August is always my least favorite month, but the relentless heat has made it even less bearable this year. The sun bakes us. The ground soaks up the heat and radiates it back into the soles of our feet, ensuring that we’re well cooked on all sides. The streets turn shiny and sticky. I imagine they’re just a crust of asphalt with molten lava underneath. If we sit too long at an intersection the crust will crumble under the weight of the car and we’ll be swallowed in ooze. The mosquitoes (filthy evil things) rule the front yard. They have decided we must pay in blood if we want passage from the front door to our car. My brain melts. I feel grouchy and unreasonable.

But the heat is dissipating. There was a breeze today. August is almost spent and my favorite season is on its way. Not many weeks and there will be gingerbread cookies in my oven, full of spices that taste like the colors of the leaves: clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger… Just thinking about it makes me feel like I can breathe again.