Good Planning There, Zoot.
Do you see this weather forecast I grabbed from a local Birmingham, AL affiliate? Do you SEE that the thermometer is going to read 100° but the head index is going to be OVER 105°? DO YOU SEE THIS? Guess what I planned for us earlier in the week? A trip to the Birmingham Zoo today! The perfect outdoor activity for such a weather forecast, don’t you agree? (Sidenote: Everytime I try to type in the URL for the Birmingham Zoo, I catch myself typing Birmingham Zoot. Hee.) I just couldn’t take being in this town and working at one of my two houses for another weekend. I had to plan something small to give me/us one small break from the non-stop weekends of labor. So…the Zoo during a Deadly Heat Wave seemed like a good idea.
*Sigh*
The last time we went to a zoo was when we took a trip to the Knoxville Zoo with my Dad and brother right before Wes was born. I looked like this:
That picture was taken at the Knoxville Zoo. I used to go there every few trips home but I haven’t been back since that picture was taken. Today we’re going to the Birmingham Zoo which I’ve only been to once and it was when LilZ was around 3 or 4 and he and I made a day trip there by ourselves. I’m sure it’s changed a bit since then and if we can suffer through the elements I’m sure we’ll have fun. This is the kind of hot that people like to discuss which is worse: Dry Heat or Humid Heat. My brother lives in Tucson where he has the dry desert heat reaching the same temps as we do and he and I always agree on one thing: Once you get past 95°? It doesn’t really matter if it’s humid or dry. Anything above 95° sucks giant donkey balls and you don’t want to be outside in it. I mean, yeah, the humid head is oppressive and makes you feel like the air weighs 40lbs on top of the heat. But the dry heat? Tears up your skin and the linings of your nose, throat, and sinuses – especially if you’re not used to it. So, maybe there’s a relative “better” and “worse” to some people – but let’s face it. No one is saying, “Well, it’s 100° but it’s a dry heat so I think I’ll spend the day at the park!” or “Well, it’s 100° but at least it’s humid and I won’t get nosebleeds…maybe I’ll work in the yard all day!” Nope. We’re all saying, “Holy Effin’ Hell — Did I just move to the surface of the sun and not realize it? GIVE ME MY AIR-CONDITIONING.”
And this is when I point out to my kids that A) Mommy grew up in a house without air-conditioning. IN THE SOUTH. and B) Mommy lived several summers without air-conditioning in her car. And some of those summers? SHE WAS PREGNANT.
In other words? No one gets heat-sympathy in my house. My stories of not even bothering to shower in the summers growing up because we’d never actually dry off, the water just was replaced with sweat – or my stories about pregnant commutes in the middle of July? My stories always win out and stop the complaining RIGHT THERE.
Yes, I’m that Mom.
So…we’re off to the Zoo today. Hopefully we’ll make it out alive.
Hope you have a great time and don’t melt in the sunshine. At least your Vitamin D count will be up hehe.
The weather says it’s going to be Max of 22c (70F) and cloudy – well outside it’s cloudy but the sun is shining and at one of the buildings I past on my way home their thermometer (led display thingy) said 28C (82F)
They have a water play area so pack some suits and cool the kids off or stop at the Gardendale Splash pad on the way home! It is free!
I asked my son if he remembered going to the dinosaur exhibit at the zoo and he replied, “when it was so hot.”
- we think that was about 15 years ago when he was 5. I think that was the only REALLY hot day that entire summer that year, but plans were plans and it was memorable – at least for the heat.
Have fun! Or as much as you can as you bake. Ha. The first thing I noticed when I saw the screenshot is that the name of the forecaster is Bill Murray. Ha!
I haven’t been in years, but my niece and nephew loved the water play area. That would probably be awesome on a day like today.
I’m with you on the ‘it is just heat’ thing. When it’s HOT it doesn’t really matter if it’s humid or not, and personally, the humidity isn’t what bothers me anyway. I like that heavy air feeling, it makes it feel easy to breathe. People keep telling me I’m weird for liking humidity. What, aren’t I living in the right place then?
Where I live (Colorado), what makes a big difference is whether or not there is available shade, or a breeze. OK, and the ground cover — hot around something reflective like sand, or (heaven forbid) asphalt, is worse than grassy or green ground cover.
Last weekend I was in northern New Mexico, and while it was only slightly hotter, it felt much worse. No breeze, few shade trees, and lots of sandy, brown dirt.
Pack plenty of water (or water bottles), take it easy, and enjoy your day. Hopefully the animals won’t all be hiding, trying to stay cool.
I’m that kind of mom, too! But I have no sympathy with the snow & cold, not the heat. Which makes sense, because we live in Alaska.
To a certain point, I definitely prefer dry heat. My city is in a semi-arid desert, and I can deal pretty well, as long as I have my water bottle
When I go down to the coast, though, on the rare occasion that it’s actually HOT there, it’s so humid I feel like I can’t breathe!