Nostalgia
posted in General |NOSTALGIA
I was born and raised in southwestern Pennsylvania where the summers were hot and humid. I can recall the weather forecasters reporting the “misery index” which was the sum of the temperature and the humidity level. Anything over 150 was hot, hot, hot, and something around 190 was unimaginable. Even so, as a teenager I played lots of baseball games in full uniform in that kind of weather, and as a pitcher I expended a lot of energy. Heavy sweating was just part of the ambience. I also can remember trying to go to sleep while laying on top of a sheet – still perspiring. I think that gave rise to the expression “stewing in your own juice”.
Here in the Bay Area, we get a lot of clear sky summer days with very warm sunshine. But the low humidity makes the 85-90 degree temperatures bearable. In 20 years of California living, I have never heard a reference to the “misery index”. But yesterday I had a touch of the old days back east. An atypical weather system developed, bringing a low cloud cover and high humidity with temperatures in the 90s. Standing on the 13th tee, I realized that there were large dark splotches on my shirt – sweat. As I approached my tee shot, sweat ran down my forearms into my hands, and a couple of drops fell from the end of my nose as I started the backswing. Virtually unheard of in this part of the country. The other members of the fouresome also commented about the heat and humidity. They also were from other parts of America since there are relatively few native Californians. Some of those who have migrated to California actually got here legally.
At any rate, the experience of the last 5 holes nostalgically reminded me of those “misery index” days of my youth. But it all went away once we got inside the clubhouse. The air conditioning made it feel like we had walked into a refrigerator. When I got home, I figured that there was nothing on my project list that couldn't wait until the weather changed for the better. Like they say, a little bit of nostalgia goes a long way.