Heat Wave

It's been a hot month.  And a humid one.  And I think a rainy one, but that's my impression without seeing the actual data.  What rain we have experienced has been of a soaking type.  

I've stayed indoors more than I might have liked.  Really haven't gone fishing, though a few rods remain in my trunk.  Went to beach once.  Went to State Fair.  And anticipate another day trip to my favorite coastal destination and to an amusement park with a water park component.  Not nearly as much gardening as I anticipated earlier this spring, though with a small green bean harvest.  And one outdoor dinner, but no sessions on my deck's antigravity lounger. And not been to the putting green at all.

Room AC in bedroom at moderately high intensity most nights.  Appreciate both the coolness and the white noise.  AC at home keeps me inside, AC in car keeps me on the move.  And the basement is naturally cool, so I have no excuse for not setting aside some sessions for making it more functional.

There remains some scientific inquisitiveness within me.  The earth has gotten warmer, though loss of glaciers, ice caps, and feeding challenges to the polar bears are better evidence of this than how dependent I have become on AC.  It was certainly hot in the summer months those years I lived in the Midwest.  This summer, while hotter than my recollection of previous summers, probably is not a good enough justification to merge it with other political stances.  Some personal or local adaptation is a better option for me.  It may not be for people whose livelihood forces them outdoors, the farmers, the construction crews, the landscapers, park rangers, and our sanitation crews.  Whatever the cause, whether a consequence of our industrial success or a cycle of nature, we don't really have the ability to make the globe cooler, at least not by next summer when the weather services will make another set of comparison measurements.  We may just need to limit exposure for the people who cannot find shelter in the AC as easily as I can.

Heat Wave

While it has not been impressively hot, unlike some other places where friends live, outside has gotten humid enough to make the air conditioner attractive.  My house probably has a design flaw, with the central climate control underperforming in the master bedroom, where I have installed a window air conditioner and an electric space heater.  I use the air conditioner a lot more, finding its sound a helpful source of white noise, along with the benefits of sleeping in relative cool, which may date to evolutionary times.  While not particularly tired this morning, I found the ambient temperature and its anti-dote, a down comforter, with enough attraction to make me oblivious to the red numerals on my alarm clock for an extra hour.

I really don't need to do much outdoors other than retrieve the newspaper before the heat and probably check the front and back gardens.  The herb pots out front gave me a mixed result.  No dill this year, after a few sprouts took root.  Stuff I bought already planted has remained adequate for culinary use.  Backyard garden has not done well but needs some weeding, maybe some thinning, and with a little luck green beans may be on the way.  Yet it is very hot, so I won't stay outside very long.

Don't know how our downstate beaches will fare.  People on the sand recognize humidity.  Likely the surf will attract people who would just sunbathe in less humid weather but see a need to cool off in current circumstances.  

For me, not a good day for the park.  Good day for air-conditioned car and for addressing clutter in the basement, which is always naturally cool.

Heat Wave

While nobody really knows what creates climate or predicts its variability very well, some patterns have gotten sufficiently familiar to maintain some predictability.  We will have a snow requiring driveway clearing every winter, though we didn't the last one.  There will be a few deluges, though flooding would be a notable event.  And it gets hot for part of the summer, usually with enough humidity to alter activities.  That's where I've been the past week or two.  I made it to the Delaware shore one day, an afternoon with a pleasant breeze to break the outdoor heat.  But for the most part, being an indoor cat has suited me better.  No fishing, more out of concern for me than the fish.  My gardens have taken sufficient root to not need a lot of supplemental water, except for my new sapling and especially for the zinnias planted in the pre-built wooden corner boxes on my deck.  Those have looked a bit droopy some days but revive quickly when added water seeps beneath the soil.  The first flowers have arrived with only small but timely amounts of care on my part. 

Air conditioning has become a high priority these past few weeks, either at home or in the car.  Walks across parking lots or at gasoline pumps have not taken a serious toll but added effort of weeding my main garden has become noticeable, so I've not been doing it in a serious way.  I have looked at the crop:  leaf herbs doing well, seeded vegetables not yet.  The inspections have been brief.

In the spring, I set up the deck for some outdoor living.  Umbrella does not work right.  Antigravity chair comfortable but not the best place to hang out on a steamy afternoon, even though the backyard faces north.  Being indoors has its opportunity for cleaning, writing, loafing.  None yet taken to best advantage.  Not even loafing.