Hot Weather Takes Its Toll

Perhaps this temperature sign on Main Street in Jewett City needs a little adjustment downward, since the bank sign down the street read 102. That aside, the heat wave broke records, stressing people and animals. The story took an upsetting turn in Groton when a dog owner left his Boxer outside in a cage all day, where he died in the sweltering heat. Stories of people's stupidity and cruelty aren't limited to heat waves, but people can lose their cool even more on days like last Friday. Not wanting to cook, I thought I'd grab something at a certain colonel's place. The AC was underperforming, and there I was behind this guy taking forever to fill three soda cups while constantly stopping, chatting nonstop on his phone. When the line behind him and me stretched across the room, I politely pointed out that he had a long line behind him. Instead of apologizing, he reacted loudly and angrily like I had some nerve, and proceeded to tell the guy on the phone what a @#*! I was. I kept my cool as he made a public ass of himself and I asked them at the counter to make my order "to go" since they had a "belligerent" customer. Weather extremes do bring them out of the woodwork! I'd rather gripe about the more mundane nuisances of summer - like mosquitoes and those biting flies - than wonder whether or not someone's going to get violent as well as rude. Honestly, I don't dislike everything about summer, but I don't tan well and late August through mid October is the best!