My brother and I, along with my two children and two of his sons, traveled to the lake early on this sultry Friday. My mom and husband were to follow later in the evening. Our outside thermometer registered 98 degrees, which would have been hot, but given the high humidity and lack of breeze, it was sweltering. The kids didn't seem to mind and were content to play in the water. My brother and I were zapped of all energy and we each sat on a sofa with a fan pointed directly at us. I felt close to brain dead; thank goodness I didn't have anything important to do other than breathe.
Needless to say, I couldn't garnish enough energy to cook a meal. (Remember, I could use a hangnail as an excuse not to cook.) Off to Hill Top Restaurant and air conditioned surroundings we went for our meal. After the meal Steve stopped by the new Country Inn to check out their rates and occupancy. He wanted to be prepared and have a place to go for a cool night's sleep.
By the time we returned to the cabin the cabin temperature had dipped to 94 degrees. By 11 p.m. the temperature was a tropical paradise 92 degrees.
My husband looks forward to the heat and humidity of the summer. So often I've heard, "The hotter the better." When he starts to sweat he remembers each winter day when, as an auto mechanic, he had to deal with the frost biting cold engines. He was not concerned about the heat in the cabin and headed off to bed.
However, my mother and brother had been devising a plan for how to cope.
By 11:01 p.m. they, along with my daughter and nephew, packed their bags and headed for the motel. My son and other nephew headed for the playhouse, insisting it was cooler. I was left to roam the cabin, listening to my husband snore, the rain beat periodically on the roof, and to check the status of the wind in case the rain started to blow in the windows. The wind never came; the air was as still as before, during and after the cloud bursts. By 4 a.m., the inside thermometer read 82 degrees, the low for the two days.
I have no recollection of eating breakfast that Saturday morning; my mom, brother, and crew had continental breakfast with a choice of muffins, bagels, donuts, fruit, cereal, juice, and coffee. At the cabin we had a radio blasting the hot forecast; my daughter informed me they had two "big screen TV's" at the motel. Those of us who braved the elements were heard to comment, "Isn't there a breeze yet ?" "You mean we've gone through five gallons of cold water from the Culligan water cooler ?" "You don't expect me to cook in this furnace, do you ?"
Those who slept at the motel made comments such as, "It was too cold." "I had to sleep with a blanket." "We had to shut off the air conditioning." When my brother realized that he had given me a topic for my column, he threatened to "get a court order to sequester you!"
He was further appalled to find out that this information will be available on the World Wide Web. I'm tempted to give out the Paynesville Press internet address to all his friends. Actually, I am quite thrilled when he is able to come to the lake, there is never a dull moment and always a good story to come out of it. Hopefully, the next time he heads to the cabin, the weather will cooperate and we all will be able to enjoy a refreshing view from the lake.