Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Heatwave

Extremes, though contrary, have the like effects. Extreme heat kills, and so extreme cold... - George Chapman

Okay, I realize for those of you down south, it may not sound like much ... but we're in the middle of a massive heatwave up here in the northeast -- temps in the high 90s to 100+ and incredibly humid. What makes this worse is that we don't typically get temps like these, not for more than a day or two, so just aren't prepared for it.

I have no A/C in my house. Not even a window one. So, I sit and sweat and suffer.

This morning, our sediment filter for the house was full. DH changed it out this morning, and it's already getting full again. What this could indicate is that our well is drying out and we're hitting bottom. We aren't expecting any rain for almost a week so it's conceivable that we may run out of water. He seems unconcerned. I'm exactly the opposite, and am VERY concerned about the possibility. I'm praying for rain, and a lot of it.

I can't walk the dog, even first thing in the morning. I tried today, but it's already almost 80 out, and feels like I'm swimming through the air. I don't know if I can take four more days of this. Today is supposed to be the worst day and then it's "cooling off" into the low 90s for the rest of the week (but the humidity is increasing -- I didn't think that was possible).

I want a summer home in Alaska.

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In Pillar Place: Swallowtail -- just to prove me wrong, we had two butterflies emerge yesterday: Epsilon and Zeta (both males). This morning, five more were fluttering around: Nu, Mu, Eta, Beta, and Theta (three males and two females). This leaves three more (I think ... the butterflies are still drying their wings so I don't want to open up the box and check).

In Pillar Place: Monarch -- Xi has about doubled in size. It's incredible how quickly they grow. We found Omincron, inside a small curl in the leaf, little bugger. We'd like to go on another egg hunt, but it's just too hot to be tromping around outside in the sun, so it may have to wait until next week.

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Got more writing done yesterday. It's a bit frustrating, though. I can SEE the scene in my head. See the characters as they move and speak, but I'm struggling to convert that into words that bring it to life. Still, I like the story and the characters, so I think it'll work itself out.

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You Are Sideburns



You are quirky and a bit of a goofball. You don't take yourself too seriously, but you do pride yourself in being unique.

You take something ordinary and put your own twist on it. You have a naturally funky sense of style.



You are the last person you know to get stuck in a rut. In fact, you're well known for not really having strong habits or patterns.

You shake things up before they get boring. You're constantly changing and evolving... no one can keep up!



HAHAHAHAHAHA... no.

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11 comments:

MJFredrick said...

Ugh! We didn't even get to 90 yesterday, VERY unusual, since last year at this time, we were hitting the 100s regularly. Can't imagine doing it without AC. Sending cool thoughts!

Dru said...

I have a butterfly question: can they be release in hot and humid weather?

Good luck with the writing. Since the scene is in your head, have you thought about recording your thoughts instead of writing it?

You Are a Beard

You are mature and self-assured. You march to your own beat, and you can get away with being a little different.

Some may accuse you of having something to hide, and while that's not exactly true, you do like to keep to yourself.

You have a bit of a mad scientist personality. You love to experiment and tinker with things.

You are stable and steady. You don't get flustered easily, and you have a high threshold for stress.
This is pretty good assessment.

Hope the rain comes for you.

Have a good Tuesday!

Mary Curry said...

Hi Marianne,

From one overheated place to another. We took our dog for a walk along the Hudson River the other day thinking the cool breeze would be enough but the poor thing was panting so hard I was really worried for him. He did nothing but sleep all day yesterday.

I worry for my DH who does physical labor restoring houses. This is not the type of weather to be working hard in, but try to tell him that.

Fingers crossed on your well.

Anonymous said...

So sorry to hear about the heatwave! It is 115 degrees F here in Phoenix but we are used to it, believe it or not. It's when I learn to really appreciate my air conditioner.

*does rain dance*

Here's hoping for rain!

Mary Curry said...

testing - I posted a comment a few hours ago but it never showed.

In case this shows up, I was just commiserating on the heat. We took Fenway for a walk along the Hudson River on Sunday and it took him two days to recover. Poor baby. I thought the breeze would keep him cool but he was panting something awful by the end.

Brandy said...

The heat is back here and the humidity is building. We're not officially in drought and that worries me. I hope y'all get some rain soon and cooler temps, too!

It'll help to ice your pulse points and even freeze a bottle of water and place it under your arm. Take care and stay cool(ish).

Marianne Arkins said...

Mary, the weather for this time of year is crazy. They have "cooling centers" set up all over the state for people. Our air quality is VERY poor and people with breathing difficulties are really suffering. I hope it breaks soon.

I'd expect this in Texas (I visited for two weeks one August -- bad choice of timing, lol), but not of New Hampshire.

Marianne Arkins said...

Dru, re: butterflies and hot/humid weather. They can absolutely be released -- in fact, they HAVE to be warm to fly. But, butterflies need water just like anything else, so I'm glad we have a creek out back (it's nearly dry, but there are still some puddles). All five butterflies from today were more than happy to take off!

Marianne Arkins said...

MaryC, Oh NO -- your poor husband!! My DH sealed our driveway yesterday. I told him he was out of his mind. This is not the weather to be outdoors doing anything strenuous.

And, re: posts... the comments took several hours to show up. Blogger was being weird.

Marianne Arkins said...

Liz, re: 115 in AZ ... "at least it's a dry heat" *G*

All kidding aside, the humidity makes a huge difference. I grew up in California, and am used to summer temps in the 100s, but this is miserable primarily because of the high humidity.

Thanks for the rain dance. Feel free to repeat whenever the mood strikes you! (video is welcome)

Marianne Arkins said...

Brandy, the thought of putting a frozen water bottle under my arm is ... brrrr...

Of course, that's the whole point, right? LOL...

Thanks for your wishes for lower temps and rain. We need them (especially the rain).