THE DARK SIDE OF SUMMER

Wait-- Summer has a DARK side?

An over-abundance of anything is generally sub-optimal... especially summertime heat.

(NOTE: this is a generic image, not a real-time forecast for next week.)

I love working outside. I'm good with snow removal in freezing temperatures, say, in the 20º-30ºF range, because the heat generated by muscular activity more than counteracts the winter chill. I'm likewise okay with forest clearing and chainsaw work in slightly warmer spring and autumn temperatures as long as it's not raining. But what I cannot do and will no longer even attempt is strenuous physical labor outdoors in hot and muggy weather. The low-to-mid-70's? Perfectly pleasant... even a tad cool for swimming to many. The low 80's? Still okay for outdoor work, as long as it's not too muggy. But anything over 85ºF is uncomfortable, and working outside with the mercury in the 90's is downright unhealthy.

Did something change? Yes. Climate change is real, whatever the cause. September is the new August, and what was once pleasantly warm summer weather in my region is now unbearable seemingly half the time. And also I'm getting old... too old to do things that seemed so effortless half a century ago, like stacking hay bales in the summer while wearing jeans, gloves, and a long-sleeved shirt for protection.

This hay didn't stack itself.

Who among us didn't develop as schoolchildren a romantic notion of summer? No classes, no early bedtime, and no structure, at least not until we were old enough to work. We rode bikes and played all day in the sunshine with no thought whatsoever of hydrating... that word wasn't even in wide usage back then. What we didn't know didn't seem to hurt us-- whenever we got really thirsty, we simply drank from the nearest garden hose.

Summer is frequently romanticized in song. Aside from Christmas, there are probably more songs about summer than any other time of the year. Here's a sampling from the post-WWII rock-n-roll/pop/standards canon and elsewhere. Note that for every exuberant celebration of warmth and frolic, we also hear strains of longing and regret--

Summer in the City (the Lovin' Spoonful)

All Summer Long (Beach Boys)

A Summer Song (Chad & Jeremy)

Theme from A Summer Place (Percy Faith Version)

Summertime Blues (Eddie Cochran)

The Summer Wind (Sinatra)

The Boys of Summer (Don Henley)

Summer Breeze (Seals & Crofts)

Theme from Summer of '42 (Michel Legrand)

Hot Fun in the Summertime (Sly & the Family Stone)

Summer Madness (Kool & the Gang)

Cruel Summer (Bananarama)

Hot Summer Nights (Night)

Summer (The First Time) (Bobby Goldsboro)

Summer Nights (From GREASE; John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John)

Theme from The Endless Summer (The Sandals)

Summer  (From Antonio Vivaldi's THE FOUR SEASONS)

Summer Rain (Johnny Rivers)

And, of course, Summertime (by George Gershwin for PORGY & BESS) with this notable lyric-- "Summertime, and the livin' is easy... fish are jumpin,' and the cotton is high..."

Well, that might well have been true a century of summers ago, but not lately; during the increasingly frequent mid-summer swelters, the fish no longer jump, preferring instead the comfort of their coldest, deepest pools... and our cotton clothing is usually soaked with sweat and stuck to our skin. By mid-August we humans are veering toward torpor as summer itself seems exhausted and the "dog days" slowly scroll. The sun's workday begins ever later and ends earlier, and yet manages to further desiccate the hillsides and drain the last of our energy. While we welcomed the first summer scorcher back in the novel lushness of strawberry season, we now wistfully pine for crisp air and that first delicious, cider-like whiff of autumn. Throw in this year's haze from Canadian wildfires, and the hot summer sunshine feels like scouring powder on one's skin. Only the occasional thunderstorm refreshes... until its predictably steamy aftermath prostrates us anew.

So now that we've re-defined "summertime blues," what's the cure? We offer a few--

WATER

Swim in it, sit by it, and drink lots of it. Never stray far from it. Visit a waterfall if possible.

SHADE

The quaint notion of a "healthy tan" has long been debunked. Wear sunglasses and sunscreen. Oh-- and buy sunshades to put in your windshield when not driving. The exposed skin on your legs will thank me.

SALADS

Just when it's too hot for hot food, nature fills the void with delicious, healthy, and refreshing produce. Try to buy locally- and organically-raised crops when possible. Avoid seed oils in your salad dressing and instead use really good olive oil to make your own.

GAZPACHO

Nothing cools like a cool cup of gazpacho... even with its tangy, spicy zing that brings a mist of sweat to one's brow. Click HERE for our recent take on the topic.

And, of course...

SUMMER WINE

Think light and crisp. Sauvignon Blanc is simultaneously sophisticated and refreshing; ditto for dry or even off-dry Riesling. And if you like rosé, there is no better time and place to enjoy it than outdoors in the summer. Our essay THE ROYAL SISTERHOOD covers in detail the uppermost tier of white wine.

NOTES:

If you enjoyed reading about nuclear physics in our recent essay THE ABC’S OF NUCLEAR BOMBS, you might appreciate that our sun is powered by nuclear fusion, almost like a continuous hydrogen bomb blast. In such a reaction, one isotope of Hydrogen (Deuterium) combines with another isotope of Hydrogen (Tritium) to yield one Helium nucleus, one free neutron, and a butt-load of energy. Physicists express this reaction like this--

²H + ³H → ⁴He + n + energy

However uncomfortable we find ourselves in the oppressive heat and humidity, nothing can fully negate the joys of fresh summer produce-- like lusciously ripe tomatoes, sweet and tender corn, and pungent basil. Matching wine with fresh veggies can be tricky... until you discover the delicious and veggie-friendly magic of Grüner Veltliner.

In our recent essay SUMMER IS (FINALLY) HERE! we describe how early-summer strawberries attain the gastronomic equivalent of eternal life when transformed into strawberry jam. The essence of fresh tomatoes can likewise be preserved for posterity in the form of homemade ketchup. HERE is a wonderful recipe from our webmistress WinH.