I don’t like hot weather.

My ideal temperature is somewhere in the 60’s, with a light breeze. Overcast skies, and just a hint of crispness to the air. I’m most comfortable in the fall, when the leaves are falling. The crunch of leaves beneath my feet, the swirl of colors as the wind churns them up, and the blinding diversity on the trees before they succumb to gravity.

And I don’t mind a light rain. I know, by the holiday season, I’ll be tired of it. Especially with where I live. But I would have rain falling over blazing hot temperatures any day of the week.

Our summers aren’t typically warm by most standards. We’ll be in the upper 70’s/lower 80’s. Every now and then, we might creep above 90. Rarely, less than 10 days over the entire season, we may crack 100.

As such, most of us don’t have a/c in our homes. Businesses do, certainly. But not most homes. We’ve got an assortment of fans and portable a/c units that live in two of the bedrooms. They make the really warm days at least tolerable.

Mostly.

Last week, it was hot. Not super hot, but upper 80’s. Please don’t lecture me that it’s not bad. I’ve had heat exhaustion before and my body doesn’t like it one bit any more. I quickly reach a point where there’s parts of my body that are sweating that I didn’t know could do that. I’m sticky, hot, and irritable.

By the first of August, I’m done with summer and counting days until the fall. I’m looking at my fall & winter wardrobe – full of sweaters and heavy tunics – and want to wear those more than the tank tops. I can always add a layer if I get cold. I can, or will, only take so many off.

Today, I did our normal weekly grocery pick up. Curbside has become our normal, at least for the weekly order, and I schedule it for earlier in the morning. Get it, put it away, and done. I got to the store, checked in, and turned off my car. Getting out, I went to lift the hatch up so they could load it easier. And that’s when I felt it.

A single drop of rain hit my arm.

It was cool, soothing, and made my soul happy. I stood there, arms out, and smiled. Waited. Hoped to feel more. We haven’t had any rain for weeks and this was a tantalizing promise of cooler weather to come.

It didn’t really rain. There were maybe 16 drops that hit my windshield. I only felt a couple of them before I got back inside. Store COVID protocols say we should remain in our vehicle during pick up. But it was there. It happened.

Today was supposed to get in the mid 80’s. Whatever overcast system rolled in kept it cooler by about 10 degrees. I know I haven’t been as irritable.

To do things creative – writing, painting, recording music, whatever – you have to be comfortable. Not just with the medium you’re using, but physically. If your hands are too cold, they won’t move properly. If you’ve got sweat pouring down your back, you’ll squirm in your chair. Excessive temperatures make it hard to sleep (winter’s easier because we have heat and I can always throw another blanket on the bed!), and that wears us down in multiple ways.

To create the world of Avoch, to push the story forward, I can’t be falling asleep at the keyboard. I can’t be wiping sweat from my face.

I have to be comfortable.

Today’s little fall of rain reminded me, however briefly, that the heat won’t last forever.

BB/Chan Eil Eagal Orm