…it’s the humidity.

Whatever it is, it’s downright brutal. We’re trapped in a four-day heat wave that has the heat index up to 105 degrees. It’s too hot to do anything but sit and watch puddles form around you.

I spent yesterday taking my mother to the grocery store and doing the Fourth of July shopping, and we darn near melted in the process. The car was air-conditioned, the stores were air conditioned, but in the short time you had to walk to the car you were gasping and sweating as if you’d exercised for a week without stopping.

The grocery store was one of those places that I hate going to before a holiday as it’s generally packed with people scurrying to get those hot dogs, but we were there at 10 so most folks weren’t out yet.

We gathered our supplies and then went back to her house, which is not air conditioned and was pretty miserable, even though we had the place closed up like a tomb and had about eight fans running in a variety of locations. I hung there so we could go out to lunch (and did a load of laundry in the process).

After lunch I took mom back home and I went to run a couple of errands. Which was a huge mistake. The air-conditioning in my car is broken, so sitting in traffic is downright miserable. I now totally understand what the greenhouse effect is like. By the time I got home I was soaked and had to go and take a shower immediately to try to cool down. My head was pounding and I took a bunch of Advil and then ended up falling asleep.

It wasn’t much of a day at all.

Today was family picnic at mom’s but again it was too hot to really want to do anything at all. Keith appointed himself chef, and did the grilling of the burgers and dogs. He burned some, but that was fine with me.

We really didn’t do much other than sit around the table and chat, seeing we were too hot to come up with anything better to do.

My brothers and the kids are full of their plans for Disney World in August. And my sister-in-law is being something of a witch about the whole thing. She’s going too, but she is really being a wet blanket about the whole thing and trying to keep them from talking about it too much.

I think part of the fun is anticipating what you’re going to do and when, and the things you want to see. She doesn’t want to discuss it at all.

I wish I’d been invited to go – but I’m on mom patrol – as I’ve always said that I’d love to go there with Keith and Matilda.

Ah well, maybe someday. Especially since I’ve never been.

I finally left mom’s at about 4 (did laundry for a while after everyone else left), then just came home to enjoy the air-conditioning.

I watched the Boston Pops concert on television and sang along to the "Sound of Music" and patriotic songs. The local fireworks are going to be this Sunday night, but I’ll only go if the heat breaks and the weather is decent.

Kind of a boring way to spend the Fourth. But I’m not sure there was anything better to do in this heat anyways.