Hot... hot... Hot...

... and it's not the writing!

After a quick trip to visit our longtime friends, we came back yesterday to a house that felt too warm. In South Texas, that's a Very Bad Sign. The good side: it was late in the day, and the house wasn't TOO hot yet. The bad side: yep, you guessed it, the A/C wasn't working.

Now, anyone who hasn't lived in a hot climate might think that it's no big deal. Just open the windows and turn on the fans. Eat some ice cream and drink cold drinks.

Not when the night temperatures don't drop below the mid-seventies, the morning is humid, and the daytime heat flirts with the 100 mark. There's just no time for the house to cool down. And you never know when the 100-mark will be reached or passed. Don't count on the official reports to give you an accurate estimate of the temperature in your neighborhood.

I mean, official readings in the shade at the airport?? Come on! How about off the roof of my house? I'll even take a reading in the shade on the northern side of my house.

So, all right, I've weathered heat. I've camped in heat. I can take it for the day or so it will take for the A/C guys to come and fix it.

The real problem is my 82-year-old oh-so-European mother, who is still baffled by the South Texas climate, even after 10 years of living in it. She really doesn't do well in the heat.

I guess this won't be a good writing day for me.