It's HOT

The remnants of our lawn. This photo has NOT been altered, it really looks like that.

Last year I had an entry griping about the hot weather and how it, plus my non-airconditioned tank (ie my old car), led to a bout of heat exhaustion. Well, last year's summer weather seems mild compared to this summer. It has been hot, and I mean HOT! That last sentence is an understatement, and you'll know why in a moment.

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How hot you ask? Take a gander at this article. Oklahoma has had the hottest July ever on record, no, not just for the state, but, for the whole US of A. Now, I know my freezing friends in parts of Europe would like some of this warmth, and I get that. But, believe me when I say, you do NOT want this kind of heat. It's dangerous and miserable. There's nothing about temps over 110° to enjoy. I've had to limit the amount of time the dogs are outside, take Leo on alternative routes to get into the car because the parking lots are so hot his paws could get burned. Sometimes it takes 30 minutes to an hour (depending on if there are stops or not) to cool off the car. I drink up to two liters of water a day, especially if I have dance or have errands to run. I've even had to resort to closing the doors around the house to help keep the front room cool at the hottest time of day when the sun is beating down on the west side of the home and that particular room; usually the room would warm up three degrees if I didn't take this step. Do I even need to go into how beyond grateful I am that I bought a new car that has a/c right before this hot summer started? Yeah, didn't think so!

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Last spring, Jon and I were talking about fixing up the lawn and the garden beds, but, time got away from us and it never happened. I was frustrated about that, but, now I'm SO glad we didn't do a damn thing. Yes, our yard is a major disaster, the lawn is dead despite seeding, fertilizing, and having the sprinkler system going three times a day. No worries, a couple of weeks ago we called it's time of death, and started conserving water. We wouldn't have been able to save any new plants and flowers, and I'm glad we didn't end up losing the time and money. Sad, but, true.

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Fortunately, there's an end in sight. Today the temperatures could stay under a hundred and tomorrow promises a storm and cooler temps. Many Facebook statuses have been anticipating the sweaters needed for low 90° highs. The nice part about a sweltering summer is the fact it will end at some point. And I'm trying all I can to repeat that to myself and not be so frustrated, annoyed, etc with this heat.

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