Weird Weather of '09 #12

We're at 102 here. Even my lizard is too hot- he's sitting in his water dish.

They keep extending the severe heat warning- now it's through friday.

It's a 102 here too, the house is cooler but I'm still dripping. I really feel sorry for the cats, but they won't use the cold towels I made for them, just the ice pack and they haven't laid down anywhere that I could set that up.

It's currently 102 in downtown Seattle, but weather.com says it's 107 in Woodinville. Thank goodness I take a Community Transit bus with air conditioning for the hour plus bus portion of my trip.

I'm in an air-conditioned building, but my dogs and cats are at home today. I hope they're okay. They cats are descended from desert animals, so I don't feel as sorry for them as for the dogs - especially my guy who has so much coat.

I don't know how we'll survive tonight with any decent amount of sleep. I'm going to try putting a large bowl of cold water in front of the fan and see if that doesn't help some.

At least tonight's supposed to be the worst of it - that's some consolation.

106 now.. To hot to even walk the two blocks to our mail station and pick up the mail. Usually its junk mail or bills...guess it will wait until it cools downs !!

It's up to 103 here. I'm about to go over to mom's and I put the clothes I'm changing into in the freezer, I figure it can't hurt.

Your're off Laura....according to KOMO we are at 104 right now in Olympia...weather.com says 103...the dog and I say too HOT.....Porter has not moved from the spot on the floor where the air from two fans meet for the last three hours...every time I get up to do something she just gives me this 'What is Wrong With YOU' look.........

My poor dogs! All 9 of them are suffering in this heat. It was too much for my husband and they rushed him to the hospital yesterday while I was at work. He's in the cardiac unit and they won't let him come home. I can't believe people in other parts of the country live with this heat all summer.

Well, now we've lost power. *sigh* 10,000 homes in my area are out.
It's 101 degrees in my rec room.
Won't be seeing much of me til power's back- hard to read the forum on my iphone.

106 again here. We've told the people w/out air to go to the clubhouse, some of them have brought their motor homes up if they have them. Phones went out again today, one of our board members was talking to Qwest on and off all day. They're saying they can't find anything wrong. She told them be ready for a law suit if anyone dies because they can't call for help, she documented all the converstations she had with them. Nothing wrong, but they fixed them last night and they're out here now and they're working again. This same board member (gotta love this gal) called the newspaper because they wanted heat related stories, so we might be in the paper tomorrow.

When I lived in Phoenix I used to set a bowl of ice in front of the fan, it was bliss until it melted. I have one of those neck coolers, the kind with the crystals. You soak them in water and hang them around your neck. They last for hours and really do help normally, but not at 106.

Yay! Power's back on- it was out for two hours. Now the fans can happily blow hot air around again! WooHoo! :D

Beth, that's awful! Is he okay? Will they just keep him there until it cools off or what?

I also was thinking just a bit ago that I can't believe this is normal weather for so many people! But you know, in those parts of the country, they have air conditioning. But I think of the farmers out there in the fields....

Thanks Gwen, he really does have bad heart problems and had a triple bypass and stents in years past. Something isn't holding up and they need to find out what it is. He got an angiogram this morning and they will decide if he needs more surgery and if he's strong enough to survive a surgery in his currently health.

Beth, I am so sorry. Things sound pretty bad for you and DH right now. I hope things go as well as possible with the tests and decisions, and that whatever needs to be done is possible. Thinking of you tonight.

Sally, you are an angel and a da#n determined advocate for your community. gotta love ya!

Beth...so sorry. {{{Hugs}}}

ROFLOL.....either that or just plained stubborn!!

regarding the damp towel in the freezer trick - for humans, do the same but with a t-shirt. Very Cool!

90° at 10:30 pm - that's INSIDE. It's cooler outside: 88°!

This message was edited Jul 29, 2009 10:32 PM

I posted this over on the voting booth question about local weather, but I thought folks in this thread might get a chuckle out of it too.

The power went out on Vashon in the hottest part of the afternoon. No fan, no water. My teenage son and a group of his friends had been playing music (2 guitars, 1 drummer, and a singer with lots of amps) in our out-building. They were hot and sweaty, trooped into the house for drinks, and all I had to offer them was stale emergency water from containers and cans of V-8 juice. I did NOT make points as a cool mom with chilled pop in the fridge.

Sally.....I'd say both!!! lol

Beth.... so sorry to hear about your DH. Hopefully things go as best as possible and he's home soon.

Pony... The fence looks good!! I hill be happy when we hear a report of it's success. sorry about the loss of another one. But, it sounds as if it happened before you had the umbrellas up.

You know that it's hot when you're at work in a large fascility, the building is losing power, and instead of turning down the A/c (which only manages to keep the building at 85 deg.), they decide to turn off 90% of the lights, the non essential phones, and the hot water heater. That's what happened to us today at work. The halls were dark, in any area where there are windows... they didn't even have lights for their desks, only one elevator (out of four) was functional, and many folks didn't have phones. I do truly believe that there are smart maintanence people working there because I don't think that many other places would've made those choices. By doing all of that it allowed them to leaves the AC on and people could leave all of their fans on. I like that way of thinking!!!

Mauryhill.... you have plenty of points in my book!

This message was edited Jul 29, 2009 10:41 PM

Bea posted a snow picture a few days ago. Looking at that helps my disposition at least. LOL Remembering a few winters ago when we lost our power for 3 days. Bitter cold, we were making hot soup and coffee runs all over the park. People were gathering at the clubhouse to get warm because it had power and were using the kitchen, sort of a party atmosphere.

Kathy...forgot I used the frozen tee shirt, used that one on my kids. They loved it.

rc.....yeah, a company with common sense!!

They shut off our hot tub today. But keeping the a/c going in the clubhouse for those without, it's small but there's a TV, and we have a huge book collection and the kitchen, card tables, etc. The pool is seeing a lot of use, not just those of us who use it for exercise. No a/c in the pool room, but the water is refreshing, especially early in the day

Hopefully this will end tomorrow like they say, should start cooling down tomorrow night.

That sounds like a nice place to hang out at Sally!

Beth, you know your DH is in our prayers.

It's 11:01 by the thermometer I took from mom's house inside it's 90 degrees, too hot for during the day in my opinion, outside Google says 81 degrees, a nice summer day. My brother told me that Seattle had it's highest temp since they started recording high temps today, though I haven't seen that on the news. Google has the high in Olympia today at 106. I don't know why, but though I've been sticky and dripping I haven't been that bad today; normally it hits about 95 or so and I go into torpor.

Sally, Google says 101 for a high tomorrow, cooler but still way too hot, then down to a freezing 90 for at least two days.

I like hot weather & the results of it in the garden.
HOWEVER - this is oppressive - it is not cooling down at night so there is residual heat in the house for the next day. My dogs are not happy - the ridgeback is having a very difficult time. The Lab goes in her pool, rolls around & hangs out in the shade. I finally put them in the car with me & sat in my driveway with the AC on full blast for a half-hour. Great - except we had to get out again!
I am hungry but have no desire to eat. Bananas & nuts: requires no cooking. Yay.

90° never sounded so good...

Katye, I know what you mean, it's the cool off at night I'm looking forward to. My brother said that yesterday was the first time it hadn't gone below 70 degrees at night in a real long time. We're down to 88 degrees inside, just another 10 degrees or so before I can comfortably sleep *sigh* do you think we'll get there tonight. Yesterday I didn't even sleep with a sheet, just a tank top and shorts; it was too hot in my bedroom to even have a sheet covering.

Sally it sounds like you guys have your senior community well organized, and cudos to those of you forcing the phone company to do their job!

Beth, I hope things go smoothly for you and your DH.

RC I like the way your office thinks!

Pony good luck with your pond critters - so sad you are finding casualties. Maybe a fan aimed at the pond would cool the water a bit.

It was 107 yesterday in Portland (some reports said 108) and since my old 1905 house does not have ac I took the dog over to the beach. The temp gauge on my car said 53 when I got to Depot Bay - half of the temp in Portland. I stopped to see the Devil's Punchbowl and then Boiler Bay, then walked on the beach and it was lovely. Koka loves the beach and she was so happy to be cooler! Today is supposed to be 101. Odd when 95 begins to sound like a cool down! I have ordered a portable air conditioner, the kind that sits on the floor, that is described as "whisper quiet" so we'll see about that when it arrives!

I am losing a few plants even though I've been watering 2 and 3 times a day. We're usually all concerned about what will survive the winter, not the summer!

Judi - when you have a chance. post the brand & pertinent details about what you got. My ridgeback is really having a hard time - continuously panting so hard she is exhausted. I have used all my tricks - nothing is working for her. Vet cautioned about the bigger dogs not being able to cool themselves & going into cardiac arrest. Weird because the Lab knows instinctively to head toward the water. She's got a thicker coat, too. My Ridgeback is 10, and perhaps her age is a factor. If this keeps up, I will check into a hotel WITH the dogs.
Should have looked into AC a long time ago - although it would be used rarely, it would allow me to sleep at night. This is night #3 without sleep. I am normally unphased by heat, but the when residual heat in the house is higher than the temp outside, it has surpassed ridiculous. Sleeping outside is not an option due to mosquitoes. Love to hear about the unit you purchased...

Actually, I did some research through an engineer I used to work with. I'm a LEED certified architect and I wanted an AC that is not ozone depleting. So I ordered an Edgestar Green Cool 12,000 BTU that is R4 10A and uses non-ozone depleting refrigerant. I ordered it online from compactappliance.com. But - it is not here yet so in a few days (hopefully) I will let you know how it works.
My dog also has a think coat and the only thing I could think of to do for her yesterday was take her to the beach. I'm lucky to be retired and don't have to go to work. I still have to consult with a few clients that requested my continuing involvement in their projects until completion, but they are located in Baltimore and Wash DC and I don't have to go to them until winter. So - I am free to take off whenever when I want. The only catch now is keeping the garden alive!

Whoo hoooooo!! Was only 76 on the patio at eleven this morning!!! Sooooo much better than yesterday!!!!The dog did not move from in front of the floor fan all afternoon!!

Snow....oh yes!

Trish what a perfect photo!

Trishia, I do love that photo! However, I don't want that snow either! I can drive to get to work in this, but don't want to. I can't get to work that well (if at all) in that, and that's bad!

Thanks Portland! I sure hope that your AC that you ordered gets here very expiditiously!

Katye....I really hope that you and your pets make it through ok! At least today is supposed to be the last day of triple digits. And today already feels sooooo much better than yesterday. So maybe some peace??

Beth, Best wishes sent to your DH!

I so emphasize with everyone who is trying to keep themselves, their families, their friends and their critters cool. Kudos especially to those who are taking care of more than just their own household! I was off yesterday, and we were at 103 in the shade at 2:00...don't have any idea how hot it was on the sunny side of the house as the thermometer quit registering at 100.

I have been playing the "wet shirt/towl" in a baggie in the refrigerator for DH, myself, and the puppie for the last couple of days. There are at least two changes in the fridge for each of us, and we have been cycling through them fairly quickly. We also put up a swimming pool for the dogs, but most of them haven't figured out that it is a good thing yet. My biggest girl has a strong hose aversion, but I have found that if I keep the hose kinked until I get a hold of her collar, and then put the hose nozzle against her rather than spraying her, she lets me give her a thorough soaking. I have also been wetting down the "dog lair" in my grass (they have one section in the front lawn that doesn't get hit by the sprinklers, and that is their favorite place to lay and collect their toys) on a regular basis, as well as a hidey hole under one of my big shrubs, so that their hiding places stay as cool as possible.

More snow pics please! And someone remember to get a pic of a fried little plant and the thermometer reading tripple digits to remind us of this when we are complaining of freezing!

Only up to 84 so far, we had some cloud cover for a while this morning. Kept it cool enough to water after water aerobics this morning. Even the pool water is hot! But still refreshing. I figure what damage I have is just leaf and flower, they'll come back fine next year. Not like the winter damage that killed the whole plant.

Kathy and Judi....I'd have been in a motel by now. Your a/c will be too late for this spell, but you'll have them ready for the next. Poor critters. Our outside kitty is happy right now, not too hot, good breeze.

Keep cool and hydrated everyone. It can sneak up on you.

I'll get a pic of a fried plant!! My outdoor thermometer clunked out 2 mo. ago and I haven't justified the cost of replacing it yet. Hindsight, I wish that I had.... just for memory sake!!


My thermometer on the porch does work, but it's screwed into on the the railings in the complete shade. So, I don't think that it's the most accurate.

This message was edited Jul 30, 2009 1:26 PM

Our phone problem made it to the paper, part of an article on the heat problems. They're staying on so far today. Heard at the pool this morning that one resident was wandering from house to house yesterday afternoon (82, using a walker) trying to find someone home with a phone, he was ill. Didn't take long for someone to figure out what was going on and get him help. We are a nosy bunch!! LOL


Thanks for the snow pic Trisha, I remember that one or a similar one.

It’s about the same temp inside and outside (shade) mid-80’s, which makes me want to open my doors/windows, but I know it’ll get warmer outside and inside will feel nice.

I think I lost my tri-color sage, my own fault; I’ve had it, and iris plants, for far too long without getting it into the ground. The Iris seems to be fine, I got the sage and Iris put in the ground Tues. Other than that, my plants seem to be doing well. I have some brown sections on my raspberry and tomato, but that was starting before the super heat. I guess that is one benefit of having a mostly shaded yard. My lily even finally bloomed yesterday.

Now on the other hand I desperately need to mow my lawn of weeds (I don’t water the grass but the weeds still thrive), weed my beds, finish clearing my herb bed and get the boarder put in, get some plants in the ground/repotted, etc… and I actually felt up to it for the first time since we got back from ID on the 19th, I think I had a bit of the Summer flu going around, but it’s just too hot out there to do any of that. The little I did Tues. almost floored me; I looked like I’d dumped a bucket over my head and I had gotten any of the water on me from watering. I went and soaked myself after that. It was even in the evening, my clothes didn’t dry till the next day.

Katye, hope you and your pets are doing well.

Red, my DH said almost the same thing verbatim as you said about snow after I said I’d prefer the cold we had this winter, because at least you can put on more clothes, there is only so much you can take off. If the roads would melt the snow on them I’d love it when it snowed. Now when it gets down to 15 degrees, that’s a bit too cold for me; you need special clothes when it gets so cold.

I hosed the dogs down several times last night (and then gave up and started hosing myself down). I'm hoping that they'll start getting into the wading pool once the figure out that it's not part of some master scheme I have to groom them. :-)

Obviously, that doesn't work for the daytime. There are devices like this, but I've never used one. There are tons of different options out there now (google canine cooling coat) Here's an example. It says it provides 8 hours of cooling . . .

http://www.equestriancollections.com/itemmatrix.asp?groupcode=CM00003

Don't give up on the sage. Take it up and put it in a shady place soaking in water. It may have given up on its leaves in order to take care of the roots while it's stressed. My SIL has brought numerous plants back to life soaking them in water with fish fertilizer added.

I got it into the ground and have been making sure it got water everytime I go out that way. I've had way too many plants I thought were goners come back to get rid of it for months, but it does look bad.

I ordered this AC on Tuesday morning and it showed up on my porch about 2 hours ago! I have it running downstairs because it's pretty heavy and I didn't feel like struggling with it yet. It is on wheels and very easy to push around. It is working so well! My downstairs rooms do not all have doors and it is doing a good job of reducing the temp and humidity. Living room, dining room, kitchen, small library, bathroom. I have no doubt that it will freeze a closed room on low speed. It was described as "whisper quiet" and it is pretty quiet - more so than the window units. It's good looking, easy to manipulate, spews hot air outside, and knows how to keep me relaxed. I think I'm in love.

OMG WANT.

*ahem* I mean, that's a sweet looking unit, Judi- may I ask where you ordered it from?