This strikes me as the sort of thing I've heard from folks who have relocated to the US Southeast from more Arid regions. They also often speak about a claustrophobic paranoia. As the tress rob them of that 'Big Sky' view out to the horizon. If your situation is similar, then it might help explain your jumpiness about nature sounds cloaked in the obscuring wood???Originally Posted by TeresaJ
Creativity is the residue of time wasted. ~ Albert Einstein
Except for my adventuring years I have lived in the south my entire damn life and I've always thought it was miserable.
I actually wonder if some of that is genetics. Out of the whole jumble of European genes I inherited the eastern European ones seem to dominate my physical constitution. I often feel like I am simply ill adapted to this climate. I sometimes wonder if part of my attraction to the ISFJ is the fact that he does seem to be more physically resistant to the south, and I subconsciously wanted to make up for my own deficits when creating offspring.
Well, research suggest that ladies do sniff out the surface molecules from the Major Histocompatibility Complex, found in sweat, to select genetically exotic mates.
Creativity is the residue of time wasted. ~ Albert Einstein
@TeresaJ After typing my last post in this thread, I walked to the library and checked out a couple books dealing with Biophilia, wanting to learn more myself. This chapter from Go Wild, by John Ratey, a professor at Harvard Medical school, puts the idea well with all its practical implications included. You can read the chapter on googlebooks here:Link to Go Wild. Only one page is omitted.
"Long live the weeds and the wilderness!"
It may feel miserable, but provided you are in good shape medically and as long as you constantly suck down water and protect yourself from sunburn, you can cut the grass with a push mower at noon on a sunny August day and although you will be miserable, you will be fine. I did rookie school in the summertime in Alabama, and we did almost everything outdoors in bunker gear. The highest crime you could be guilty of was to not be drinking water in between drills.
Protip for Northerners. If you are going to spend time outdoors in the humid south on a hot day, rub antiperspirant all over your crotch or it will look as if you pissed yourself.
Insults are effective only where emotion is present. -- Spock, "Who Mourns for Adonais?" Stardate 3468.1.
I'm not avoiding socializing I'm helping socializing avoid me! --MoneyJungle
True. I remember the first time I experienced dry heat. It was amazing. I had never even imagined anything like it.
"It's 100 degrees and I don't even feel myself sweating! I can go on a bike ride!"
"Yes but if you don't stay hydrated the heat can actually kill you."
"Yeah but I feel amazing!" *bikes* *dies*
Just kidding I attached a water bottle to my bike and I survived. But I was seriously on the phone with my parents like "did you know that there's such a thing as dry heat?!"
The other day here it was in the 90s and around 50% humidity and I was miserable. Today it's in the 90s and 22% humidity currently and it feels warm but pretty okay. I don't think I would survive in the south. And that's the place that's historically been full of farms and plantations and lots of people working hard outdoors all day. Shit, I wouldn't even want to be the guy who owned the plantation before AC was invented. It adds a whole new dimension to the atrocity of slavery.
It's 104 and 3% humidity here right now. I just sit in front of the A/C and drink ice water. I don't venture into the west part of our dwelling at this time of the day. I think outdoor living year round here would be challenging if not deadly. We're sort of far from town so we can see a lot of stars at night, so I have that going for me.
Fascinating! Reading about the positive effects of simply being in nature... The nicest spot in our house is the back deck (even with the raccoon poop). It has the fewest mosquitoes because it's elevated, but we have potted plants and climbing plants along the edges, and then you have this view of all the trees and the lake. It's that vista ideal - touching nature but removed from threats.
In contrast to hiking through the woods in summer. I tried to go off-trail once with the toddler on my back and the kiddo rightly started freaking out. A tangle of waist-high plants, spider webs, something that stung the hell out of my legs... Sweating...
This past Saturday the morning humidity was 88%.
Too bad, Lady Une. You were far too lenient.
As a soldier, yes. But as a civilian I lived an austere life.
I once went to this comedy play The Abridged History of St. Bernard Parish (deep deep south). It was silly. Their bit on slavery was a white planter chopping down sugar cane. He does it for a minute, huffing and puffing and sweating copiously, pauses to wipe his brow. He shouts "This sucks!" then hauls in a black actor from off stage. The black actor gets to work huffing and cutting and wiping his sweat. His punchline: "This really sucks!"
Too bad, Lady Une. You were far too lenient.
As a soldier, yes. But as a civilian I lived an austere life.
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