A blessed reminder of autumn

The temperature today was 93 and the humidity was about 70 percent at midmorning. It's the kind of day they warn you about when you move to the South. Just bear up under the conditions, veteran Southerners told me. I bear up nicely, at least on my best days.

What makes this return to the Southern sweatbox is that we had three days of absolutely beautiful weather before this latest blast hit. I mean, it was chamber of commerce weather. Temperatures were in the low 80s, nighttime lows went to the low 60s, and the humidity was less than 50 percent. That's as good as it gets in August. We have an attic fan that goes unused during a large part of the summer because the humidity is so taxing. That attic fan was on in the morning for those three glorious days. Cool air swept through open doors and windows. We basked in the beauty of the day. I know my old Colorado friends would be running for their dehumidifiers if the humidity hit 45 percent, but this weather and Colorado's have few things in common.

The common line by TV weather people was that those three days were like something we get here in late September or early October. I am counting the days. Oh, yes, I will venture into the heat and humidity and bear up like a good Southerner. I was out today doing yard work, and my T-shirt stuck to my skin after about a half-hour in the elements. I will be in Atlanta and Alabama in a few days, and the Southern sizzle is usually worse there. That's OK. I can handle it.

But, oh, don't those upcoming days sound so inviting.

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