Spoke Too Soon!

          For two weeks now, I have been sleeping sound all through the night.  Yesterday I posted about how cold it’s been and right now I am up because it’s too hot to sleep – even after turning on the A/C.  I ended up waking up instead of going back to sleep.  GRRR . . .

          Google says that the temperature is only 56 outside, but there is obviously no breeze.  No circulation.  Currently I have the fan on in the other room, and Roland is buried under the covers.  It’s quite sickening.  It did get up to 86 when I had checked less than ten hours ago.  

Of Course It Was Expected!

                The weather seemed to be the perfect temperature during Bill and Kayla's visit - except for the last day which was cold.  We had a few perfect days since until Tuesday and Wednesday.  Unbelievable Heat Wave.  Roseburg broke a record of 90 degrees on the 25th of April.  How dare it be warmer in Oregon than in Salt Lake!

            We had watched the news to learn of how much longer.  We were told that yesterday would be hot but not as bad as the last two days.  The next week predicted a drastic drop in temperature and rain.  Of course, we'll get rain.  We can make that happen just by putting up our A/C.  At first, Roland was just going to do our bedroom, and wait to install the A/C in the main room.  After watching the news, I thought he might in the bedroom, but he ended up doing both. After he had placed each one in the window, he turned them on to a nice cool temperature.  As it turned out, we didn't even need them on - well, at least not the one in the bedroom. 

            I don't know what the temperature was outside, but I'm certain that the cool winds made it feel below 70.  In the morning it was 66 - three degrees lower than Salt Lake - that has been a first for a while.  But Las Vegas has always had blazing temperatures.  How miserable for Corey to be there.

            I shut off the bedroom air and put up the windows because it was less costly, not blowing on me directly, and not as noisy.  When we retired to bed, we could hear thunder - a noise I have not been greatly familiar with since we moved to Oregon.  I did not hear any rain, however.  There is rain now, just a light one barely tapping at the skylight.  It may have been lightly tapping all night.  I didn't notice as I was asleep - except at one thirty when I retrieved some blankets I had folded up earlier and thought I would need them again.

            I got up and closed one of the windows and added another cover to the bed as I figured Roland was cold.  This morning he thanked me for the blanket and asked if I had gotten cold.  No.  I was comfortable.  I left one window open.  Neither had been open wide.  Each was just an inch or so.  That was enough.  Now they are both open.  Still not that wide.  I am comfortable with whatever temperature it is now.   

'Tis the Season of Outrageous Power Bills, Loud Noises, More Showers and Washing, and Losing Sleep

        It's hard to believe that just over a week I had the heater on just before Memorial weekend - and now?  June 1st hits with high temperatures and warm winds and knocked me into a coma.  Would not have made a good chaperone had I gone with Jenna and her classmates on her first overnight field trip through the school.

        The house is in need of new paint - actually, new railing - but paint will be less costly for us at this time.  Roland picked out the forest green I have wanted for each house that we had lived in but never quite got the color right.  Just after we put the first coat on, I wished we would have gone with blue. Jenna picked out a really pretty color - unfortunately not early enough.

The green on the house shutters and trim match the railing .
It looks more blue in this photo.  It was a steel blue before -
a VERY faded steel blue.  Guess it's not a great picture

       

        Actually the house looks nice from the road.  Up close  it is quite obvious that it has been painted by armatures. 

     I have gone outside first thing in the morning and have returned to the inside just a few hours later.  Summer hasn't officially started yet.  I am not looking forward to another year of unbearable heat.  Oregon was supposed to be cooler than Utah! 

        For a state that seems heavy into recycling, one would think they would have found a way to recycle the water that falls from the sky and use it to our advantage and lower the cost of the flippin' high water bills. So many fires and smoke last year.  Can't we just keep the rain going and enjoy cool breezes without being scorched?  And how do fires spread when it is so dang humid outside. 

        We have also painted the shed with a half price paint that didn't mix to the desired color for someone else.  We thought that one gallon would do it - and it would have if the surface hadn't been like a sandpaper texture.  Roland tried mixing the primer and varnish to finish.  He called it "giraffe paint"

which actually matched when it went on wet - but dried much lighter.

adding the "giraffe paint"

which lightened up quite a bit

So we did a mix and match patch up job.  Doesn't look great, but it actually doesn't look any worse than it did before we painted it.

we still haven't done the back - this shows how
horrible the entire shed looked before we painted

nobody sees this side of the shed

        Meanwhile we have our air conditioners running, and washing machine (I must change clothes already at LEAST three times a day) which means we're going to need to put the clothes line up - on level ground (I'm not hiking uphill to hang clothes) and the amount of sleep (or lack of sleep rather) I get is HORRIBLE - four hours a night (if that) and then the heat wakes me up - or else the loudness of the air conditioner.  I can't get in comfortable position to fall back asleep.  I AM ALWAYS TIRED.  I might as well be taking Benadryl or Nyquil.  I really would like a divorce from high/hot temperatures.  Temperature is bound to rise as the months continue.  I think it's going to be a LOOOONNNNNNGGG Summer.

        

The Elements Seem to be Teasing Us Still

This post was created two summers ago.  I don't know what button I hit that made the post change to Feb 2015. Today the winds blew strong - but it was warm outside.  Go figure.  We did use the air conditioning in the car (never have I done that in February) and although it has been warm today, it hasn't been SUMMER warm.

I wrote a few verses about how I am personally handling this heat (not well) and emailed them to a friend who made it into a song.  He’d sent me the chords and the fingering.  But seeing it on paper really doesn’t mean that much to me.  I think it was sweet of him to send it to me.

I've had two showers today but my body doesn't know it

I've planted flowers and beets but my garden doesnt' show it

I wash more clothes in summer than any other season

I'm so tired all of the time and summer is the reason

Why can't heat just stay away from me

Allow my body to breathe free

Allow my mind to think clearly

Please just let me be

cool again

I'm standing in a rather large pool of sweat

I can't believe I haven't melted away yet

And in addition the sun has fried my brain

Before this summer's over I will have gone insane

I want to be inside with the A/C blasting on

I'm looking forward to when the summer's gone

Why can't heat just stay away from me

Allow my body to breathe free

Allow my mind to think clearly

Please just let me be

alert again


My clothes are on the line and would enjoy little breeze

 
My allergies are so severe that all I do is sneeze

 
I'm washing sweat drenched clothes every other day

 
I can't believe that I have not melted away.

Why can't heat just stay away from me

Allow my body to breathe free

Allow my mind to think clearly

Please just let me be

clean again

And now my groceries are spoiling in the car

They weren't there long Nor did I drive too far

I spent more time just waiting in the line

But now I'm home and my groceries are not fine

                                                                krfalc

He didn’t include the last verse.  But I didn’t think of it until after I had sent the first three.

I actually hung the wash up and the wind started blowing fiercely.  It actually seemed to make the hotness more bearable – except it was almost too windy.  Jenna and I had gone to the park to eat lunch.  Everything kept blowing off the blanket.  After about three or four times of retrieveing items, we finally called it quits.  It appeared overcast later on in the day – teasing us with a chance of rain.  Rain made by perspiration.

Roland came home with some treats for family home evening.  They were pretty much melted by the time he got home – less than 2 blocks away.  In summer time there is no point in purchasing items such as candy bars or ice creams unless you carry a cooler in the car or if your intention was to turn those items into liquid anyway.

1st verse

  Am                                                                 G

I've had two showers today but my body doesn't know it

            Am                                                          G

Planted flowers and greens but the garden doesnt' show it

  F                                                                 G

Wash more clothes in summer than any other season

                                                                    Am

So tired all of the time and summer is the reason

2nd Verse

Am                                                  G

I'm standing in a rather large pool of sweat

  Am                                              G

Can't believe I haven't melted away yet

 F                                               G

In addition the sun has fried my brain

                                                                Am

Before this summer's over I will have gone insane

Chorus

Am                                    F

Why can't heat just stay away 

                                       Am

Allow my body to breathe free

                                     F    

Allow my mind to think clearly

                 G

Please just let me be

          Am

cool again

3rd Verse

 Am                                                             G

My clothes are on the line and would enjoy a breeze

 Am                                                   G

Allergies are so severe all I can do is sneeze

                                                           F

Soaking the fever rainment every other day

                       G 

Can't believe I haven’t melted away.

Repeat Chorus

Bridge

I want to be inside with the A/C blasting on

I'm looking forward to when the summer's dead & gone

Repeat Chorus

Riding the Blazing Furnace

I don’t mind the change in the weather.  I welcome the cool air.  Even if it means I need to bundle up or dress in layers.  The thing I don’t like is having bus drivers blare the heat as though it’s his or her sole responsibility of heating the entire universe.

When I lived with my mom and was working downtown, I would get on the bus and start stripping down.  It was a good 30-40 minute ride.  Just before we got to second south, I’d layer up again.  But the distances I have from West Valley to my destination are so much shorter. It seems senseless to strip down.  At the same time it seems I will suffocate if I don’t remove something.

I sit next to the door as often as I can – though the back door doesn’t always open.  I’m getting familiar with which drivers are able to deal with a minimum amonut of heat and which ones have to have the heat cranked up as though Roland is the driver.  I try to avoid their routes just so I can breathe.

Hartman: For All of your Contracting Needs

            No, I am not getting paid to advertise.  For heating and air conditioning I had always used Gils.  Gil comes out and gets the job done and no need to call back because the system works and they don’t leave glitches.  They’re reasonably priced – inexpensive even.  But it’s just a father and his son.  They don’t finance.

            We called Hartman when our furnace seemed to give out.  They had serviced our furnace before.  I hadn’t remembered, but it was Hartman’s paperwork tacked to our furnace that hadn’t been serviced since two years before we moved into the house.

            As I was waiting for someone to pick up, I started playing with a switch on the side of the furnace.  Apparently it had been knocked into last time someone had been in the closet to retrieve or return the card table or step latter.  The heat went on, but as it had been seven years since the heater was last serviced, I made an appointment and asked to get a bid for Central Air (Gils had given us one, but were quite booked during the summer and quite overworked I am guessing.)

Hartman’s bid was just a little above Gils – only they could finance – which could be done over the phone.  Sorry Gil.  I really do like your service.    We won't forget you.  You do a great job! But I just wasn’t comfortable paying it all up front at this particular time.

Hartman was to our house bright and early yesterday. Though our furnace and water heater were both working, Roland and I realized that their days were numbered as our furnace was 35 years old and our water heater was 15 – which I understand is 3-5 years longer than normal.  Mineral deposits may have kept it alive.  At the same time I think may have been solely responsible for sucking our water pressure as the water pressure we have now is so much better.  Who would have thought?

I never looked at our relic furnace and water heater as blessings before.  We have been major blessed that neither had gone out on us – or our tenants before us.

Hartman does plumbing, electrician, roofing . . . Last night the plumber was here making things right.  He told us what a good company Hartman is to work for.  Thus far, I don’t have any complaints.

Thank you Jason, Stetson, Julian and Jim for making a difference already.  Summer will be so much bearable.  And we will definitely use you again.  Especially for the electrical part, I’m certain – as we know only a few electricians and they are PRICY!!!  I bet they don’t finance either.  And you do seem more reasonable with your prices.

Could be more thorough with your communication skills, I think.  As with many big companies, often the right hand doesn’t know what the left is doing.  But everything has been resolved (at least we hope it has) and for that we are grateful.

October Air

     I Love the fall.  I love the crisp air.  I love rain.

     The last week of September seems to cool down – not as cold as October – sometimes wet.  Not always.

     This September has been extremely hot – hotter than August.  Hot like July.  I welcome the October air.

     It started on Saturday.  Down poured all day.  There was a funeral at the Church.  And Jenna had a party to attend.

    

     I went with Roland to the Church and took the cake for the luncheon provided to the family.  I asked what time I was needed.  Not until noon.  I returned to the house until it was time to leave.

     I put the dog out so he would go to the bathroom outside and not in the house.  I planned to bring him back inside after I took Jenna to her party.

     Joni and Super Ruby had plates of salad ready to go out into the cultural hall.  Originally the Relief Society was told to plan for 100 – 125 people.  I’m guessing the rain kept many away.

     Jenna played in the nursery as we waited for the funeral to end.  When Roland came into the kitchen to assist, I could hear the rain beating down.  I asked Roland if he would take Jenna to the party so that I wouldn’t have to drive.

     Pamela gave the closing prayer and asked that the rain could be lifted long enough for the grave to be dedicated.  And it was.  It stopped as the dedication got started, it continued just as the dedication ended.  Or so I heard.  I was moving salads from the kitchen to the tables – along with some other sisters and Roland.

     He left long enough to get Jenna to her friend’s birthday party.  Super Ruby cut each sheet cake into twelve pieces and scooped out monster squares to put on plates. 

     Super Ruby doesn’t seem to delegate.  She somehow believes that she is in charge and is responsible for feeding at least 30 - 50  people by herself.  She is a great cook.  I bet she owns at least a hundred pots and pans.  She had only brought twelve of them.  Plus she provided all the table decorations.

     I probably could have come home.  Before the family returned to the church, more kitchen help arrived.  More than was actually needed, I think. 

     After Jenna called to announce that the party was over and Roland had taken all the tables down, he came to get me and announced that we were leaving.  By then it was just Joni and Super Ruby left in the kitchen – although Kristen would be returning, and I said I would return as well.  But after I had stacked all of Super Ruby’s pans, and sacks, and goods by the door, Joni told me that they didn’t need me to return.

     Roland wanted to run a few errands.  We went to Fashion Place Mall.  I hate Fashion Place Mall.  It’s too busy.  It’s too overwhelmingly crowded with stores and shops and people.

     Roland had volunteered to drop me and Jenna off at the curb or return to pick us up at the curb so that we wouldn’t have to get wet.  Jenna and I welcomed the rain.  We needed it.  We needed it to soak into our skin and wash the heat away. 

     I don’t know what time it was when we finally returned home.  Oh, no!  I had left Highness outside!  All that time.  And he doesn’t have the sense to seek shelter, and so he was wet.  Fur soaked through.  We let him in.  He wanted to cuddle.  He wanted us to love the moisture away, I guess.

     It rained again yesterday and all last night.  Grey clouds this morning, but when the sun came up, the clouds gradually went from grey to white and it hasn’t rained today.  But the air is still crisp like October air.  

     Some trees have turned, but not all.  Most of them are green still.  At least the ones that are in my view.  I know they've already turned in the mountains.  I heard that there is a high percentage of snow - in the mountains.  It can snow in the mountains.  So long as it stays in the mountains.  I'd rather trudge in snow than blazing heat though.

     I considered going to Kayla’s.  Of course I missed the first bus I saw.  It turned before I could cross – and my feet hurt too much to continue walking.  So I sat down and waited 15 minutes.

     The transfer had buses scheduled at three minutes apart.  I should have taken the second one.  I may have made the next transfer.  I didn’t think about it until I was on my way to the TRAX station that I would have to wait for another half hour (which would make another hour before arriving to Kayla’s) and so I just took the train and went back home.

     I cleaned out the pantry and did the dishes.  Roland wanted me to program a remote.  But first I had to print out the directions.  My eyesight is not that great – I need the instructions to be in big letters.  I still can’t get the remote to work however.  And now I am creating this post to put on my blog.  And now you are reading it.

94 in Death Valley

I so love this time of the year

In the morning just before the sun rises

At night – just as the sun is setting.

The weather is fair.  I like the cool air.

But the sun beats down in between.

It shouldn’t be this warm hot in September

I think it feels like Baker or Death Valley, California. 

I suppose that would be a slight exaggeration.

94 degrees might be considered cool for Death Valley

 

I remember one year my family was on our way to Bakersfield, California to see Corey in a play

We stopped off in Baker to get a bite to eat

The air was hot.  Unbearably hot. And dry. 

It was said the temperature was 117.

Patrick had gone into the men’s restroom to remove his shirt and douse it in water.  What a great idea!  I went to the women’s restroom and did the same. 

Our shirts were dry before we got back in the car.

 

Baker boasts to have the world’s tallest thermometer.  It is 134 feet tall.

The height represents the ground breaking Fahrenheit temperature of Death Valley’s hottest day. 

On the thermometer are the words: “Baker ca Gateway to Death Valley”

Corey had taken a picture back in the day before everybody had digital

He didn’t realize the word Valley had been cut off but posted his picture anyway

He thought it amusing and shared his photo

Baker ca Gateway to Death

Walking from the bus stop to the school and then back again is like walking through Death (or to Death – not the way I want to go)

Who Would Have Thunk?

 

          

            My shed is in disarray and I know that I have shorts in there somewhere.  I don’t know where.  I’ve been searching for a nice day in which to organize and dejunk (there are tons of items that really should be trashed)

            I need a time that’s not too hot and not too cold.  Mornings are good – if I can find the ambition.  It usually takes me longer to wake up and by the time I get dressed and think of it, it is time for Jenna and I to leave.

            She’s taking an art class downtown.  I’m always so hot between bus stops and the train.  The bus has been running late due to construction.  (Utah roads are ALWAYS under construction during the months that aren't winter) It should still come within twenty minutes, I would think, regardless.  But there have been 30-40 minute delays.  That is a long time in the cold or the heat.

  The A/C has been on full blast every night for two weeks for two weeks before Fathers’ Day. Last night I had the heater on.  What’s up with that?

            Monday was cold when we left the house.  She wanted to walk up to TRAX to start out with – forget the bus.  I can’t believe June in halfway over and we were wearing sweatshirts.  Underneath I was dressed in pink and green.  I must have looked like rainbow sherbet.

            I don’t know what possessed me to wear such nice clothes when I’d be near paint.  Fortunately I was able to keep my clothes clean and dressed down yesterday and today.

            Yesterday was overcast.  I took my umbrella.  It was cold.  It was wet.  God watered my lawn.  I truly appreciate that.  The water pressure in my neighborhood is very poor – even more so than last year.  Watering my lawn would take four hours or so – and it’s NOT because I have a big yard.  The pressure is so low that the water has to be moved by hand in order to water the entire lawn.

            I had left Highness outside.  He didn’t appear to take shelter.  We dried him off and moved him near the fireplace and provided some heat for him.  Poor dog has got a cold.

            The sun is shining now.  The forecast said it would be cold still.  Summer officially starts next week and we’ve had early November chills to deal with.  I just don’t get Mother Nature.  Is she angry?

too short of a break

I was planning on hanging laundry today – two loads at least.  I looked outside to discover I have only two lines – and certainly more than two lines worth of clothes. 

If it was mid –summer, two lines might be enough.  As I have mentioned in at least one other post, by the time I finish hanging the laundry in the blazing heat, they are ready to take back down.

But today there is a cool breeze which is nice against the blazing heat.  Blazing?  Summer hasn’t officially started.  Do I dare say the sun is blazing when I know the heat from the sun right now is nothing compared to what it will become.

Our washing machine needs to be cleaned.  I can smell it.  If I can smell it, it must be pretty bad.  I couldn’t smell the dog when everybody else was commenting on his stink.  I didn’t know. 

I took him into the front yard and hosed him down and used a dog shampoo.  I remember when I could smell, there was   one product that I didn’t care for.  I honestly thought it smelled worse than the dog stink.  But right now I can’t smell either way.  I’ve been told that the dog does smell better.  I just have to take everyone’s word for it.

Busy Day ahead of me.  Guess this break is over.  Woe is me.

Unbearable Heat

On Monday I created this post.

On Tuesday it was windy.       Not just a cool breeze.  Powerful winds – almost like before a storm. The skies were grey but appeared almost cloudless and yet I could not get this song out of my head

Since then the temperatures have been in the three digits.  It’s not supposed to go down until Wednesday.  And then it’s still supposed to be 97

Biff said he is unable to sleep because it’s so freakin hot and we have taken out the air conditioner that was in his room and put it in the main room.  Roland says he can’t give it back until Biff’s room is clean.  And if it’s not clean, we will be moving him into Jenna’s room and Jenna can have Biff’s room. 

We did set up a small inflatable pool.  It has been somewhat helpful.  But theoretically we’re not supposed to be using so much water.  There is a drought. Grass is dry and we’re not supposed to water.  Go figure.