Summertime thoughts

[pomtzu]

I don't get it!!! Why have AC if you aren't going to run it to stay comfortable, because it's too costly? My comfort is worth the money. I'd rather cut corners somewhere else, than be hot and sick and miserable.

[Catty1]

It's happened in Toronto often, and sometimes in Calgary, that a heat wave causes so many AC units to be turned on that the electric companies have a brownout or resort to rotating power blackouts.

My place is like yours, KAK - I am on the second floor and often leave windows open a bit at night. The sun doesn't come around until the afternoon and I close drapes and windows before then. My place stays very cool and I have one ceiling fan that helps a lot if really needed.

I am thinking of buying some of that window film that blocks heat and UV. I have some friends that have used it and the difference is apparently amazing!

[pomtzu]

It's happened in Toronto often, and sometimes in Calgary, that a heat wave causes so many AC units to be turned on that the electric companies have a brownout or resort to rotating power blackouts.

This happens just about everywhere if it's hot enough long enough.

We're headed for our 4th - or maybe it's 5th - heat wave of this season. They consider it a heat wave if the temps are 90 or above for 3 days straight. Supposed to be in the mid to upper 90's all next week, and probably 100+ on Wednesday. Oh joy!!! - guess I know where I'll be all week with the exception of going out for about an hour for a doctor appointment. If only the humidity was lower it would be more tolerable, but when you open the door to walk outside, it's like someone tosses a hot, wet blanket in your face, and then drapes it over the rest of your body. YUK!!! - too miserable............

I'm so grateful that Myndi isn't a dog that likes to be outside. We go out - she does what is necessary - then we're back in the house.


ETA:
We've had so darn much rain this summer, that it never really drys up before the monsoons hit again. We had over 4" here again yesterday, and just about 12 miles south in Dover, they had over 6" with wicked spot flooding. The hospital parking lot had water up to the windshields on some cars, and other roadways closed because of flooding, and people with kyaks paddling down some of the roads. I just walked out to check the mail, and the ditch by the road is still flooded, and there are hundreds of pollywogs(tadpoles), swimming around in the water. And yes - the mosquitoes are ferocious this year since they have constant standing water to thrive in - even with the state spraying to try to rid them. It ain't working...........

[Karen]

If only the humidity was lower it would be more tolerable, but when you open the door to walk outside, it's like someone tosses a hot, wet blanket in your face, and then drapes it over the rest of your body. YUK!!! - too miserable............

I'm so grateful that Myndi isn't a dog that likes to be outside. We go out - she does what is necessary - then we're back in the house.

Pomtzu, I heard a description of the hot muggies the other day that I thought you'd appreciate: "It's like walking around in someone else's mouth." We had a hot very humid day, and we had a bit of rain but it didn't help = it was just like the humidity just solidified here and there into droplets, and a server at my local pizza place told me that one.

By the way, we have A/C here because the apartment/building came with it, we just don't need to use it. And the old house we had a window unit (It's sitting in our storage space at the moment) that we had for the one or two times a year it got too hot there even for Paul.

[ChrisH]

Having AC is rare here in the UK, but then again so are heatwaves, however when they do occur, oh, how I long for AC

This year summer has been a long time coming but it's now arrived and it is very hot in some places, not so bad here so far (fingers crossed & touch wood). I have an electric fan which I use when necessary, otherwise it's windows & back door open to keep the air circulating, great if there is a breeze. Unfortunately, living in a bungalow, and being cautious, I don't leave the bedroom window open at night which is a real bind, even though night temps tend to be lower by then the inside has heated up to make bedtime uncomfortable. I guess I'm 'lucky' in that being retired I don't have to go outside unless I want/need to and any house/garden work I do either early or late when it is cooler.

The pets, well, Ebby just lazes round as always. Alfie is quite clever in that he only goes out to run around in the cool of the morning or evening. When he occasionally does take it in his head to sunbathe it's not for long he either comes back inside or finds a shady spot.

[momcat]

I'm definitely not a fan of summer. As I'm getting older I like the cold weather more and more. AC for us is a necessity. When it gets really hot, especially with these heatwaves, my blood sugar tends to go ballistic. When I talked to my doctor about it, she said that's not unusual for diabetics. According to local weather reports another heatwave is expected to hit tomorrow and last through the week. Ugh!

Karen, here's a definition of humidity I heard some time ago: humidity is when everything that's supposed to come apart sticks together and everything that's supposed to stick together comes apart.

[pomtzu]

humidity is when everything that's supposed to come apart sticks together and everything that's supposed to stick together comes apart.

That's a good one, Eileen. I never heard that one before, but it sure is true.

Take care this week - we're going to bake again all week, and if we get any more rain to go with it, it will be a steam bath. I'm sick of this and can't wait till Fall and some crisp, clear weather. And hopefully, I'll be in NC by then, too.

[Karen]

This week has been what I think of as normal summer weather - hot but not too bad, rain at night, thunder, but nothing catastrophic. How is it where everyone else is?

[pomtzu]

The weather has been MUCH more tolerable here than it was - a few days were absolutely perfect - clear bright skies, fluffy clouds, low humidity, a nice breeze and actually somewhat chilly first thing in the morning. The afternoons still warm up enough to leave the a.c. set to run if it's needed, but it's running a whole lot less than it was.

Today's been rather cloudy and rain is in the forecast for tomorrow. At least we didn't get the torrential rains that Philly got a couple of nights ago - upwards to almost a foot in some areas. My house in NC got some wicked rains the day before that too - roads and bridges washed out in the town where I'll be living - people being cut off and no way out of their homes, cars washed into rivers, etc. and at least one drowning. My house is at the end of a dead-end street and at the bottom of a hill several miles outside of the town, and my niece said the water running down the street looked like a raging river. No flooding at the house tho, except some standing water at the back of the property line, and what runs down the road just keeps going and drops down another hill.

Here's a pic of the house, tho it's not very big since I can't get a good one off of Google, but you can see a little of the dropoff on the right side.

[Karen]

Had to bump this up, I love when this happens:

I go to weather.com, and it says:

Current temperature: 83° (feels like 84°)
Today's (predicted) high: 79°

You'd think they would have a way to programatically bump up the "projected high" when the actual temperature passes it!

[lizbud]

Present temps in Indy Hotter than blue blazes.


94° F
High: 93° F
Low: 72° F


Partly cloudy
Feels Like: 100° F


Barometer: 29.92 in
Humidity: 45%
Wind: W 17 mph
Sunrise: 7:09 am
Sunset: 8:21 pm

Full Forecast >>