Havin' a heat wave....

Sari, who lives in the greater Phoenix area, where temperatures have hit 117 this summer, can call me a wimp if she wants. But, dog gone it, it's hot here.

The official high temperature yesterday was 99° F. This translates to something like 50° in Europe. It's not just our dollars -- our degrees aren't worth as much over there these days.

Yesterday's 99° high was shy of the official record of 101°, set in 1901 (that's for you, Al Gore), but that mark was easily exceeded at a number of unofficial reporting stations. And it was not cooler near the lake.

Lake Michigan is supposed to be our natural air conditioner, moderating temperatures winter and summer both. But if the winds are wrong, as they were yesterday, there is no relief even at the lakeshore.

It was hot enough to send all the local TV talking heads into a tizzy. I can't really blame them. Other than lawyers, TV talking heads are about the only other folks who have to dress up when it gets this hot.

Of course, I had court yesterday morning. This morning, too, come to think of it. I haven't had to be in court for over a week -- but, on the hottest days of the year, I have matters up. How did I get so lucky?

At times like this, the weather-people like to talk about something they call the Heat Index. Near as I can tell, the Heat Index is the inverse of the winter Wind Chill: It's just that little extra added insult to injury that you can dab like sunscreen on your self-pity as you go forth, reluctantly, into the oven outside.

Back in early February, we had two feet of snow here. Lake Shore Drive was shut down. Courts were closed. Drifts were four and five feet high. Because snow had drifted near my front door, to get my sidewalk clear, I had to pile snow over my head.

At the time, folks were saying oh, I wish it were 90. You know who you are. Don't you feel foolish now?