Hommel Mangas
It’s hot.
In fact, it’s been so hot, the hummingbirds have been droning outside our front bay window to remind me to refresh their sugar water source. They still get plenty of nectar from bee balm, lantana, black and blue salvia, canna and daylilies, in addition to their unlimited supply of mosquitoes, ants and gnats. There’s still a puddle of water in our creek, but they’ve obviously become accustomed to the regular, ruby-red glass watering holes hanging from our gutter and nearby tree limbs.
But as you know it’s hot — and dry.
It’s been five full days since we returned from fishing in 70 degree Ontario weather, but it’s also the first day I realized I hadn’t turned our rock fountain back on. When I plugged her back in, I instantly felt like Cinderella — two hummingbirds buzzed me, four bluebirds decided to shoot over, shower and play in the fountain and three varieties of butterflies suddenly appeared. I thought I heard Walt Disney music, but on second thought, it was probably just the sound of the water shooting up and tickling down the four-foot limestone boulder. A reminder that we all appreciate H2O.
When I heard that it was supposed to get to 97 degrees today, it seemed appropriate to write an article entitled: “97 things to do when it’s 97 degrees,” but I’ll spare you and give you five:
1. Go to a movie — or better yet, stay home after work and watch one from home.
2. Go to the zoo and hang out with the penguins.
3. Make fruit juice ice cubes.
4. Make and listen to a cold weather playlist: “Sweater Weather,” by the Neighborhood, “A Long December” by Counting Crows, or the classic Frank Sinatra, “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm.”
5. Take a capped bottle or container outside, then uncap it and swing it around until it’s full of humid, unbearable 97 degree Johnson County air. Quickly cap it and store it inside in a dark closet until you want a little taste of summer on a -5 degree Indiana February day.
Janet Hommel Mangas grew up on the east side of Greenwood. The Center Grove area resident and her husband are the parents of three daughters. Send comments to [email protected].
