A toast to the heat

“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” – Benjamin Franklin

It’s 93 degrees outside but feels like 99, at least according to the Weather Channel. The bottom line is it’s hot I would even go so far as to say it is hot as hell. Please no messages from you good pious Christians telling me to repent or that its “Its time to turn before you burn!” . I don’t believe in hell other than the hell some of you create for us here on earth with your “well-intentioned” efforts to save our souls. But hey that’s another post for another day.

I am old enough to remember a house without air conditioning. When I was around 12 my Dad had two air conditioners he bought from Sears installed in the walls of our home, one in the kitchen and one in their bedroom. The problem was they closed their bedroom door at night so us kids still had to keep our windows open as the attic fan drew warm muggy air into our rooms. Somehow, though we survived but I sure wouldn’t want to try and survive that today.

Growing up I always had outdoor jobs. While my friends were working retail in the air-conditioned Mall or at McDonald’s I did construction work, building pools, houses and commercial buildings. I could handle the heat, I built-up a tolerance to heat during two a day summer football practices, spending hours on a tractor mowing pastures, or playing outside as kid from sun up to sun down. Heat just didn’t bother me.

That “heat resistance” lasted until about the time I turned 50. After that I began to notice a change in the way my body handle the effects of the heat. Rather than being able to work in my yard for eight hours I now go for one and two-hour spells. I can still pedal my bicycle on hot days but when the mercury hovers close to 100 I choose not to. Truly it isn’t much fun. It seems I spend more time drinking water, and running out of water than enjoying the activity of riding my bicycle.

So tonight would have been one of my regular riding nights. Instead I got the A/C set on 69 as I enjoy a nice cold Beerito from Oskar Blues Brewery. Part of me feels guilty that I am not out riding but apparently not a big enough part to get my big butt outside and on my saddle. Hell I am not even sure which part feels guilty. But here is my plan, I am going to drink one or two, maybe three or four more Beerito’s until that silly part of me forgets about it. That’s my plan and a plan is only as good as its execution so if you will excuse me I better get busy drinking. Cheers!

“Beer makes you feel the way you ought to feel without beer.” –  Henry Lawson