Coffee and contemplation

So the ice is supposed to break on the river tomorrow.

That's a quaint way to say that it'll finally hit 100 degrees in the Old Pueblo.

Spring will be gone for another year--and the heat will stay probably through September, with erstwhile relief during Monsoon Season. The afternoon rains in July and August will keep the temperature in the nineties, but the added humidity can be problematic--particularly since I cool my home without air conditioning. See, in arid climes, you can get away with a swamp cooler most of the year--it's much cheaper, and because it adds a bit of moisture to the air, it has benefits as well. However, during monsoon season, it doesn't work as well. You get out of the shower, and stay damp all day.

The worst part, in my opinion, is what it does to your sheets. I like nice crisp bedsheets, thank you very much. I'm usually a morning shower person, but sometimes, as a special treat, I'll take a quick shower just before getting into my newly-made bed. Simple pleasures. Simple pleasures that are impossible during Monsoon Season.

However, I get to miss a fair chunk of the monsoons this summer. I'll be on the road for about six weeks--and I'm so looking forward to it. Some think I'm crazy, what with gas prizes; but my little '99 Sentra, which needs a couple of new tires and a tune-up, still gets 30 mpg. When he's purring, he gets closer to 40. And I love long drives.

Nobody in my family understands that part of me that is perfectly content to be on the road for ten, twelve hours in a day. But I love it. And I think "content" is the most apropos word. I get in my car and go--and that's all I have to worry about. None of the craziness of multitasking that we do in our lives so much. It's just me, my car, and my thoughts. And I prefer it that way.

Now, there's still a chance that a friend will be doing part of the road trip with me this summer, but I'm not really counting on it. My parents are, but I'm not.

And now that my brother and his family have a Boston arrival date, my window of leisurely driving is a bit narrower. That's all good, though....I just have to be in Maine by the 4th of July, so I can pick them up at the airport.

Hm. seems that my mind is still flitting; it's been doing that for a few days, now. And I have no nice clean end to this post. No button; no tag line. And that's okay.