Memory Lapse

Sometimes you forget what summer can be like.

In the middle of winter, when it is so dry out that your skin cracks if you don't moisturize every time you sit down, you forget.

You forget that life in a city called "the City of Lakes" which is situated on a river can be a problem.

You think of the people who live in places like Louisiana and Florida and wonder how they can survive in all of that heat and humidity.

And then August rolls around, and you remember what it's like.

You walk outside in the morning, and before you make it to your car you find yourself sweating.

You empty the dehumidifier three or four times per day, instead of once every three or four days in the winter.

You spend 10 minutes pulling weeds after work, and can barely peel the shirt off when you get back inside.

And you look forward to the cooling of fall, at least for a few days, before you long to be back at the start of summer with its late sunsets and beckoning outdoor spaces.