Easy Livin'

As so much of the country bakes in record triple digit heat, we here in the Keys have been enjoying some of the best weather of the summer season. It's hot, mid-upper 80's usually, with a heat index in the 90s, but we have not had a scorching heat wave in weeks like we did earlier in the summer, and as now so much of the rest of our country seems to be enduring.

Don't get me wrong, I like the heat. Strike that. I LOVE the heat. I didn't move here to be cold, dress in multiple layers of socks day AND night, shovel snow, or scrape the iced over windshield of my car with a credit card. Those days are long gone. Happily. Its kind of ironic though, I moved from a climate that had summers I typically considered much cooler than here, but in actuality, they just don't seem to be anymore. The East Coast seems to bake annually. I guess we can chalk this one up to "climate change." Or can we? I'm not sure about anything anymore when it comes to the weather. Take for example Tropical Storm Bonnie. 24 hours ahead of the storm, the trackers were wrong, way wrong. Again. A gleeful moment if you're sitting where I am. The "storm" fell apart as it crossed over the Miami-Dade area, and didn't strengthen (miraculously and thankfully) as it made its way into the Gulf. I was sitting on my back deck enjoying an iced tea while the internet basically flashed dire warnings of flood, famine and locusts. I think I was passed by the Weather Channel satellite truck while I was heading to the health food store dropping off a batch of cookies. I was heading south, they were heading north... out of the Keys. Under a blue sky with a blazing sun. That's how it often is though. Media gets the public whipped into a frenzy and then nothing. That's why people become complacent, which is never a good thing when it comes to bad weather no matter where you live.

I'm not really worried at this point. A couple days before Bonnie was going to blow into town, I put the finishing touches on my hurricane kit. Plans are in place for anything from a "Bonnie-like"event (nothing) to a Cat. 5 (we'll be outta here!) Our B&B has a "panic room" in case we get trapped by a sudden event. Our plans include our animals, of course.

Hm, how did I get on this sidetrack dialogue? Sorry! I mean to talk about the weather here. The rest of our country currently is baking in record setting heat, suffering from record setting rainfall and flooding, or is suffering from devastating wildfires. Here in the Keys we're enjoying hot days with gorgeous winds to cool us (Bonnie gave my wind chimes a nice above-average ringing). Rains are frequently on the overnight hours. The Key deer have abundant water to drink, while the plants grow like crazy providing all creatures plenty to eat. The fawns are growing up, still spotted. My runs on the street (christened "Bikram running" by one of my friends) have leveled off to about 4 mile events for the summer, and as I wrote earlier this month, things are slower no matter where you go in the Keys. Lots of us locals vacation this time of year, some restaurants shift their hours around for the summer, and almost everyone around here makes the best of a slower time. Lazy days on a boat, families at the beach building sandcastles and having picnics, lots of lemonade and cold beverages flowing, and of course impromptu parties any day of the week, not for any reason, rather just because. Not to mention the turtles that are still nesting, and of course the nests that are on track for hatching.

I do love the Keys in the summer. Butterflies seem to hatch almost daily, fruit trees are heavy with their offerings, and I get to nap more often. My Keys summer life is really a cue from the animals that surround me. I find a sunny patch, stake my claim and just "am." I stay hydrated, don't make too many complicated plans, and eat lighter (cupcakes excluded, thank you very much). Thinking back a few years, I cannot imagine going back to the lifestyle I had. Ever. I hope that I am as fortunate for the rest of my life as I am now. I never want to face the inside of a cubicle or office (even if the office has a window) again. Instead, I like my 11:00 break to be when I sit and read something besides an anatomy book or medical record, and my 3:00 break to be when I'm slipping into a pair of running shoes and shorts. Summer in the Keys, or maybe rather I should say life in the Keys. Its worth living, and worth sharing. Perhaps you'll care to come for a visit in the summertime. There's plenty of naps to go around.