IT'S SUMMER IN TEXAS

Where I live in Texas, it gets hot and humid. And while some friends of mine visited Cleveland, Ohio a couple of weeks ago where it was snowing, this week in Texas marks the days where spring is mostly gone and summer is here.

As I write this, the temperature is in the low 90's. It ain't rained for a couple of weeks. Despite the lack of rain, it's humid as heck. Thick enough already to cut it with a butter knife, as they say a little further east in East Texas.

And normally it's not that humid where I live until June. But it is now.

And the heat came in during the past few days. For the past several weeks, it's been mostly in the low 80's in the late afternoon, still tolerable by Texas standards. And just last weekend we were in the Hill Country of Texas where it was chilly enough in the morning that I regretted having short pants on at about 8 am when I was out and about with El Fisho Jr. Probably in the 40's somewheres.

But like it or not, summer is here already in April. I try to be an optimist about most things, and especially given the heat wave, drought and wildfires that Texas experienced last year, this early and hot and dry beginning to May does not portend well for the rest of the summer.

Hope springs eternal, however, and right now I wish I were emerged in cool waters with a nice frosty beer or cup of single malt in a cool, clear and springfed Texas Hill Country river or creek.

I'm already sweating doing mundane tasks like turning on the drip irrigation for the roses in the front flowerbeds. That does not bode well for the rest of the year.