July 23, 2006

  • I can’t remember a weekend like this.  It’s been a hundred-and-something all weekend long.  Last night I laid down on the couch — My bedroom is upstairs, and at the first landing I turned back around – with all the doors and windows open, desperate for sleep.  I tried to keep one eye and both ears open but gave up the watch around 3:30.  I’ve been writing in my creepy but cold basement but after a couple hours the sand chair, as I’ve heard them called, is too uncomfortable and I drag myself back up into the heat.  I’ve been to the mall, the movies, to listen to music, to dinner, to lunch; all the air-conditioned places I could stand to be but today I braved it here, naked, in front of the fan.  The only good part is that my crazy dog just lays there.  It kind of scared me so I took her outside and hosed her down.  She perked up for an hour but now she’s back down.  I’m waiting for it to get down to 95 so I can wash my hair.  Maybe around 9:00.  

Comments (41)

  • Oy! That’s hot. We took a drop recently and it was a relief. I just checked your weather and ouch. It is supposed to go down to 90 tomorrow but it won’t hit 80 until Saturday. I hope that comes sooner for you.

    I used to take my sheets and wet them down in the shower then put the in the freezer for a few hours before bed time on those night too hot to sleep. By morning they were dry all except from where I sweated in the night. Wishing cool winds your way.

  • No kidding.  Our basement is definitely the most comfortable place to be right now.  We watched movies down there the last two nights.  We’re managing to sleep in our bedroom on the main floor but only with the windows open and a fan aimed at the bed.  We were actually crazy enough to go to the Salem Art Festival today.  I wanted to check out the show (I had been waitlisted for it) and show support for the artists I knew who were there.  It was fun, but way too hot.

    I wish I could cool off the cats by hosing them down.  They’re complaining about the heat, too, but there’s not much I can do for them.

  • Same here. 110 yesterday! And we were at a swim meet until 2pm. Ugh. We do have an old barely functioning a/c that I turn on at most generally about 5 times a year but we’ve had over 10 day so 100+ temps here, with it hitting 110 yesterday so it’s been on more than normal. My “office” is upstairs and I can stand it when it’s 80 but above that I get pretty whacked. We slept downstairs as well last night. No way was the upstairs inhabitable.

  • Dear lord! That sounds awful! I hope it cools down soon…try putting a fan in front of a bowl of water… also run really cold water on your wrists..palm side up..and don’t forget what i have done when desperate…go open the freezer door and insert your head till your nose bumps the peas…then soak up that cool air for a few minutes..hugs…I am speaking of a freezer on a fridge of course….otherwise you might feel even sillier.

  • ryc: I thought everyone had them! You have to have them. They’re those feelings that you get with a picture that hasn’t happended. Anyway, to answer your question, the only way I know when they are supposed to come about is when I look at them, I try to find a visual clue as to the time frame. If there is a window I look out to see the weather and the vehicle types. If there is a paper, I look at the date. Or if a television is on, I check out the program. A recent one has a computer screen on it and the date is in December. Which is odd, because I’m wearing a super short skirt in it. Should be fun figuring that one out! And not everyone has a date either. I hate those. I like to know when they are due to expire. I forget them and when I have them once they are gone. And not one of them has been a prophecy of the event in the thought. That’s why I thought that everyone must have them. Like subconscious reminders. Feeling really dorky now. Oh well, it could be worse.

    Hey, want to kick Kimo’s ass? I did. He’s about but he’s not. So I poked him with a stick.

  • ryc: Yeah. It’s like there is the cast of characters in your life and then there are all the possible situations that exist and the mind just sticks the two together and sometimes tosses in a date or time so that the reminder is date specific. However, the event actually doesn’t ever happen, or so far it hasn’t. Oh wait, I’ll clear this up fast hang on.

  • I hope the weather is cooler at your state by now. I found exercise vigorously daily helped my insomnia a great deal.

  • okay, just need to acknowledge – I was wrong.  It’s been over two weeks now. 

    The heat hasn’t been that high here, but the humidity has been a killer.  We have a small house and discovered our two air conditioners do the entire house nicely.  We are getting spoiled, until the next electric bill that is.  Last night we finally shut them down and it’s bearable today.  Hope things improve for you!  Just reading last night in NG that this global warming thing is no longer theory, that 2005 was the warmest year on record, that the polar ice cap has already melted beyond some point of no return…..but the article did have some upbeat alternative ideas – stopping the incredible energy use in the US just for transporting food that is out of season, and eating from our local farmers markets.  Eating what occurs naturally in our part of the world.  I think that’s finally something I can do.

  • My home must be the only place on the continent that’s experiencing an unseasonably cool couple of days.  We’ll zoom back up to the corpulent, humid days that make my mother ill, but right now I’m enjoying cool nights in the 60s.  Where did they come from?  How are we going to have to make up for it?  These are questions I’ll try not to ask right now.  I know my part of the country’s going to get bitten in the ass pretty damned soon (what goes around comes around), but I’m just going to enjoy it while it lasts.

  • OMG, this sounds like one night we had in South Dakota at my Mom’s

  • Wow! Everyone is talking about the heat! Hi I popped over from Bills to see your place. We have been hot but not that bad! Hope you have a cool down soon. Have a good week!

  • strange for it to be that hot there isn’t it?

  • ryc: I put a comment in a previous entry to explain. You are too good at intuition! I hope the comment explains why I deleted one. If you check your comment log you’ll find it. I wsa covering my booty. Which I will have to do until Friday or Thursday night.

  • It’s so insane right now with this country wide heat wave…I hope this doesn’t end up as some future trend.

  • We’ve the same ugly weather here….back later…dave popped home for lunch early..marilyn

  • you haven’t been to the opera? i think you would love it… if you went to the right one. it has everything you love in one place- great music, maybe some dance (if you see the right thing), and great ppl to watch during intermission! :)

  • seems so strange to have such hot weather in the Northwest huh? I am thinking about dragging out the window fans that have been stored since living on the East Coast where it REALLY heats up— thinking I’ll do it and the temp will drop back down to the normal 70 the second I do.

  • oh, and the basement is nice and cool, not too creepy, just too dark, here…

  • It was 122 in the San Fernando[?] Valley, so basically you’re having ski weather

    Everyone’s sweltering from coast to cost…but there AINT no global warming

  • it reminded me of the year our a/c went out in the middle of the summer.  not too much works for long.  hope the heat abates for you.

  • Sorry you’re suffering so badly…..so few houses here in Oregon have AC, but fortunately for me we have it.  I melt every time I take the dog out.

  • My A/C in on and pumping madly..I bet the power bill for this month will be ugly..

    Colors while painting….yes, But I didn’t pick these either, Jennifer did..it’s her bedroom at her house…I do pick some cool colors too though.  Maybe I’ll take pictures of that to show you, but when it’s cooler…like winter..tehe..marilyn

  • We were at the Art Fair here in Salem on Sunday and it was 104º. My poor mom totally wilted. I was so glad we have ac for her to come home to. All in all, I still think it’s better than in VA where it’s always hot and has matching humidity. Hope you’ve cooled down and gotten your rest now.

  • Do y’all not have AC?  I couldn’t live without it.  The thought makes me feel ill.

  • We’ve had a couple of hot days – thank goodness for A/C! I wish I could send some cool air your way.

  • How have you been Prudy? You have not posted for 5 days. I miss you writing.

  • more than ever I am thankful that our house has central air!
    my friend’s house where I stayed in Connecticut didn’t…
    now I’m starting to think that was yet another reason I couldn’t really write there.

    (some days, when I’m particularly delusional, regarding my ex, I believe I was the “love of his life” … I wanted the divorce, he didn’t… I don’t think he ever got over it… I wrote about all that too in a longer piece.)

  • RYC: Second job – Subway mania!

  • Wow! I’d small window ac, or else I’d live in the basement–with the doggie.

    Hi. I’m just stopping by to invite you to become a member of The SSS Forum on writing. The forum is free, informal, and friendly. The forum is on my website, Sullivan’s Short Stories (SSS) As a member you can 1.) Discuss writing on the forum. 2.) Comment on posted stories 3.) Have your own stories or poetry posted on SSS (as long as it meets the guidelines)4.) Discuss anything in an open topic forum. There is an appreciable number of readers from just about every part of the world..

    On SSS you’ll also find lots of info on writing such as advice and writing tips, interesting facts on writing, and links to other interesting sites.

    I keep an informal atmosphere. There are no requirements on critiquing, commenting, or posting stories–it’s on an as-you-like basis. I do require that there be no flaming or excessive profanity.

    It’s easy to join. Just go to Sullivan’s Short Stories, then go to “The SSS Forum,” register, and you’re in. Takes only a minute or two.
    Donald Sullivan

  • I hope things have cooled off some since this was posted.

  • ryc: See what I mean, You were dead on in that coment of yours ad you didn’t even know it. Jules would have suspected that I gave her secret away. She would torture me! But thins thing is over and I ma so darned glad for it.

  • RYC: Thanks for saying you like the pics, you know me, I’m a shooting fool!! And as for the dresser, I think that eventually I will drag that sucker out of there myself, but truly don’t have a spot for it until Missy moves out anyway, so why stick it here at all until I do..marilyn

  • Good thing it’s cooled off some now, eh?

    RYC: it wasn’t protected, and I didn’t really think it would be a problem since only the house numbers were showing, not the street name (unless you saw that somewhere and I missed it).  But I photoshopped out the numbers anyway, just to be safe.

  • Hi im thirteen and looking for online pals

  • Prudy…Did you keel over from the heat?

  • You have been popping into my mind all day to day and yesterday. Today I wanted to sit down and tell yout hat then the phone rang, and then something else and something else and now, finally, I can get here and I have no idea what I want to say. Other than that I am thinking of you. You are smiling a little in my head but I don’t know why and I don’t know in what way. In any event, I am currently Pru watching.

  • Hi back. You okay? What’s going on? I finally posted again tonight. Long and rambly…

  • our heatwave has finally gotten below 100.. its hot but nice..I wish you the same

  • where are ya?  have you melted?

  • We’ve got it here, Prudy. Only I have a/c, so I can hide out in the house. I went out with the convertible and the top down and felt like I was roasting alive. Forget that. Next time I’m leaving the top up and a/c on. Cats don’t even know what they are missing. I don’t know what they would do in this heat. I worry about the strays.

    Lynn

  • no updates?! Hope all is well…

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