The mist burned off the pond quickly today, giving the feeling of being in a rain forest. We were faced with a sweltering hot day of 85 degrees, and I think it was the hottest day so far this year. While I realize that is not considered extremely hot for some areas of the country, for Maine it is blistering. Heat is not something that Maine is known for, so when it happens, many of us are at a loss as to what we should do for relief. Air conditioned houses are still not the norm here because we just don’t have enough hot days to justify buying one.
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| The pond steaming in the morning. |
As usual, the animals seem to approach the problem in the
wisest way. First of all, they stay in
the woods, which with its heavy tree cover, is easily 10 degrees cooler or
more. The woods are not only shaded, but
the trees also fill the air with a cooling moisture. Next, the animals lay low. I never see deer on the move in this kind of
heat, or any animal for that matter.
They do not exert themselves.
They also stay close to a water source and will often take a dip if it’s
within their nature to do so. If they’re
unable to sweat, such as birds, they pant heavily, which helps to cool their
blood some.
I did all of these things today, taking my lessons from the
animals. In addition, I used a spray
bottle filled with water and squirted my face, arms, and legs often. This offers a surprising amount of
relief. Thoughts of the deep and cold
winter are also helpful, and I found myself eager for the first snowfall, as
always. The only thing I haven’t seemed to
master as well as the animals in terms of this heat is the ability to say,
“This, too, shall pass.” Their
acceptance is admirable; mine, not so much.
