Back from Rummel Creek
On cooling off after a walk in April — and, ooh, positive things
Today I walked in a sort of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, palmettoed, slow-pulse paradise — a remnant creek thicket that is a window into early 20th century terrain. The roughly 18 acres of hardwood and pine forest meander along Rummel Creek, a waterway with a pleasingly murmur-y name. Shortly after I settled into porch shade, a downy woodpecker appeared and hopped for placement, displaying its black and white bars and red bits.
Barred owl illustration by Catherine Arnold at Snowseasons. Common in eastern North America, barred owls probably sent out their wacky, haunting call in the Everglades and Old Florida areas Rawlings knew as well.
Returning from the park by car, I drove mostly through neighborhoods chiseled from the woods. I tend to have mixed feelings about those areas; they are pretty, but there is little in the way of bike lanes or public access to creeks or bayous that run behind the generous-sized houses.
But it’s relaxing not to see stroads or another type of thicket, this one made from unregulated signage and strip centers. Some drivers follow too closely here as well, but they have less room to zip lanes. Trees shade the roads, making driving cooler.
About that: It’s only early May, but in April the temperatures began to rise into the upper 70s and then the low 80s, with humidity to bump up the heat index. None of this is surprising to me or others who grew up here, but I tend to think the heat is something to talk about. For instance, I spoke with a former nursing director who said she recently opted to skip a morning run because “people look at the temperature and think, ‘82 is okay; not too bad’, but with the heat index, the effect rises quickly and it’s dangerous.”
That’s why I left the park today around 12:20; I’d meant to arrive around 9 and depart by 10:30.
Showing up at the park this morning around 11:30, I unfurled my silver umbrella and swigged lightly salted electrolytes from a water bottle. Moving over shaded boardwalks, I rested on benches. After 35 minutes, the sun peeked harder from the treetops, bird song slowed a bit, and I departed.
Since then, I’ve sat in the coolest spot in the house, ate and drank electrolytes, and used an ice compress. And I still skip thoughts, have to look things up when I can’t think of the right word or topic. In other words, my mind is slowed a bit for now.
And I’m really lucky not to be working outdoors. Not saying heat doesn’t affect people in other places. Depending on the location, it may do so for fewer days of the year. In West Coast areas or cooler spots around the globe (higher elevation Mexico; UK, northern Spain, northern France, northern Japan), it may happen rarely.
We’re aware heat is increasing on the planet. Spending June in Minneapolis a few years ago, I realized the many lakes produce prodigious humidity. After walking long distances in the afternoon or midday a couple times in the Twin Cities, the water molecules in the air seemed like something I could actually choke on.
In Philadelphia in the summer of 2005, I realized all three northern-hemisphere summer months were hot and humid in that reasonably northerly latitude. Since then, warm days have extended there to certain days of other months, as they have in New York and elsewhere on the Eastern Seaboard. Gotham benefits a bit from being on the coast, but I have spent muggy days in October there in the 2010s, whereas in the late 1990s fall was a time for brisk weather and occasional snowfall. Famously humid, Washington, D.C.’s August 2016 weather caused me to need daily afternoon naps on a visit to a cousin.
That said, Houston, other Texas cities, and most of the Central South and Southeast states do it bigger. There are temperatures above 90 for around a third of the year and high heat indexes for most of April through early November, a huge chunk.
Is that worse than spending two months largely indoors in certain Minnesota or Saskatchewan winters, avoiding icy winds and a clear sky that releases heat each night? Is it better than trying not to sweat while exercising outdoors in a cheap coat in frigid weather? Which is preferable, needing to find a place for kids to roam in a high-wind-index winter or a very hot summer?
I’m not sure. Both have their dangers for sure.
Also, not everyone feels the way I do. Lots of people in subtropical areas are acclimated to heat and prefer it in a way I never did when growing up here.
And certain evenings are really nice. After a rainy morning, last night was warm but mild. I compared the relaxing, lovely feel with spring in Chicago, New York and Seattle, when temperatures sometimes fall quickly after a sunny day.
Here’s what someone on Quora said about heat in Houston:
“Lived in Houston, TX (2003–2009). I’m from a Northern climate, but the heat and humidity of Houston didn’t bothered me that much. In fact, I got used to it and started to enjoy living in that kind of a warm, sub-tropical climate.
Of course, I had a shock first experiencing the weather in summer. During my first days in Houston I tried to carry a heavy box between two buildings. At first, I was all covered in sweat. After that, I started feeling dizzy and thought I was about to collapse. So I learned my lesson.
After that, I adjusted really well. It is very hot and humid in summer indeed. So during the day, you just stay inside or drive to a shopping center where you can hang out inside (of course, assuming the AC is working). When the sun goes down, you can go outside and do some jogging in a park or even some yard work. You just have to adjust somehow. Of course, this becomes a totally different ball game when you have to work outside during the summer… I wouldn’t want to do that at all. But if you have an “office job” you should be just fine. Several times, during power outages due to hurricanes, I had to spend a few days at a time without power and AC. It wasn’t comfortable but I didn’t suffer that much. Of course, if you have health issues this can completely change everything. I’ve heard that elderly people or people with heart problems can die due to power outages in a very hot and humid climate. So, again, this becomes a different story.
After that, you will be compensated by a relatively mild weather for the rest of the year.
By the way, there are places much worse than Houston in the summer. I really thought I was well-acclimatized to hot and humid weather. But then I moved to Abu Dhabi…”
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Having lived in semi-arid areas of Utah, I have mixed feelings. Yes, it is (very) hard to live without shade in heat. And I assume that most streets in the Emirates lack tree shade. Also, the heat is lengthy there. But there are real health dangers in both spots, of course.
Anyhow, moving on. These are reasons why I’ll get to the park for the earlier shift rather than arriving at 11 next time. Like the person on Quora, I’ll stay indoors much of the day, exercising and resting.
Having rested after today’s jaunt at the park, I might draw this weekend. Also taking a video class this weekend and looking forward to it. Anything you’re enjoying lately?
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Encouraging things about Houston and Texas:
(The video below is from Ray Delahanty/CityNerd, a planning engineer on YouTube. Originally from Washington, he seems to live at the moment in Albuquerque.)
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8010659.Sarah_Hepola/blog
https://www.newyorker.com/books/this-week-in-fiction/bryan-washington-07-11-22
https://www.houston.org/news/houston-maintains-position-most-diverse-city-nation
https://www.texasmonthly.com/being-texan/what-westheimer-means-to-me/
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Thanks for reading! I hope you’ll tell me in the comments what you’re up to lately. Any projects? Any raising of kids? Any dog or cat petting? Any nature walks or city explorations?