Notes from Maine - 2020/08/01

We’ve had a startling block of hot weather. I think a lot of this continent has. I have no imagination when it comes to weather. In the thick of a heatwave, winter is inconceivable. Conversely, when we have two-feet of snow on the ground, I can’t picture what it’s like to sweat through the night with a fan blowing on me. So, right now, as I try to cool off after mowing the lawn, I figure it will always be this hot. We’ll never have relief from the relentless sun.

I don’t know for sure when swimming stopped being appealing to me.

As a kid, I would spend all day underwater if I could—in a pool, lake, or ocean. Under the surface I was cocooned in silence, weightless, and free. Now, I resent the impracticality I guess. Who wants to sit around in a wet bathing suit? Who wants to deal with an ear filled with water that clicks with each swallow? I only swim a few times a year now and I can’t say I really miss it.

I suppose that I still find the ocean fun. Powerful waves are a great way to surrender control without really feeling like I’m in jeopardy. Unfortunately, beaches around here are closed for swimming at the moment. Some poor soul was killed by a shark—an incredibly rare event for these waters. I believe it was only the second shark attack in Maine’s history.

I remember when I first moved to this house, about twenty years ago. That first summer had some brutally hot days and I had nowhere to swim. I guess that’s when I weaned myself off of the practice. With no lake to jump in, I had to learn how to cope with heat. Maybe I learned that lesson too well. Maybe I resent the water now. Perhaps I’ll go back to it some day. When my knees are too creaky for running or biking I might find swimming to be the least painful way to exercise.

For those of you following the saga of my father’s recovery, I have bad news and good. Last Monday, he got the chills even though he was wearing a sweatshirt and it was very warm. His temperature quickly spiked to a fever and I called his doctor. An hour later, I took him to the hospital where they admitted him and began a ton of tests. That was the bad news.

The good news is that he came home again today. After four days of hospitalization, he doesn’t seem to be any weaker. I’m now optimistic that he didn’t lose much ground at all, and I had been terrified of backsliding. We’ve been given permission to resume his workouts and see how much more strength he can gain.