Too Hot

Actually, not so much hot as heavy, oppressive air. I am finding it hard to do much of anything other than drink iced tea and read. (Re-read, that is, John Fowles's The Magus, a haunting novel.

The laundry gets done, as do meals (shrimp salad tonight.) I wave a languid dust rag occasionally and vacuum when the dog hair is tumbleweeding across the floor.  Water the plants; feed the dogs and kittehs. 

Every chore needs to be followed by a rest spell. Night time is much cooler, thank goodness, though I generally shower and wet my hair before turning in.

No, we don't have AC. 

This heat, this too, shall pass.

 

Dealing With the Heat

Get up early. Now's a good time to water outdoor potted plants. Brew tea for iced tea. If something must be cooked, do it now. Decide what sort of salad to have for supper and do the prep. 

 This below is a slaw of sorts: bagged vegetable slaw, a bit of Chinese cabbage, red peppers, purple onions, cucumbers, black beans (1 can, drained,) mango slices, and some fresh basil. The dressing was mayo with a bit of lime and orange juice. We topped it with roasted almonds and had quesadillas on the side. (They had to be done at the last minute, alas.)                                                    

                                                      

We rely on fans in every room, and we close the east facing windows. The Room has blackout curtains (ugly as homemade sin) on the east, installed back when Josie had to have semi-dark for her naps.

The naps are just a memory, but closing those curtains keeps The Room much cooler during the morning. 

Several months ago, hearing that the summer heat was likely to be worse than usual, we ordered bamboo shades for the dining room. I couldn't bear the thought of anything that totally blocked the view, and these were a nice compromise. They finally came, just as temperatures soared, and John installed them.

I'm happy to say they work beautifully--lowering the temperature but still allowing a look beyond.

What's more, they lend a touch of the exotic tropics to the dining room. I find myself thinking of gin and tonic, daiquiris, or gin rickeys. . .   

 

Well, That Was Short-Lived

 Tuesday's rain and blessed relief is just a memory. Wednesday was pretty awful--I think the technical term is 2FH.

But with fans in every room and gallons of iced tea we made it through the day without stabbing or biting anyone. 

We will endeavor to persevere.

Heat Wave . .

When I got dressed yesterday morning, I found myself picking up my earrings then putting them back, thinking, Nah, it's too hot for earrings today.

And it was -- though nothing near as bad as folks in other parts of the country are enduring.

We don't have air conditioning but make full use of fans in every room. We keep the south and east facing windows shut till the afternoon, and anything outside gets done early.  As does most cooking.

We had a nice rain around supper time that cooled things off -- always a blessing.  But the weekend is supposed to be even hotter. Dangerously hot in places.

A good time to stay inside, stay hydrated, check on pets and neighbors, and think, perhaps, about the snows of yesteryear. 

Dog Days

 Dog Days -- hot, still, breathless weather -- an evil time "when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies" according to Brady’s Clavis Calendarium, 1813.

The Old Farmer's Almanac identifies the Dog Days as the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending August 11, coinciding with the ancient heliacal (at sunrise) rising of the Dog Star, Sirius. These are the days of the year when rainfall is at its lowest levels.

For more information on the origin of Dog Days,  check out Wikipedia. (We won't tell Maggie the part about sacrificing a brown dog . . .)

 

Hot Daze

Some strategies for staying cool -- POM pomegranate juice with soda (lots of soda) over ice . . .

Salad for lunch with last night's cold eggplant/shrimp/red pepper pasta tossed in . . .

Bathe two large, reluctant dogs. Don't change wet clothes when done. Sit in front of fan. Ah . . . .