Hot Tamales!

[Rowena]

Okay so if you live in the Western US, you are probably well aware of the record breaking heat and the code red heat advisories...  If you are not from the Western US... we currently are under a spell of triple digit heat... My neck of the woods sits at 105-ish... other parts at 115-120...

Meanwhile, I don't know about the other parts of the west but I would assume its similar, we had all of... ONE rainstorm in June, and guess what, we've broken the record for dryness in Utah too!   Which says a lot since its unusually dry here anyway!  I lost count of how many wildfires we've already had in Utah... and since its a holiday, this weekend, undoubtedly there will be more because there are a ton of Utahns who don't care that [most] fireworks/fires are illegal and thus set them in our tinderbox wasteland... 

 

So today, I read on the news, still triple digit heat for the fourth, but FINALLY on Friday we get a little relief... in the form of 95 degree weather... is it just me or is it just sad that 95 degree weather is relief?  And oh yeah... no rain in sight!  Only clouds in the sky are the ones from the air pollution... *sigh*  I WANT RAIN!

[Adalaide]

I missed the news that we are hitting records for being dry here. I'm too busy being locked indoors in my A/C! Holy hell it is HOT!!! I was outside this morning before sunrise but after it was light out and it was about 80.

 

The girl who drew blood today asked me if I had plans for the holiday. Same as every year, sit around and watch the news waiting to see if any of the fires morons start are close enough to me for me to have to start packing my Jeep. Last year they started to evacuate the city my husband works in. Family of friends were evacuated in other areas. All I want is a wet wet wet winter this year!

[ravenwoodglass]

Sure do wish I could send you all some of the rain we are getting.  I can't believe how hot and dry it has been this year out there. I hope the idiots with the fireworks stay inside by their AC this year. Stay safe and have a good fourth.

[GFinDC]

Sounds like a real hot summer for you all.  Ceiling fans seem to help me a lot when it is hot.  Keeping lights turned off helps too.  One or two light bulbs turned on all day can add quite a bit of heat to a house.  Have you all tried frying an egg on the sidewalk yet?  If not, what are you waiting for?

 

You know it's hot when you are driving down the road with the windows open at 60 MPH and the wind in your face is still hot.  Take it easy and drink lots of water when it's hot like that.

 

Hard water sculptures:

 

Open Original Shared Link

 

These Italian ice things are probably not the healthiest things to eat but they do cool a person down for a bit.

 

Open Original Shared Link

[Adalaide]

Have you all tried frying an egg on the sidewalk yet?  If not, what are you waiting for?

 

Some sucker who is going to clean my sidewalk. I don't want to have to clean up that mess!

 

ETA: Not sure we could have tried today anyway... it only got up to 97.

[bartfull]

I FROZE an egg on the sidewalk one winter...

 

We haven't been too bad here - yet. It's in the low 90's now after weeks of mid-80's. Our hottest time of year is usually end of July and into August. That's when things dry out too. After all of the rain we have had this spring and summer things are really green. The trouble is, all that does is make fuel for the July and August fires that we inevitably get every year.

 

I keep all of my important papers in my "go bag", and soon will be packing up the family pictures and other odds and ends I won't want to leave behind should we be evacuated.

 

The nightime temps are starting to edge up now too. Low to mid-60's. Later on we will get a few of those nights when it doesn't get much below 80, but thank God those are few and far between here.

 

My advice for a quick cool down - eat more ice cream!

[Adalaide]

Not sure exactly where you are Rowena, but we got a couple of thunder storms over night here. Not that it did much for us, as usual the ground was bone dry by 9. Well, I guess it did do something for us. We lost power at some point over night because my computer was off this morning and my microwave clock was blinking. At least it doesn't appear from the Utah fire page that the storms started any new fires. At least we have that! Now we cross our fingers for tonight, more storms and lots of morons.

 

And excellent suggestion on the ice cream. I have a container of homemade mint chocolate chip that my husband won't touch. Too minty and the chocolate is too dark. I thought I did fine compromising with semi-sweet. Picky picky... I guess I'll have to eat it all myself. What a burden!

[Rowena]

Yeah I looked at the SL Tribune a couple days ago and it said in June we broke all the dry records, and the triple digit heat broke a 1979 record and a 1990 something record... can't remember what each record was... one was 104 heat though!  And yup... I *HEARD* it rained, we didn't wake up to proof of it though, so I can't be certain if it rained in West Valley.  (Yes I live in good old shoot em up West Valley... and no I don't have a gun by my door).   And yeah I haven't read the news this morning so I haven't heard of any NEW fires...  There was one a few days ago in Beaver County that started by a single bolt of lightning.

 

And yeah, why are people here idiots!  We saw like twenty people yesterday on our way home from my parents house in Draper with illegal fireworks!  It was insane!  At least they were in the valley that we saw most of them, but still, even the valley is a tinderbox wasteland!  But yeah, I'm waiting for the reports of wildfires, mostly fearing for my parents... They had the genius idea when we moved out here to live on the frickin mountains!  Two houses, one pretty much on the the mountain in Sandy, and the other literally across from the Draper temple... can't tell you how darn close we've come to being evacuated!  (And then last year or the year before there was one at the University of Utah that ended literally just before the married student housing, so my parents were freaking out about me and my hubby... we lived there at the time.)

 

Six years ago, we were on our way home from the ER (story for another time) and we discovered the wildfire that was like a couple miles away from our house... talk about scary!  As if a broken shoulder blade and a face and wrists and elbows covered in bandages wasn't bad enough we nearly were evacuated!

 

As for the egg on the sidewalk - we already got a notice of 'Pay or be Evicted in 3 days' I don't think the apartment complex would like the egg experiment.  Especially from us!  (Yeah, having a baby KILLED our finances, don't judge!  We weren't planning to have the baby!)

 

Edit:  PS Kipenzi, its hilarious when we are saying we got a relief ... and the relief is still mid-upper 90's... 'Oh, it only got up to 97 today.'  Man that's cool!

[Adalaide]

I don't read newspapers unless I remember they're online. They cost money! Yeah, finances shminances here too. LOL! Babies will do that to you. Of course, so will losing your job because you get sick from some stupid disease that no doctor can figure out.

 

I live down in Orem, right by the mouth of the canyon no less. I mean, I guess I have a mile or so of houses and business to see burnt to the ground before our house (my MIL's really but it is home to me) go up in flames... but not particularly comforting. I keep this site handy through fire season, keeps me up to date pretty well. Open Original Shared Link  I am shocked that this year no morons set off a new fire last night! We still have the weekend and that stupid Utah holiday at the end of the month to get through.

 

Lets look on the bright side though. It has been a lot cooler! If you can call 95ish cool.

[Rowena]

Yeah I read the Tribune online... Mostly because I'm looking to find what hilarious crime spree happened or new law...  I die laughing at some of the crimes in Utah... A couple years back (or was it last year?  Don't remember) someone vandalized the state capitol sign... crossed out where it said 'State' and put 'Church' so the sign on the capitol read 'Church of Utah'!  I nearly died!  And the city couldn't get it completely off!

Oh and yep, I know that site!  Its where I found out that fireworks and fires are just short of being completely banned this year for my area... FUN!  oh wait... nope, that was the Unified Fire site... We fall around here under Unified Fire jurisdiction, and BOY are they strict this year!  And yes, I'm surprised too that nothing big happened yet... but we got till the seventh (when Fireworks are TECHNICALLY supposed to be done with) to see what's in store, and like you said, the Pioneer holiday... yippee...

 

And yup!  Like I always say, its sad when temperatures in the 90's are your relief!

[Loey]

Wishing you a reprieve from the heat. Hope you're staying indoors! I discovered that I'm getting a tan while driving my car - the sun has penetrated the windshield! Hang in there and if you get tired of ice cream Luigi's Italian Ices are gluten-free and oh so cooling!

[Adalaide]

We had a bunch of thunderstorms roll through last evening. Fortunately it doesn't look like they started any fires. One was centered right over me as it passed and was pretty epic, loved it! The temp dropped 25 degrees in half an hour, which was really nice. Only supposed to be low 90s today, I'll take it!

 

Some moron last night was setting off fireworks where they are banned and started a fire right by two homes. Fortunately it got put out really quickly by crews. Stupidity should be a crime, and frankly I hope he gets whatever hefty fine they're imposing for playing with illegal fireworks this year. Or just bill the moron for the firefighting efforts.

[Rowena]

We had a bunch of thunderstorms roll through last evening. Fortunately it doesn't look like they started any fires. One was centered right over me as it passed and was pretty epic, loved it! The temp dropped 25 degrees in half an hour, which was really nice. Only supposed to be low 90s today, I'll take it!

 

Some moron last night was setting off fireworks where they are banned and started a fire right by two homes. Fortunately it got put out really quickly by crews. Stupidity should be a crime, and frankly I hope he gets whatever hefty fine they're imposing for playing with illegal fireworks this year. Or just bill the moron for the firefighting efforts.

 

Was it almost incessant lightninng in your neck of the woods too?  And yeah there were a bunch of people lighting off illlegal fireworks last few nights round here too.  Even had a cop in our complex on thursday.  And yeah temp got real nice last night!  Midday was still nineties but I still waited outside because it felt so nice compared to the triple digits before... And oh don't worry triple digits are supposedly comin back next week.

 

OOOH Italian Ice is the best!

[bartfull]

Addy, as you are probably aware, a lot of times that lightning will hit a tree and the tree will smolder for a day or two before it starts the fire. That has happened here so many times - we get a storm on Tuesday and the fire doesn't get going until Wednesday or Thursday. (Keep you ears open and stay safe.)

 

The idiot with the fireworks - I understand! The jerk across the street from me kept shooting off fireworks last year even though there was a burn ban. He also built a firepit in his yard and kept burning it, even on the windiest days. I kept calling the cops and they would drive by and tell him to put it out, but because he is friends with "the powers that be", they never fined or arrested him. GRRR....

 

Also, about fireworks, I wonder if all the people who spend hundreds or even thousands buying them to set off in their neighborhoods would just save their money and go to the sanctioned fireworks show (which are much better than "home fireworks anyway), how many poor or homeless people they could have fed with that money?

[Adalaide]

And oh don't worry triple digits are supposedly comin back next week.

 

*evil glare*

 

It was pretty toasty down in Provo at the farmer's market at noonish. I was tempted to go run through the splash pad on my way out of the park, but I am guessing that parents would have thought I was some sort of weird psycho since the only people on the splash pad were kids. I don't think there is a rule that the splash pad is for kids, one of these weeks I'll just do it, parents who think I'm a creep be damned.

 

I wasn't really thinking about the smoldering tree thing... I've seen them flare right up in the past. I tend to forget that wet trees are stupid trees.