Yup, It's August

Air quality alert for today (Photo credit: gsbrown99)

The Mississippi River just north of St. Louis (2005) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Actually, this year, we started hitting an occasional 90 degree day in March (in CT!), but now it’s seriously summer, 20+ days of 90+ degrees and counting, complete with humidity and air quality alerts.  I know, you to the west of us (you’re in our prayers here) have been suffering with much hotter temperatures and little to no rain.  I hate what it’s doing to your crops, your way of life, and not just because it will impact us in our wallets.   I’m not alone in  being truly saddened by what this summer has done just so far, to so much of America.  Seeing the Mississippi River down so low the barges can’t get through is incredible to me.  My sincere hope is that farmers and ranchers don’t have to declare bankruptcy and quit.  I know some of you already have.  You all are the backbone of our nation, and feed much of the world beyond, I realize.  If you can’t grow crops sufficient in amount to sell to ranchers for feed and to sell for human consumption, manufacturing and, for that matter, all industries won’t function even as well as they are now.  I’m guilty of taking it for granted that farmers will always successfully farm, ranchers successfully ranch, etc.  Having never worked in any food production industry, I just take it for granted, and if any of you read this, I ask your forgiveness for a

very cavalier attitude on the part of myself and so many of us that have never set foot on your land, never walked in your shoes, or tried to catch fish in dried up waterways.

This was going to be a vent regarding what this weather does to people like myself with the sensitivities that put us in the “at risk” group for respiratory issues.  Breathing is a pretty important part of life, I’m sure no one would deny that, but in the short time it’s taken me to write this I realize that many who have never experienced respiratory problems before probably are now in the record-breaking heat and drought so much of the country is enduring.  I’m sorry you’re experiencing this killer weather.  And I mean that sincerely.  On the news was a river in our heartland with dead fish floating because the water was so shallow and hot they asphyxiated.  Unheard of.  We all need to be praying for the mid-west and far west for cool and rain, the slow, soaking kind of rain that might make a difference and not just run off parched soil creating a  different but equally devastating problem–flooding.

Janet

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