110-degree days bring out the sleepy vampires in us

Clay is off today, and since he would probably be talking about his Guess the First 110-degree Day contest, I volunteered to fill in, mostly because I love complaining about the heat. My family moved here when I was 14, and while you really don’t ever get used to the triple-digit heat, even after 38 summers, you do eventually figure out how to live with it.

I turn into a vampire, emerging only at night. I pull weeds before the sun rises. I grocery shop after dark. And cook? In this heat? Hahaha! I mean, no.

If I do have to leave the house, I drive with two fingers on the sizzling steering wheel. I don’t sit on anything vinyl. I used to relish the heat when I was younger. It meant sundresses, pink toenail polish and weekends poolside. Now it makes me want close the wooden blinds and nap.

In fact, just thinking about the first 110-degree day makes me sleepy. But you should think about it, and then guess the date and time the official National Weather Service thermometer at Sky Harbor International Airport hits 110 degrees for the first time this year.

You get three guesses. If you’re right, you win four tickets to a Diamondbacks game later this year.

Deadline is 5 p.m. May 5. Mail your entries on a postcard or the back of an envelope to First 110, Valley 101, Arizona Republic, 200 E. Van Buren, Phoenix AZ 85004. Include your name, address and a daytime phone number.