My Writing. My words.

EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING: Floyd, Bartow, Gordon, Whitfield, Polk, Chattooga, Murray, Dade, Walker, and Catoosa Counties are all in a rare Excessive Heat Warning for this afternoon and early evening for feels like temps up to 110º.

A Heat Advisory extends south into Metro Atlanta and cuts across to Eastern Georgia. That's where the heat index will be up to 106º.

With these alerts in place, your body works extra hard to cool down. Here is a quick checklist to protect yourself, your family, and your pets:

💧Hydrate Early & Often: Drink water before you feel thirsty. Avoid caffeine or alcohol, which dehydrate you faster.

🏠 Stay Indoors: Keep out of the sun during peak hours (10 AM – 4 PM). Seek air-conditioned spaces like malls, libraries, or community cooling centers if your AC isn't keeping up.

👕 Dress Smart: Wear loose, lightweight, and light-colored clothing.

👴🏻 Check on Others: Reach out to elderly neighbors, those living alone, and friends without reliable AC.

🐕 Protect the Paws: If the pavement is too hot for the back of your hand, it’s too hot for your pet's paws. Walk them early in the morning or late evening.

🚗 NEVER Leave Anyone in a Car: Not kids, not pets—not even for a minute. Cars can heat up to lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes.

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Also know the Signs of Heat Exhaustion vs. Heat Stroke:

Heat Exhaustion: Dizziness, heavy sweating, nausea, weak pulse. (Move to a cool place, sip water).

How utterly amazing is this planet we live on! Just a little closer to the sun and it would be uninhabitable. A bit farther away, the same.

It contains miracle after miracle. Tiny seeds that become towering trees. The moon that controls the tide, that keeps the ocean clean.

New babies and tiny kittens. Lightening that brings needed elements into the soil, that brings new life to the garden.

AO3

She still sees the young man he had once been in the lines of his face. His red curls are a bit darker but his eyes are still as blue. She wonders, as she often has, if the child, or is it children, resemble him.

She is just as lovely, even if time has lightly touched her. Her eyes are lined around with the beginning of wrinkles but they still shine. Her brown curls frame her face in the way they did when she was 19.

“Hello Jamie.” 

“Hello Claire.” 

“Fancy seeing you here. I didn't know you were working with Doctors Without Borders.”

It makes sense, if she thinks about it. His parents made a lot of money running their old Scottish estate and his heart has always been soft for those in need.

“Aye, ever since I graduated.”

“Does your wife approve? It leaves her with the child, children, a lot.” Even after all this time, the idea makes her heart hurt.

“I haven't a wife. Geneva, she lost the baby before we could…” 

She feels both a sense of sorrow for his loss and deep relief.

“I’m sorry.”

He nods. “What about you? Do you and him have any children?” 

He knows his name. It haunts him in his dreams. He just refuses to say it.

“No. The marriage didn't even last a year.”

A weight, unseen, lifts off him. 

Beside her, Zion stirs and she recalls him. 

“Zion is having trouble with his ears. I don't know if it is an infection or…”

He turns to the lad. His head is spinning. Frank has been gone for years. Why hadn't they stayed in touch?

“Little man, shall I have a look in your ears?” 

He sees that he is watching his mouth. Reading his lips? He prays he isn't deaf.