It’s So Hot…

It’s so hot right now…

… our tropical plants are begging to come back inside the house because they can’t take the heat.

… the weather forecasters underestimate the high temperatures for each day in the weekly forecast.  They never, ever, ever forecast 105 degrees or higher, and that’s probably  a blessing in disguise for us, even if it is living in denial.

… I feel like breaking out in song when a random cloud actually blocks the sun for a few seconds.

… the dogs think they’re being punished when it’s time to go to the backyard to do “business” in the afternoon.

The dogs were not happy as I made them sit outside in the heat to take their picture after their recent grooming.  Girly Girl’s expression (on the left) pretty much says it all.  But that’s $178 worth of grooming sitting right there and definitely warrants at least a photo. 😀

… we can’t even escape to the mountains a few hours away because it’s as hot there as it is here.

… running errands anytime after 10 a.m. is not a pleasant experience, and getting out between 3-6 p.m. is… well… just a little crazy.  I never said we weren’t a little crazy, though.

I don’t function well when it’s 113 degrees outside, and getting in a car that’s been sitting in the sun outside a store in this kind of heat is a near-death experience.

… unshaded playground equipment can reach temps up to 188 degrees.  Truth!  There was a report on the morning news today that proved this fact.

… firing up the oven, or any other heat producing appliance, just does not happen.  At. All.  This is officially “dining out” season.  After all, we need to help support all those businesses that are missing the college kids this summer, right???

… clothes dry in half the time by simply hanging them outside vs. using a regular clothes dryer.  This a really good thing, since using the dryer inside the house is really not an option anyway.  Dryers produce heat, and we also need every penny we can save to put toward our electric bill to run the life-sustaining A/C.

… RV travel is not even a fleeting thought in our minds right now.  We are not gluttons for unnecessary punishment.  One time, we actually RV camped down in the canyon at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in July, which is quite possibly the hottest place in the universe in July.  This was in our young and foolish days about four years ago, and we quickly learned that we’d made one of the worst decisions of our married life.  Thankfully, we survived.

… living in a grotto is pretty much a requirement.  Curtains closed, lights off, doors opened as little as humanly possible equals a winning plan.  If I didn’t know otherwise, I would swear everyone in town is away on vacation.

… the birds fight for drinks from the hose dripping water under our big tree.  I’m really not sure how much water is actually making to the tree roots for that reason.  I would run their birdbath, but the water actually gets too hot for them to drink!

… I’m not sure how we actually survived in our house before we had our solar attic fan installed a few years ago.  That thing is a blessing straight from Heaven.

… Facebook friends regularly post about how miserable our state is this time of the year.  They are absolutely correct.  In fact, some of the funniest weather memes ever show up this time of year for that reason.

… the grocery stores put Gatorade front and center for customers to find easily.

… the patches of milkweed in our backyard are finally dying a slow death.  Bye, bye.

… spending time reading a good book in the afternoons provides a nice break from the heat.  I can even pretend I’m back in elementary school earning more sticky stars for my summer reading chart.  (FYI, I’m reading The Lunar Chronicles books, thanks to the recommendation of my sweet librarian friend and an unexpected $30 settlement credit from Barnes and Noble that paid for the first four ebooks.  Nothing like free summer entertainment!)

I’m halfway through reading these four books, and what a creative and delightful read they’ve been so far, a perfect summer book series.

 

… mowing the yard, even early in the morning, is a real sweat-producing workout.  I willingly took this chore on myself a few years ago and…

What. Was. I. Thinking!!!

Still, I haven’t missed a week of mowing yet this season with my brand spankin’ new lawn mower, and I’m now thinking that I’m pretty much Wonder Woman for doing that.  We’ll see how the rest of the summer goes.  If nothing else, it’s a great excuse to head over to Chick-Fil-A for a large diet lemonade when I’m done.

… I’m remembering fondly the crippling foot of snow we received back in early January… yes, the same one I fussed and fussed about for more than two weeks afterward.  Oh yes, yes, yes… please bring it back already!  I’m pretty sure the dogs would agree, too.

… we were inspired to finally make plans for our fall RV travels while also hoping that the usual break from the stifling heat actually shows up in September.  Sometimes the heatwave surprises and lasts well into October, though, so we are hedging our bets and headed north once again on our next long trip after Labor Day.  The mere thought of temps in the 70s during the day and in the 30s overnight in just a few weeks makes me feel all giddy inside.  We will even need to take coats!

We are so ready to get this RV show on the road again!

 

There is actually a tiny glimmer of hope for a bit of a break from this weather madness this week.  Supposedly, we actually have a little chance of rain, and the high temps will only be in the low 90s???  If so, it will feel like winter has returned because that is over 20 degrees cooler than some days we’ve had lately!  Hope is always a good thing, and we’ll gladly take whatever relief we can get at this point.

Sometimes we just need to laugh a little and just get through the day as best we can.

Stay cool, friends.  This heat wave, too, shall pass.

I hope.