MeXscape

It was so hot for so long this summer. Not just normal heat, but a my-eyeballs-are-sweating-and-I-am-losing-fluids-so-quickly-I-may-just-completely-evaporate kind of heat. We woke up in the morning with so much rime on the sheets it looked like chalk outlines at a murder scene. Going to the beach was so much work, requiring major preparation and a Hydration Plan, that we just didn't bother most Sundays. We instead opted to sit in the air conditioning and have Movie Day.

Hurricane Rick had everyone in a panic when the news hit that the category 5 storm was the second strongest hurricane ever recorded in the East Pacific – and was headed for Mazatlán. But, the Virgin of the Port continued her vigil, and Rick was only a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 55 mph when it made landfall here – a kitten of a storm as far as these things go. Yeah, there was some damage, but nothing compared to the first storm of the season, and that storm didn't even qualify for a name.

This is the Energizer summer. It just keeps going, and going, and going. We are still hitting daily heat indexes in the 106° - 109° range. I call 105° "escape temperature", which means that I gather my stuff, duck into the bedroom, and turn on the AC — something that makes the dogs very happy.

A couple of weeks ago, I revised my appropriate air conditioning policy yet again to include anytime the heat index hits 105. It's a slippery slope. But geez, it's hot. Here it is, not yet 11:00 in the morning, and I am writing this from my air conditioned bedroom because the humidity is 84%, making the heat index 107. The day has not yet gotten into full swing, and I am already limp.

You would think it deserved a name, but alas, we have to settle for calling it Tropical Depression 1E. Doesn't really roll of the tongue, does it? It was bad enough to watch from the safety of a sturdy, concrete house, but I had to make an airport run, so I was right in the middle of it – driving.