There's a story on the Lifestyles page today that describes how many more "high" temperature readings have been measured in the last few years as opposed to "low" temperature readings. It goes on to say that nationwide there have been 40,000 "high" records set this year, as compared to 6,000 "low" temperature records.
That's a trend, for sure.
I've always made fun of the "global warming" alarmists, but this year I'm beginning to think there may be a little more worry about than I thought.
Or else it's just been a hot year.
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I do know it's too hot to spend a whole lot of time on the golf course, at least for me.
I like to brag sometimes about the day back in 1980 (another very hot year) when "Terrible Ted" and I walked 54 holes down at Osceola Country Club (it was a country club back then) in 108 degree weather. It was about 98 when we teed off at 9 a.m. and 108 by the time we got through.
Terrible Ted was from California, worked for Motorola, and was a very good golfer as well as a raving lunatic. I can't remember his real name anymore, but back to my Osceola story.
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I drank a pint of water or so every three holes (anywhere they had a water cooler) and a quart of iced tea at each 9-hole turn (of which there were six that day). That right there adds up to a little over 3 gallons of either water or tea, and when we got off the golf course, we stopped at the Sonic and bought each of us two "Route 44" pink lemonades.
Still thirsty (with Ted driving, for any of you police-types reading this, even though the statute of limitations has probably run out after 30 years), I stopped in Luxora and bought a six-pack of beer which I drank all but two of before I got back to Blytheville.
That's approximately 5 gallons of liquid it took to stay alive walking in 108 degree weather for eight or nine hours.
This weekend, riding in a golf cart playing in the Country Club's July 4 match-play Saturday and Sunday, and staying in the shade whenever possible, I was able to get by on just six 12-ounce Gatorades each day. Our first match went to 18 and our second to 17, so it wasn't like I was getting off the course extra early. But both days I was starting to melt down midway through the back nine.
100-plus is just a little too much heat for me any more.
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I had a heat stroke three years ago in partly cloudy 92 degree weather.
That's because I didn't feel at all hot and didn't drink a single thing ... and 15 holes later I was swaying around and sweating like a stuck pig with spots before my eyes.
After drinking half a dozen little Gatorades and getting out of the heat for a few hours I was fine, and played the next day, but I re-learned a lesson.
Drink in the heat. Drink a lot.
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100-plus would be just fine if I were up at my river place, but My Dear Sweet Sainted Wife has it rented out a lot this year to raise a little money for some personal projects she has planned. We always rent the place out once or twice a month, but this year it's been more like three times a month.
If we get our hands on the granddaughters this weekend, which is the plan now (as I understand it) we'll have to sneak up there early in the week for a couple of days and hustle up the housekeeping to get the place ready for next weekend's renters.
I wonder how long we can manage to hang on to them this time?
We still have a trip to Memphis to squeeze in and a return-to-Columbia stop at Grant's Farm in St. Louis ... and that's at a minimum.
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I'm afraid the Cardinals' Chris Carpenter has seen the end of his pitching days ... he's just too old to expect a successful comeback from yet another nerve/neck/shoulder surgery.
That puts their chances of another World Series title in severe doubt, but I still think they'll win the downtrodden National League Central and stand a good chance of beating LA or San Francisco or Washington or Philadelphia or whoever else they have to beat to get to the World Series.
But beating Texas again ... or somebody else out of the American League without an ace starter?
Not likely.
But there's always hope.
And a trading deadline coming up before long.
dtennyson@blythevillecourier.com