The Humid

Today I'm going to educate those of you who know nothing of humidity. Sure; some of you may have visited a humid state and thought, "Gee! It's sticky here!" But to live in one is a totally different experience and there are probably things you've never even thought about.

For example, you can't really leave things outside in a shed or garage or on the porch unless you want it ruined. Either the rust or the mold from the humidity will eventually bring your item down. We used to keep our jogging stroller in the shed, but then noticed that it was slowly growing mold on the fabric parts and rust on the non-fabric parts. Not something you want to happen to a couple-hundred dollar stroller.

Another thing, a beautiful 70-degree day doesn't mean you're necessarily air conditioning-free. Oh no, not if it's humid outside. The humidity gets inside your house and the only way to get rid of it is to blow the A/C. This drives me crazy to have to have on the A/C when it's a lovely temperature outside. I'd love to have the windows and doors open, but you just can't because your house will get sticky.

Speaking of the inside of your house, if you go on vacation for an extended time during summer, there's no way you can leave your house without leaving on the A/C. A friend from church did this and returned to a house with everything (and I mean everything) covered in mold. They had to buy all new everything. What a nightmare.

Did you know it affects your baking? When I do bread during the humid months, my dough requires so much more flour than normal. It's really frustrating. I'm terrified that I'm going to end up with a brick rather than a nice loaf. This has taken some time to get used to.

And finally, do you know that you can see it? I mean, it's almost like fog, but not as cloud-like. It's just hazy and nasty. I really have nothing good to say about the humidity.

But more bad! Eeek! Eileen's right: how could I forget what it does to your hair? My stick-straight-in-Utah hair transforms to a frizzy mess where are short hairs are exposed and standing on end. I don't even bother drying my hair in the summer here, and that's not my environmentalism. It's just...what's the point? Straight from the towel, it goes into a ponytail holder where it stays until the next hair washing. It's so sad.

P.S. I saw some recipes online for homemade Pop Tarts. How delicious is that?! I'm pretty sure that's how I'll be spending Sunday morning.