… steamy, but not in the good way.

Now it’s hot.

We got off easy this year for quite a while – wet winter, mild spring, heck, identifiable spring. Swathes of wildflowers in eyeblink progression, each wave lasting far longer than it should and lapping into the next. Bluebonnets, still thick, crowded into masses of red and gold Indian blankets. Mexican primroses in rosy clouds drifted into every hollow, soft enough to stretch out on. Green, green, green all the way into June, now almost July, still blessedly rainy but with the inevitable Texas truth of HEAT.

While the air is full of water, the sun comes out and bears down with palpable pressure. It pushes the moisture into every pore and won’t let any cooling sweat escape; that sweat coats your skin, collects under your curves, and you move in a swamp of damp discomfort every time you dare step outside. Texans with the luxury to do so hurry from one air-conditioned space to another. Rivers and lakes fill up by mid-morning, even on weekdays, and fan drives for the elderly are a regular feature on the local news.

Ah, Texas.

Photo credit: the marvelously talented and quite handsome Brian, a.k.a. The Hub.