup of Earl Grey tea with the boiling water that came out of the garden hose that I used to try to resuscitate some dying squash plants.  But then who would want a cup of hot tea on a day like today? Certainly not Texans!

 

It was much too hot to turn on the stove or oven to fix lunch.  “Do you suppose that I could really fry an egg on the sidewalk?” I asked my husband, Wayne.  He said that he didn't know about the sidewalk, but he was almost sure the hood of his black pickup truck would do the trick. 

 Maybe a dip in the swimming pool would cool me off, I thought optimistically.  But the water felt like bath water when I tested it with my toe, ruining my expectations for a refreshing swim.  As I fled back to the air-conditioned house, I happened to glance at the galvanized metal container that holds the dogs’ drinking water.  It was full of green algae.  I was heartened to see that at least something living was actually thriving in this heat. 

Under the grape arbor in the patio, the hummingbirds were gulping their sugar water with record speed.  They dive-bombed me accusingly as I rushed out to refill their feeder.  The plants in the courtyard were in shock, their leaves turning a crispy brown.  I guess the nursery tag marked “Full Sun” didn’t mean 106 degrees.

             

Later that evening, we decided to escape the heat by attending an outdoor music festival in downtown El Paso, Alfresco! Friday.  The seating was much like a traditional Mexican plaza de toros, with seating on both the sunny side and the shady side.  The audience was huddled together on the shady side, many using parasols   As the perspiration ran freely on both performers and audience, we prayed for sundown.

 

Then as the sun descended behind the mountains and the moon rose over the horizon, we felt a blanket of heat lift from our shoulders.  A slight breeze sprang up.  Later that evening we sipped iced tea on a restaurant patio with crickets chirping in the distance.  Ah, life was good.  How hot was it today, anyway?  I’ll take the dry heat anytime.

It may be a good day to try this Citrus Tea Slush recipe that I found recently on a box of Lipton Cold Brew Family Size Tea Bags.  Pour one cup of water over the family size tea bag and brew for three minutes. Remove the tea bag and squeeze.  In a blender, combine the tea, one cup of orange segments, one cup of grapefruit segments, three cups of ice cubes and process.  It makes a great, healthy cool drink.  Some additions I can think of would be fresh lime juice  ( I hope you own an authentic Mexican lime squeezer), maraschino cherry juice, or grenadine.  I froze the leftover drink, took it out of the freezer the next day, softened it up for a few seconds in the microwave oven, broke it into chunks, and ate it with a spoon. Does anyone have other suggestions for additions to this recipe?