Monthly Archive

Most of the time, living in the Green Mountain State is a joy and a privilege. Not so much when we are in the midst of a heat wave. We Vermonters are prepared for snow and ice, not hellfire and humidity.

It’s too hot to write today. It’s too hot to do much of anything except complain about being hot. I am not a fan of temperatures above 75 degrees Fahrenheit—one reason I choose to live in Vermont is because it’s usually cold.

But for three days, the temperature has reached an oppressive 95 degrees or above. The heat has addled my brains and made me desperate enough to bring Small and Medium to a place I detest: The Pool.

Being in a public pool when it reaches capacity is like taking a lukewarm bath together with your kids and 472 strangers. Again, I am not a fan.

There’s a certain etiquette at the pool that is unlike bath time at home. When funky smells drift by you’re supposed to ignore them. When you see a toddler relieve himself at the edge of the pool, you may wrinkle your nose but afterwards, you simply avoid that area. When a teenager does a cannonball and gets your towel soaking wet, you are not allowed to grab him by the ear and read him the riot act. In fact, while at the pool, you are expected to keep your sunglasses on and your head down…that is unless your four-year-old is launching himself at you ninja-style and you are obliged to catch him lest you misjudge the angle of his jump and get knocked into the diluted urine alongside him.

Delightful.

From the kids’ perspective, though, The Pool is what summer is all about: bad food, good friends, and a Mommy on autopilot.

Maybe they have the right attitude.

If only it wasn’t 95 degrees out, I could chill (then again, maybe not).

What are you doing to keep cool?