Heat Wave

  Ah summer in the Midwest.  The time of year when at least one newscast tries to literally fry an egg on the sidewalk, naturally curly hair is best left curly (flat irons only work for an hour or so), and the backyard pop-up pool feels a little bit like a bath (yuck).  Every year, around the middle of July, the heat sets in.  Every year, I complain and vow to become a snowbird when I retire (17 more years).  When I was growing up, we didn't have air conditioning and during this time of the summer, we hung out at the public library (someone should do a study on whether lack of air conditioning makes better readers) and the Wal-Mart snack bar a lot (I know I am showing my age because Wal-Mart hasn't had snack bars for a long time...Subway doesn't count).  We made it through then.  Somehow, we'll make it through now (with the help of snowcones, pop ice, and more drinks than ever).