Summer’s End in the Land of Climate Change

At this point, the end of summer is just a formality. We no longer really know when it ends. In Michigan, we’re looking at a week of 80-degree weather for the first week of October. It’s a gift in one way - more time to plan for winter sowing, more time to make cottage cheese and yogurt at home - and a frustration. I’ve been working on repairs around my property to eliminate the necessity and gas waste of weed whacking. Because my heat tolerance has plummeted due to long COVID and peri-menopause, I have to take advantage of narrow windows of time to do these repairs. It’s hard to run cement lines evenly when you’re sweating into your own eyeballs, even with a bandanna in place.

Stock photo, “Michigan”

I have treated these heat extremes as a second winter. I can’t go out safely, I can’t go swimming in a lake because of high UV exposure, and that’s before we get to my extreme allergies. All I can do is write, handle certain community paranormal dramas, and try to corral the objects of my house while respecting the needs of my ADHD and hypermobility-affected family.

I have a lot of pouting to do. Winter comes on the lake regardless of what happens on land.