A Slow Death in Hell

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Stepping across the threshold, the coolness left on my skin from the air conditioning inside my home abandons me.

I gasp from the shock of the stagnant hot air that hits me in the face; I feel like I cannot get quite enough oxygen to my lungs.

Beads of sweat form & begin dripping instantaneously & simultaneously from pretty much everywhere; I feel a trickle from both temples, down the back of my neck along my spine, & down between “the girls.” Under boob sweat has got nothing on what I feel in that moment.

I might have just stepped out of the shower, but, already, I feel like I could use another — preferably cold. . . It's a good thing I applied a good layer of strong deodorant to my underarms; I was going to need it today.

I get in the car & start it, as I buckle myself in. The air-conditioner doesn't work. Frustrated, I roll down all of the windows in the hope that some airflow will provide some kind of relief.

I back out of the driveway & my eyes are assaulted by the sun.

It's brighter than it should be. I just know it. There's no way this can be a natural phenomenon. 

I try to sigh heavily, but the air is too hot & thick.

Am I going to suffocate? How do people live here?

I had been out of comfort of the house's air conditioning for less than sixty seconds & I was already miserable.

As the car picked up speed heading down my street out to the main road, I realized that the air circulated throughout the car from the open windows was too hot to make any difference in my comfort. . . Yet, rolling the windows back up would suffocate me that much quicker — or at least that's what my brain told me. . .

Too bad I don't like to swim. A pool would be my only saving grace right now. . .

Can I drive my car into one?

That's me, pretty much every time I leave my house. You might think that is overly dramatic, but, I assure you, I've toned it down a few notches from what I wanted to say. I live in the desert. Arizona. For those that can only imagine what it is like in Arizona in the summertime, perhaps you have a better idea now.

Seriously. How can humans be expected to live in this crap?! And, it's JUST STARTING to warm up! Ugh. (Those lows look pleasant though… Too bad it's kinda creepy to have it be so warm when it's pitch black outside!)

Do not leave home without plenty of water — & probably cash to buy more because the tap water here is DISGUSTING. Seriously. It is vomit-inducing, people; don't drink it. They say it is still safe to drink, but I think anything that smells that much like chemicals has got to be bad for you! We bought a water filter to put on our faucet when we first moved here & it did no good. I wound up adding $30 to our monthly expenses for a home water delivery service. . . It's one of the best things we've spent our money on! No joke.

We bought an above ground pool last summer — our first summer here. Little RJ particularly enjoys it when he is here for visits, regardless of the time of year. The handsome husband & I used it a few times to cool down & relax just before dusk last year — right before most of the bugs came out, but as the sun was starting to set so it wasn't QUITE as scorch-worthy outside.

I do very little baking or broiling — the oven is not used except when ABSOLUTELY necessary. . . In fact, I cook as little as possible when it is that hot outside because, no matter what the house thermostat is set to, any use of the stove or oven heats the house up incredibly fast. It's nastiness. The husband put up misters around the back patio, so I ask him to go out there & barbecue or smoke a bunch of stuff at a time, then we freeze it in portions & eat off it for a few days to a week to minimize other cooking for those few months.

This year, we get a bit of a break from the Arizona nastiness that is called summer. We are renting a car & driving home to Washington State for a visit. We will be gone for nearly two weeks in July. I am SO looking forward to it. MOSTLY to see loved ones, but also to get away from the hellacious temperatures.

I cannot wait to breathe air with moisture in it. . . I can imagine my sinuses rejoicing! I almost look forward to being cold in 60-degree weather because, as much as I dislike the heat of Arizona, I have started getting acclimated to it. (I guess it was inevitable after being here for 15 months now.) Seeing green trees & mountains & grass instead of brown dirt & nastiness will be a pleasant change too. 😉

When we come back from Washington State, we will have Little RJ with us for about a month to finish off the summer before he & I both go back to school. I hope his presence distracts me a bit from the miserable heat — even if it is mostly just to watch him swim or play video games. 😉

Sigh! I could go on, but I won't. . . I think most have gotten my point. . . This summer, I might die from heat stroke. It's a slow death in this place I call Hell. . . Pray for me, y'all!

This post was written for Finish the Sentence Friday. Today's sentence was “This summer…”

The host is Kristi from Finding Ninee & this week's co-hosts are Lisa from The Meaning of Me, Allison from The Latchkey Mom & ME!

Be sure to find this week's hosts to check out how they finished the sentence. Click on the blue button above to add your link &/or see what others wrote. Don't forget sharing &/or commenting is one of the greatest forms of flattery! 😉