"HOTTER 'N . . . "

. . . In the event you do not decipher the Southern  drawl . . . the  post title can be translated  "Hotter than . . . ", leaving it up to your personal comparison to complete the sentence.
Nominees that I have heard over the years include: "Hell"; "Hades": "Blue Blazes"; "Whiz Bang"; "a Firecracker", and there are others that will not go into this overall "G" rated blog.

    The heat at this time of the year seems to be a consistent theme in my writing.  Maybe it's a not so subtle way to honor the Winter-time promise of not complaining about Summer-time heat.  Noting or indicating are not the same as complaining, are they?  So here we are in almost mid-August, the time of year that my New Hampshire brother has pledged to remain at some distance from his home state.  The forecast high temp today was only 89* F but in mid-afternoon, I saw 96* on a sign.

  (And as I think of fahrenheit, I remember that a colleague who holds both  DMin and MD degrees said that his daughter had given him that as a nickname. When he inquired Why?, she told him that it was because he has 'so many degrees'.)

   Adapting to the temp has followed varying preferences. Friends and family have posted many pictures of fun in the sun and surf at their favorite beaches. Others indicate their preference for the cooler mountain areas.  We have made several trips to frozen yogurt parlors. Friends indicate that there is less 'stove top' and oven cooking happening at their homes. And, in this part of the world, Air Conditioning units seem to go full time.

    This AC dependency is largely, of course, a "First World" phenomenon. Denizens of many areas would consider us  going 'soft'  when we are without Mr. Carrier's invention. The mother of Detective Mick Belker on the long ago television program, Hill Street Blues, often called him at inopportune times. On one episode when he was booking someone, mom telephoned with the dilemma of how to keep dad cool in their non-air condition tenement.  As Belker's frustration grew, the one being booked interrupted, "Tell her to fill the bathtub with cold water and put him in it."  The detective shot the man a withering look and then repeated the suggestion to mom.

    Well, we did not resort to tubs of cold water, but recently we revisited the pre-AC experience.  The 'keep the windows open for the breeze' approach proved futile. We resorted to recliner and sofa on the lower level.  It took a couple of days for the repairman to arrive. He said  malfunctioning of a particular component was occurring in many units in town.

    Recently I mentioned to a young colleague that prior to the 1960's, most motor vehicles were equipped with  4-60 air conditioners. Noticing that the expression was meaningless, I explained that we opened 4 windows and drove 60 miles per hour. I did not even attempt to explain the vents on the front windows that directed the breeze onto passengers in those seats.

    However you do it, Stay Cool.  In less than six months we will be complaining that it's Colder 'n . . . 

       Satchel