I have lived in Alabama all of my life. More importantly, I have lived in the Shoals area all of my life. I would not have had it any other way. I love this area. That is one of the reasons I chose to attend UNA. However, the Alabama heat is nothing to mess with.

I am sure I am not the only student at UNA with this love/hate relationship with the weather.

August is always the worst month out of the year when it comes to the scorching heat. This is also the most exciting and dreaded month. In the middle of August, when the heat is at its worst, school begins. There is excitement for the new semester — seeing old friends and making new ones. There is dread for all the work coming our way — classwork, homework and real work (jobs). But the most dreaded part of August is the heat.

All across campus students do their best to find shade from the heat. We plan our routes across campus trying to stay in the shade as much as humanly possible. We wear shorts and tanks, and don’t leave anything in our vehicles because it could melt (or explode). I have personal knowledge of ink pens and unopened soda cans exploding in hot cars.

As we trek across our beautiful campus, keep in mind our Alabama weather and our changing seasons. We have warm, hot, even hotter, one day of snow and then more heat. And please remember to stay hydrated. Drinking water is always a good idea. I always have a bottle of water with me, regardless of the weather.