Why do I live here?

I hate the heat. I mean, I really HATE the heat. So why in the hell do I live in Texas? We have real heat that loves to gather in cars. Open the door of a car that has been in a parking lot in Houston for 1 hour any time between May 1 and November 1 to feel the heat. When you open the door, you feel like you just opened the oven to check on a tray of cookies. Having a black leather interior in the car doesn't help, as the leather never cools down.

It has been hot for a month already, and it won't cool off until the end of October - that means that we have 5 months (about 150 days) of being unable to stay dry while walking from the back door to the garage. Those 20 or so steps allow enough time to break into a sweat - not from exertion, but from heat. It is miserable in the morning. It is more miserable at lunch. The only time I can bear to be outside at all is after 6:00 p.m., when I have to be out there watering the yard.

The new landscaping and small vegetable gardening require almost daily watering. My summer hobby has returned - moving sprinklers. Mosquitoes and heat are not my cup of tea. But there's nothing quite like a home-grown tomato, so I will endure.

But back to the original question - why do I live here? Seattle sounds better every day. I like rain. I like cool (but not cold) temperatures. London would be perfect, but I doubt that I could afford to live there. Houston is affordable, and the winters are really nice. It's just the six months of summer that kill me. Thank goodness for air conditioning.