This has been one hot summer, and the heat has limited my walking. I play tennis early, or work in the garden early, avoiding the heat, and then as the day warms, moving into upper 90’s or even 100, my desire to walk disappears. That is ok, my garden is booming and the evenings are enjoyable. I am so thankful for air conditioning. After I pick my purple hull peas and tomatoes, I come inside and take a deep breath. The cool air is refreshing. After mowing I come inside to cool down, the cool air of the house is life giving. I grew up without air conditioning, so I know of what I speak. Summer is hot, long and hard when there is no escape from the heat. It is easier to work outside when I know I can step inside for an hour or two and cool off. When I was a kid we spent many days in the library. We all loved to read, and the air was comfortable. There is one thing I miss from my hot summer childhood. When the nights were hot I would move my bed closer to the open window, and set my pillow on the sill. I would lay my head on the pillow, my face next to the screen to catch every tiny cool breeze, and before falling asleep I watched the lightning bugs, the bats, the stars and the shadows. My familiar neighborhood had a different look at night, and I enjoyed staring out. I have never fallen asleep quickly, it usually takes over an hour, and when trying to sleep on a long hot August night it would take even longer, but I enjoyed myself. I watched late night neighbors return home, cars drive past, cats out looking for fun or trouble. I daydreamed of climbing through the window and exploring, walking the silent streets. I would listen to the cicadas and the tree frogs, and strain to hear the branches of trees moving with the longed for breezes. I miss all that. Now I lay in bed in a dark room, with only the sounds of the air conditioner blowing, and I wait to fall asleep. Sometimes before bed I sit outside, braving the mosquitos, to enjoy the night sounds. I am reading a book right now, and the author talks about moving her bedroom to the sleeping porch in the summer. Man, I want a sleeping porch. Some of the best parts of camping out are being able to listen to and watch the night pass.
The other evening I walked, just as the sun was setting. Dog and I passed lots of dark patches under trees filled with fireflies. Nothing screams summer better than the screams of cicadas and tree frogs. The oppressive heat of the day is gone, and the air is soft, warm and comfortable. I remember when we were so hot all day, than the evening almost felt chilly just in comparison. After writing this, tonight, I am going to have to sit outside and watch night arrive, enjoy the fireflies and welcome the symphony of the night creatures.
I have measured 281.8 miles. Still in NC, but my nest stop will be Tennessee. The hiker I had been following on the AT ended up stopping. She and one daughter were hiking and trying to raise money for the people affected by Hurricane Helene, and once they reached an extremely high level of donations they sat down and talked. They both missed the rest of their family, the husband and three other siblings and cat, so they returned home. My dad is watching a family of 6 and they are almost finished, now walking the long section of Maine. I am still in NC, but that is ok. I hope to walk more as the temperature cools. At any rate, the walking I am doing is fun, good for me and dog, and uplifting in my moods. I wrote a couple of paragraphs that I deleted, and those sections were about depression. Walking is the best mood enhancer I know. For me it is life saving, and lucky for me I enjoy it completely. I may do all the rest of the summer walks in the night, chasing lightning bugs and bats, but I will get out and walk.
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