The traditional end of summer is just around the corner, and the 100-degree days have packed their bags and headed south to that other hemisphere to spoil their days. I won’t miss those hot days that made me irritable and lethargic; I only wanted to stay someplace cool and read a good book.
But wait. Could there be any reasons that those miserable, no-good hot days that I’ve complained about all summer are better than the coming cold wintry days? Well, I did a little research and found these 10 reasons why hot weather is better than cold. So now, when I start longing for the cold temperatures, I’ll pause and think, maybe those hot days weren’t so bad!
10. Heat does not cause traffic jams triggered by jackknifed semis on snow-covered highways.
9. Heat is dangerous, but nearly twice as many people die from exposure to cold weather than those who succumb to hot weather.
8. You can’t play golf in the snow — at least anyone who is sane doesn’t.
7. Humidity does not accumulate by the inch and require shoveling. Although the Gorge is not usually cursed with the humidity plaque.
6. It costs more to buy clothes to stay warm, while in the heat you can take your clothes off — to a point.
5. Even on the hottest days of summer, it will cool off at night. But on the coldest days of winter, the nights just get colder.
4. Cold toilet seats.
3. It takes longer to warm up than to cool off.
2. If your AC breaks in the summer, your pipes won’t burst.
1. And above all, when you’re too cold, you can’t truly enjoy ice cream.
Next week I’m writing about safe driving for older adults, but before then, I want you to know that coming soon there is an in-person AARP Smart Driver class: a defensive driving refresher program designed primarily for older drivers. The class is on Sept. 24-25 from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at the Mid-Columbia Senior Center, 1112 W. Ninth St., The Dalles. The fee is $20 for AARP members; $25 for AARP non-members. For more information and to register, go online at www.aarp.org/findacourse/ or call the Mid-Columbia Senior Center at 541-296-4788.
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Brain Tease: This week’s challenge, should you decide to accept it, is to solve this mystery.
One snowy night, Sherlock Holmes was in his house sitting by a fire. All of a sudden a snowball came crashing through his window, breaking it. Holmes got up and looked out the window just in time to see three neighborhood kids who were brothers run around a corner. Their names were John Crimson, Mark Crimson, and Paul Crimson. The next day, Holmes got a note on his door that read:
“? Crimson. He broke your window.”
Which of the three Crimson brothers should Sherlock Holmes question about the incident?
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I thought last week’s question would be tough, but I did receive a variety of answers. Rebecca Abrams and Patricia Haupt remembered the Rand McNally Road Atlas; Donna Mollet and Rose Schulz remembered the AAA Tour Books, but the AAA printed travel guide that showed the exact route, highlighted page by page, that I remembered was a “TripTik.” I received that answer from Tom Shaefer, Judy Kiser, and Bruce Johnson, who all three are this week’s winners of a quilt raffle ticket.
And last week while sleeping on the top bunk at Camp Granada, I missed Mike Yarnell and Tina Castanares.
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This television comedy aired on CBS for six seasons from 1951-1957. The series follows the Ricardos, a young middle-class housewife and her bandleader husband living in New York, and their two neighbors. For this week’s “Remember When” question, what was the name of this television series and the actress/comedian who played Mrs. Ricardo? Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-980-4645, or send it with one of two classic episodes from the series: when she pitches a health tonic called Vitameatavegamin, unaware it contains high amounts of alcohol; and the episode when she and Ethel take jobs in a candy factory wrapping chocolates and the candy conveyor belt unexpectedly starts moving too fast.
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Well, it has been another week, seeing how close I can fly to a flame without burning my tail feathers. Until we meet again, my advice when fretting about the small stuff? Don’t.
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For my son’s birthday, we just sent him a t-shirt with the following quote. If he doesn’t like it, I’m sure he won’t tell us!
“Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet just because there’s a picture with a quote next to it.”
— Abraham Lincoln
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Once again, this is my first-of-the-month reminder of the nutritious home-delivered and in-person meals throughout the Gorge, where new acquaintances become good friends. Meals are available at noon Monday through Friday, unless otherwise noted.
Seniors of Mosier Valley (541-980-1157) – Wednesdays with music on second and fourth Wednesdays; Dufur - Wednesdays at noon at 320 NE Second St.;
Hood River Valley Adult Center (541-386-2060); Sherman County Senior and Community Center (541-565-3191); The Dalles Meals-on-Wheels (541-298-8333).
For meal sites in Washington, call Klickitat County Senior Services at the Goldendale office (509-773-3757) or the White Salmon office (509-493-3068). In Skamania County, call Senior Services (509-427-3990).
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