"The time is 6:54 pm. Current temperature : 87 degrees. "
I wonder how hot it was at noon, when I was up on the roof in the sun. Pulling the old cooler pads off, brushing out the cooler box, sneezing and coughing as the dust rose and the brittle straw splintered in my hands. Must have been near 100. My sun-kissed cheeks betray my laxness with the sunscreen. It only takes minutes to burn here in Albuquerque, a mile high in the desert sky.
Every year we try to make it to Memorial Day before we turn the coolers on. Used to be a friendly contest between us and our nearest neighbor. Who was the toughest? Who could stand it the longest? Who could "live naturally" without "wasting" water and electricity to cool down? Some years she "won", some years we did.
I don't think I can make it to Memorial Day this year. In fact, as soon as I post this, I'm going back up there in the (relative) cool of evening to finish the job. The heat makes me cranky. I bark at my kids and hiss at the pets. I drink never-enough water to feel saturated in this dry desert summer. What I really want to do is sit on the verandah all day sipping -what is it they sip- mint juleps, delicately fanning my damp ringlets. Or, better yet, fill my tub with cool water and lie there like a turtle, only my head poking out as I wait for the sun to pass over.
Thank goodness for modern technology and whoever invented the Swamp Cooler.
How's the weather where you are?
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Where I am it's hot, dry, brilliantly sunny and the swamp cooler is grinding away. Oh, yeah. I'm in New Mexico, too!
I remember one summer not long ago in Austin when it reached 116 degrees and even my eyeballs felt too hot to continue to function. That was when I wrote my first letter urging our ivy league educated president to do something to stop global warming. My opinion didn't seem to matter to him then, or now.
I've missed you over at my place, Peg. Come say hi.
I feel your heat, Peg. Ninety seven in the shade before Memorial Day??? That's a tad hot.
We here in the East are having our beautiful springlike season, with a few odd twists. Days mostly mid 60's to 70's, some days heating the apartment to the point of requiring AC, believe it or not. (Hey, if it was "A Contest" like they had on "Seinfeld" once, I'd lose. I ain't gonna just sit there and "fan my ringlets." Much as I try to hold out, if I'm stuck inside, and it starts getting into the mid 80's indoors, even with the windows open, I'm reaching for that AC!)
However, it's been getting down into the 40's and 50's at night, very unusual this late in the season. Sometimes, the AC's gotta go off and the HEAT's gotta come on at night. I'm trying, of course, to keep everything off as much as possible.
We've had a bit more rain and cloudy days this year, including Friday, when, looking out of my office, it felt like I was in there working for 6 days--cloudy overcast; next look, violent thunderstorms and lightning, with heavy rain; next look, beautiful sun with blue skies; next look, dark, midnight clouds; next look, more thunderstorms and heavy rain; next look, calm sun. You get the idea. Every time I glanced out the window, it was like a different day. (Our weather is virtually NEVER so changeable. That's why I felt like I was inside my office for "nigh on a week," as George Thorogood would say.)
Yesterday, was a beautiful, sunny, top-down, 75 degree day. Today is cloudy and clammy.
That's the Weather Report from THIS side of the country.
Now, back to you in our New Mexican studios.
Earlier this week it was in the high 90s with a breeze- actually very pleasant.
Then it cooled off yesterday and has been raining all day today in the 70s.
Kids still tempted by our pool- but more tempted by a rare opportunity to stay in pajamas all day.
da Queen
May 21, 2006. Brutal heat, 110 on my thermometer at 3pm on the west facing screened-in back porch, but the sun is hitting it directly. A better indicator of the heat factor is how early in the day our old dog walks down the steps into the swimming pool. Today she went in at 6 am.
We're in Las Cruces and loving it. It's better hot than cold I think, especially if you like to jump into the pool and splash about. Another positive-the dog and I own the streets strolling at 10 or 11 pm at night with a great view of stars, and air temps are perfect!
Hey, thanks for all the weather reports. I think talking about the weather is not boring at all. Au contraire!
First 50- I'm happier today now that my cooler is going too. It was 80 degrees in the house this morning at 7am before I went up on the roof again to finish up. Whew! I'm sorry I've been scarce at your place. Will come by tomorrow.
Connery - Your weather from Friday sounds like our weather here all the time. Changeable. Wonderful. Different story every hour. (Except we usually get just the promise of rain, not the fulfillment). What's "top down" mean? You go topless? You have a convertible?
doc nos - YOu must live in Hawaii.
Queenie - lucky you to have rain! And a pool. Bet the kids LIVE there in the summer.
anafaran - You have a pool too?! Lucky you! I don't envy your Las Cruces temps, though. Reminds me of Tucson, where I went to med school. 106 deg days all summer long. Too hot to go outside! The ironic thing about Tucson was that you'd have to take a sweater to go anywhere, because they'd keep the INSIDES of the buildings so dang COLD! Terrible waste of energy. I hear you about the night time. Even up here in ABQ, the streets and parks come alive at dusk.
I can't resist offering the other bookend to your post, Peg. Here in Alaska, it snowed most of the day yesterday. The sun's not setting till after midnight, but it's often still below freezing when it does. Check my post today on Tundra Medicine Dreams--I finally got photos on--of snow on May 20th. Holy cow! I'm ready for a visit to Albuquerque.
It rained here and was much cooler than where you are. I hate the heat! I am a delicate flower that wilts and becomes useless when it gets too hot.
You have to love springtime in Oregon. Last week we were in the 90's all week, this week we're back to 65 and raining. It's a good trade off.
tundra pa - snow, still!? Wow. But soon you'll be all about daylight and the midnight sun and all that. I tell ya, Alaska isn't for the faint of heart, is it? Crazymaking.
mom- I wilt in the heat too, although I wouldn't call myself a delicate flower. More like a cactus. I get extra prickly.
heather - Send some of your rain southwards, won't ya?
it has been hot here... It hit 95 my cookie monster wouldn't stop screaming and I called my dad and begged him to put in the window units....ahhhh sweet air conditioning ... who ever invented them should get like a nobel peace prize or something.
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