It turns out that today is the summer solstice. Who knew? The summer solstice, of course, marks the hottest day of the year. It is the day on which we turn the thermometers back ten degrees. In late December they will be dialed forward. It is an energy saving idea that was enacted during the Second Boer War.
While fighting in what is now South Jersey City, NJ, Sir Nigel Watson-Highmiller, noticed that his troops were perspiring heavily in the hot and humid New Jersey summer. Being British, they perspire, not sweat. He ordered the thermometers altered to make the temperature 10 degrees cooler. The troops were immediately refreshed and the Boers were vanquished and sent packing back to Boerville, where they remain to this day.
The grateful citizens of New Jersey petitioned American President Thomas Edison to recognized the Summer Solstice as an official annual event. Edison, issued a proclamation and in 1976, the summer solstice became law. A little known fact is that in 2009 Father's Day and the summer solstice occur on the same date.
I observed the summer solstice by playing golf with the Seafood King and Some Guy Named Bob. Seafood Jr. cannot bear the heat and stayed home. In honor of Sir Nigel and his brave troops, we perspired heavily. In fact, you might say we sweat. The current temperature here in our fair city is a blistering one hundred and eight degrees, that's 108F/42.2C, which will cause perspiration in even the most sudoriferously challenged person. Out here in the middle of the desert we call it effing hot.
My golf ability continues to disappoint one and all. Well, it disappoints me, everyone else is just embarrassed. I give new meaning to the word hacker.
Surprisingly, the course was crowded despite the high temps. Early this morning there was a tournament at the course held by the octogenarians of our fair city, their wives having ordered them out of the house, no doubt. We teed off after they had all teed off, so we were behind their last group and they were really s-l-o-w. We played behind a foursome made up of a guy named Stupid, one called Jackass, a guy named Slowpoke and the fourth was Moron in the Yellow Shirt. I didn't know them, but the Seafood King seemed to, or at least he knew their names.
Following a quick lunch in the clubhouse, I came home. I misted the plants on the patio and took a well-deserved nap. And Kurt worries that I can't lead a fulfilling and busy life without a job, ha!
Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky
Tag: Daily Life
Personal Finance
Humor
3 comments:
Thomas Edison was a great president--trivia: he napped A LOT. His workers used to make jokes about his naps, especially the 5 hour ones. His Vice President, John J. Audubon had many exotic birds in his office and was known as the Birdman of Pennsylvania Avenue.
I love the idea of turning the temperature back 10 degrees.
Nothing in life is certain, Merle. What happens if they close that golf course? Or they outlaw misting? Then what will you do all day?
Kurt is so negative. Maybe you're right about him being a lunatic. Now that you pointed it out, that's all I see.
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