A New Tradition For The Fourth?
Yesterday was the Fourth of July - and in our town, it was the day we held our parade to celebrate the holiday. It. Was. Hot. The thermometer in my car as I drove to the parade before 9am read 93 degrees. It was beyond humid, and the seats I usually have in the shade near the beginning of the parade route had already been claimed, so we spent two and a half hours sitting in the blazing sun with only a periodic breeze and a couple kind marchers handing out water or freeze pops to keep us from overheating.
Of course, this year only Little Miss and I watched the parade with my parents. Mister Man's Cub Scout pack was walking in the parade, so we convinced him to walk, as well. He was excited about it - his first parade, he got to wear his Cub Scout uniform, and he was to pass out candy. Knowing how hot it was, I was a little concerned about how he would enjoy it, but he insisted he wanted to go.
When I arrived home fifteen or so minutes before my husband and Mister Man who had to hike from the end of the parade back to where he'd parked his car near the beginning of the parade, I put Little Miss into a cold water bath. She was that hot.
He was hotter.
My husband had to find a hose to spray the poor kid off as they were still walking back to his car because Mister Man was starting to feel sick. When I asked him how he liked it, I got a dirty look. Apparently the heat was my fault. He declared that he was never again going to walk in a parade. I tried to explain that it wasn't normally so hot; in fact, we are having an unusually hot summer in Chicago. Normally, we have four days in June over 90 degrees, but this year we had 20. The 103 degree heat was only the second time in recorded history - 142 years' worth - that hit 100 or more on July 4.
He wasn't impressed. Mom, he said, it wasn't just hot. My feet were sore, too.
I pressed him further since we hike further than that on a regular basis. By "sore" he meant that they were hot and uncomfortable, too. He's still not convinced that he's ever going to march in a parade again, but I'm working on it. Watching him was a treat for me... and here's hoping it's a little cooler for all of us.
Today? It's still hot. In fact, it's still so hot that it's actually too hot to go to the pool. How are you coping with weather where you are?
3 comments:
The weather here is in the upper 90's. It's ungodly HOT! I haven't taken the kids out because it's too hot for their little bodies to handle. Usually I try to get in a walk early in the day. I opened the door at 7:30am, and decided NO WAY! At 7:30am it was 87 degrees. UGH!
I always liked the hometown parades. Glad you had fun!
I cannot even imagine. We didn't go this year. The first time we missed it since we've lived here. I was NOT going to be able to stand the heat. That's great you gave the wee ones a cold bath to cool them down. I'm sure they needed it. Mister Man will come around, once he realizes that it's more the heat than anything else. I remember a few years ago we went to the fireworks and I was in a thick sweatshirt and jeans. This weather is just CRAZY!
Oh my goodness, 103 in Chicago?!! It gets that hot here in NorCal, but, as they say, it's a dry heat, not humid like what you have. Poor Mister Man! I'm glad your husband found a hose to cool him off. Here's hoping it's not so hot next 4th of July. I just looked at our outside thermometer and it reads 106. But I think it reads hotter than it really is because it's attached to the underside of the eaves which get hit by the sun during the hottest time of day, thus showing a temp hotter than it really is.
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