Today is a good day for all those old jokes. The ones about frying eggs on sidewalks and such. I've often wondered, on days like this, how anyone - especially the women -survived days like this before the invention of air-conditioning. Since we live right around the corner from an old Civil War battlefield my mind occasionally strays to thoughts of life around here back then. Life without highways and traffic jams, without technology and hustle-bustle. And without air-conditioning. Ugh.
Now, it certainly can get hot and humid in Pennsylvania - don't get me wrong. Summers in the Philadelphia area are no picnic either. But, oh Virginia. Northern Virginia - being part of the whole wetlands system/flood plain that is also Washington D.C. - has a very special brand of heat and humidity. Along with all the other humid southern states, it's the sort of weather that saps the energy out of you (well, me at least) even if I'm not actually outside. And if you *do* venture outside, the air drops down on you like a soggy fur coat.
Perhaps it was not so hot then - before most of the trees were cut down to make way for Suburbia's houses and strip-malls. Perhaps it was not so humid - before the smog of the 3 major East Coast cities started wafting down here to hold that humidity in. On the other hand - perhaps it was. And I'd be stuck here wearing about a dozen layers of clothing, doing heaps of back-breaking chores, cooking over a blazing fire or wood/coal stove, with no relief in sight. No wonder (well-born) ladies used to carry smelling salts with them and take naps in the afternoon to get relief from the heat and all that heavy clothing.
I have a few things that need to get done today - but I think I can allow myself the luxury of a few long breaks with a good book. And I'll be thankful for air-conditioning.
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