Beside my computer desk in my apartment, I have a fan.
It has three different speed settings. On Thursday, I had it set on the highest speed for the entire afternoon and evening and still was feeling warm.
On Saturday, I didn’t even have it on, and I was actually wearing a long-sleeved shirt while I was on the computer.
It was quite the contrast in temperatures over the past week. Thursday, it reached 32C at the airport; Saturday, it didn’t even get to 20.
I’m writing this Sunday evening (with the fan going at full speed). According to the most recent Environment Canada forecast, it’s supposed to get to 28C on Monday, then not reach 20 for the rest of the week.
The fluctuations in temperature don’t just mean constant switching of the fan. They also mean having to assess what I wear when I go out for a walk.
I am an early riser. A lot of times, I will go out for a walk around my neighbourhood around 6 a.m. One day last week, I did the walk in a short-sleeved shirt. The next day, I was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and a sweatshirt and kept my hands tucked into my pockets.
Mom and I have decided a couple of times in the last few weeks not to go for a walk in the afternoon because it is just too hot. Even if there is a bit of a breeze, hot is hot.
I like my neighbourhood, near Fifth and Tabor, because it gives me options for walking. If I feel like just a bit of a leg-stretcher, there are a couple of shorter routes I can take through the streets behind the apartment building.
If I feel like a longer walk, I can go south along Tabor to 15th or north along Tabor to First. I can go east down Fifth to Ospika or west down Fifth to Foothills.
I can loop through different areas just for a change. I have walked to Spruceland Shopping Centre, bought some things, and then walked home.
The one thing I learned quickly about that route was, while it was okay to go down Fifth to get to Spruceland, coming home on Fifth meant a couple of climbs. If you’re carrying a couple of bags of groceries, that’s not a lot of fun.
So what I do now to get home is head out the back of Spruceland to Ahbau, then head over and walk past Spruceland Elementary, Ecole Lac de Bois and then home through the back streets.
I still end up climbing just as much, but it feels more gradual and fools my legs into thinking we’re on flatter ground. (My legs, like the rest of me, are easily fooled.)