Open Thread – Make a Wish!
We’re having a bit of a chilly spell here on the Last Frontier. While temperatures soar to record highs in the east, we are stuck with a week of cloudy, sometimes breezy, high 50s, with showers on and off. Not the greatest weather for camping, but it does provide some lovely diffused light for taking pictures of flowers. So, that’s what I’ve been doing. I’ll share over the coming days.
Let’s begin with the much-loathed, but objectively gorgeous dandelion.
I’d never make a good suburbanite, I love dandelions. They’re beautiful, they’re delicious, and they’re medicinal. I don’t know how they became the enemy, but I’m on their side.
Monsoons have arrived in Colorado, and not a moment too soon. Cool temps and almost 3″ of liquid gold in the last two days- temps in the 80s, 70s tomorrow. Not crazy about the humidity, but its much better than the high 90s and 100s we’ve had in June and July.
Great relief for the fires in our state…
That is a beautiful dandelion photo! I bet the bunny family that used to live in our front yard had a picture like that on the living room wall. I always enjoyed watching the bunnies munching dandelion puffs in the early evening. They just snapped the dandelion puff off at the bottom of the stem and sat quietly munching upwards until they had devoured the whole thing.
I know what it’s like to live in those awful temperatures without an air conditioner. Our last summer in Wichita (1980) we had a couple of weeks of temps in the high 90s and then in the 100s – all with a window unit in the living room. I was never more miserable. Some nights it didn’t even get into the 80s in the middle of the night. Bleah.
I was so happy when we moved to the Puget Sound where the temperatures are moderate and the summers are beautiful. We might have one or two days of temperatures in the 90s, but not much more.
I don’t miss Kansas at all. And when we lived in Lawrence it was worse – the humidity was unbearable there too. We never did live any place there with central air conditioning. I honestly don’t know how we stood it year after year. I’ll take our cool rainy weather any day over those hot summers that often stretched into September and October.
Live in GA and have no AC, but usually do just fine with ceiling fand here in the mountains. There were a couple of days last week, though, that it really got way too hot! On top of that the power went out for 6 hours.
I opened my chest freezer the next morning, and water poured out the top, and the frost build-up had pulled away from the sides. I called my faithful appliance guy, only to be told they were all out with air conditioning problems. All day I imagined having to bail out water and spoiled food. Finally the phone rang and was “my guy”, who told me to take the phone out to the freezer and feel around the sides where the frost had pulled away, and feel if new ice crystals were forming. THEY WERE! He said it has been so
hot that freezers have had a hard time keeping up. On top of that, mine is in an enclosed porch. I really thought that i was facing a freon charge or a new freezer. After all, we hauled the thing down from AK 31 years ago! Now I’m really worried about using my dryer out there.
Keep Cool, All!
Be careful there!
Hoping the purported cooldown in next few days happens.
Hi, Pi! I hear from my son that AK doesn’t have the heat problem, it’s the mosquitos that are really feisty this year. He is out fighting fires in Nenana. Image trying to put out fires and swatting mosquitoes at the same time, even though you have doused yourself with insect repellent!
Hi tigerwine !
Sounds yucko- the firefighting mosquito batting dealie!
My part of SE Alaska has set records for rainfall and low temps for both May and June this year while so many of you are just miserable with heat and dry
Lots and lots and lots of no-seeums and slugs but not as many skeeters as usual. Mosquitos mostly leave me alone though -too ornery I guess.
Best wishes to your son- may he be safe and thanks for his work in the Interior!
What is “air conditioning” ??
It comes in a bottle and you put it on the air right after it rains, while the air is still damp.
You can blow dry it then but it’s usually better to just let it dry naturally. Keeps the air soft and manageable.
Oh!
Thanks, leenie!
Any time, slip. Happy to help clarify these important issues! 🙂
My friends will melt when they return from their Alaskan vacation. Another Hot one here in Southern Iowa.
But the people out East are really having a bad time. Sooooo many still without power. Groceries stores throwing away food that has spoiled. I just wonder when all this will end.
Most folks here have their power back on. Saw a big group of workers all from Texarkana gathered at the grocery store parking lot. They were getting ready to go out to work. I shook the hands of every last one of them and thanked them all for coming from so far away to help out. I really appreciate these crews working in the hot temps we have been having to restore power. They deserve every penny they earn.
I have to small window air conditioning units, one in the bed room and one in the dogs room that are barely keeping up. The rest of the house is about 82 degrees and feels like heaven compaired to outside. I think the dogs would prefer to be toilet trained right now so they don’t have to go outside.
On the bright side, we should get some relief in a day or two.
aaaahhhhhh! one of my favorite pasttimes….walking thru the yard with a long screwdriver, popping dandelions outta the grass… Just when you think you’ve got them all……. Taaaa-Dummm! thar they be, popping up all over the place again !!!
Do not miss having a lawn! Suckers are a lot easier to pop out and keep out of gravel paths and raised perennial beds .
Sure hoping the cooling forecast for East and Midwest for weekend happens .
We have warmed up to high 50s for daytime finally- even broke 60 a couple times in last week.Almost normal for us- including the rain 🙂
Here’s to cooling for those who need it and warming for us who want it!
I swear they deliberately lay down flat in the grass when they hear the mower engine starting up. As soon as it’s passed, * POP* ! ! ! …up they come, standing tall and waving in the breeze.
If they had noses they’d be thumbing them at us as they tossed their seeds into the breeze!