Every day I walk my dog Mijo. I have established a smallish loop that gives him plenty of opportunity to anoint trees with his unique scent and to do the rest of his business on dirt rather than the sidewalk. I wear a sun hat to keep my head not cool but not broiled either.
For almost two months, I have been trudging along this route with my cane, walking slowly and stopping frequently at Mijo’s discretion. I gave up the cane a short while ago, then my right knee gave out, and I picked up the cane again. However, I finally achieved the self-discipline to do my therapy exercises in the morning, and yesterday I felt I could almost run, no cane needed.
Except, of course, I would not run in this heat. And it is not merely because it is summer that it is extra hot. When I arrived in winter, the temperature seldom varied from 81° in the daytime and 75° at night. In Washington state, I would have found that to be punishing, nearly debilitating heat, but here there was the wind, usually between 12 and 15 miles an hour. They don’t speak of wind chill here. I doubt it is a phrase that would be in a weatherman’s vocabulary. But people in colder climes know the effect of the wind, and it is no less potent here.
Gradually, as the seasons changed, the temperature moved to 82°, then 84°, then 86°, but the wind continued, and I was, if not comfortable, at least not suffering. But now it is truly summer. Daytimes reach 88°. But where is the wind? I’m desperate for some “wind chill” now, but the treasonous wind has become a languorous four-mile-an-hour breeze. As I slowly walk, water wells up all over my skin, pours down my face, drenches my throat and neck, turns every stitch I wear thoroughly damp, and leaves me too hot. What to do?
On my way home is Buen Provecho. In theory, they are open Monday through Friday until 5 P.M. (I say “in theory” because we are on Island Time here, and if a day off is desired by the owner, the restaurant closes.) I discovered that they have iced tea. Mind you, this is not Starbucks. I can’t walk up to the counter and order a venti green iced tea, light ice, no sweetener. But I can get a 16-ounce glass of their herbal tea, and it has ice in it.
Buen Provecho is not air-conditioned, but they keep the windows open, and if I sit in the right place and hold very still and sip my tea slowly, I can usually get fairly dry (well, not my clothes, of course; my torso will be wet until I go to bed). And they bring Mijo a bowl of water as well, and fuss over him, and take turns petting him.
All of that sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? 😉
I’ve befriended the two women who work there, and so, the one little problem is that so long as I am there chatting, I might as well eat.
Buen Provecho has a wonderful chef salad which has the only fresh greens I’m likely to see anywhere, well, except when they couldn’t get any. When that happens, I order avocado toast with an egg on top.
Um, yes, the toast is bread made of wheat, and I’m not supposed to eat that, and it is certainly not on my keto diet. Or I order a make-your-own sandwich, which is supposed to contain sprouts but doesn’t because one of the waitresses grows the sprouts for the restaurant, and apparently, sprouts don’t grow well in summer on Vieques. I get a tortilla wrap instead of a huge bread roll for the sandwich, but it is still wheat. Avoiding wheat in a deli that is out of salad greens can be challenging.
So, walking my dog on a weekday ends up costing me just about $20. Maybe I should keep hiring someone to do it for me. That would cost half as much.
Weekends are a much worse problem. All that is open, usually on weekends, is D’ Frozz, the coffee cum ice cream shop. It is open seven days a week, except when it isn’t. They sell breakfast and lunch food, but it is not, in my opinion, worth eating, and neither is their ice cream. They don’t have iced tea. They have hot tea and will reluctantly and with disapproving glares, make me an iced tea if I ask and explain how to do it. But they will make iced coffee without protest.
The problem is that before I can get to the counter to order the coffee, there is a bakery case full of cheesecake, carrot cake, tiramisu, and chocolate cake; the latter I am able to eschew. But what harm in an occasional treat?
Except sometimes I stop there both weekend days and maybe a day in the middle of the week as well. There goes another $12. And my health.
D’ Frozz does have an air conditioner, but it reaches only one small corner of the room, which is where the people already in the restaurant are sitting. But sometimes, I can get into a favored position. Otherwise, it is again a question of sitting as still as possible and sipping that cold drink slowly. Oh, and last week their ice maker broke. Their owner also owns a grocery store, Mi Gente (which is out of my walking range), so he brings over bags of ice, which they use until they run out. Getting a cold drink there is a matter of chance these days.
Making my own ice, and plenty of it, is the obvious solution, right? Except that the refrigerator in my apartment is very cute, that is to say, it is red all over – and petite. I can choose to use the freezer for chicken pieces for my dog and one package of frozen vegetables – or ice, one tray at a time.
After much soul searching and budget studying, yesterday, I ordered an ice maker from Amazon. It cost just about $130. If I can just walk the extra block or three to get home with Mijo, I can have a cold drink here while sitting in front of my fan. I believe I can pay off the ice maker in a week or two simply by not stopping in restaurants.
Before I ordered it, I did a web search. Of course, I know that I should drink room temperature water, that iced drinks are not as good for me. Turns out there is not much scientific evidence one way or another, but a small study or two said that athletes benefit from drinking iced water after exercise. I figure that although I do not run marathons, I get as hot as any athlete when walking my dog.
And we have also to consider the concept of “room temperature water.” I’m guessing that the pipes that bring water to my apartment are placed right below the blacktop in the streets. If I have not turned on a faucet for several hours, I can get water that is probably actual room temperature, which right now is 88°, out of the cold tap for about 15 seconds. Then the water gets warmer, and warmer, and warmer. It shortly becomes too warm to pass the wrist test to give to a baby. It is not refreshing.
On Saturday, Amazon tells me my ice maker will arrive. I shall then be able to behave as a true athlete! 😀