Thursday, July 21, 2016

Hot...

Those living in the south have been putting up with the heat this summer.  Here in the middle of the north country we have been lucky...until today.  The temperature is predicted to be sneaking up to nearly 100 degrees with a heat index of 105 - 115.  Today will be a quiet day for me.  Heat is not my friend.

I have to feel sorry for the guy who delivers my groceries today.  Knowing that the temps would be in the "OMG it is hot!" range, I refrained from ordering heavy stuff like cases of bottled water or lots of canned goods. Those people are volunteers and without them it would be tough for me to grocery shop these days.  I order what I need, but I also try to keep in mind the fact that hauling boxes of groceries up the stairs, especially when it is hot and humid, is no picnic.

I don't know why this happens, but it seems when the outside temps and humidity are high, it affects my arthritic joints even though my apartment is air conditioned.  So early this morning I finished the few household chores that needed my attention.  My crockpot is getting a workout this week.  It is the best way to cook without heating up the kitchen.  Last night was chicken breast.  Today there is a pot of vegetable beef soup simmering all day.  I may toss in some dumplings close to supper time.  Anything else requiring using my stove or oven will just have to wait until it cools down some.

So I think I will find a couple of movies to watch on YouTube.  I saw a pattern for a crocheted afghan that is made of 2 1/2 inch Granny Squares in all sorts of colors, kind of like a scrap quilt, and I started working on that a couple of weeks ago, using the leftover yarn from other projects.  If I sit and make some more squares I can fool myself into thinking I didn't waste an entire day.  :)

14 comments:

  1. Sometimes we just have to do what we have to do. I usually stay up late and sleep late. That hasn't been very conducive to getting anything done outside lately, though. So, this morning, I got up at 7, worked outside a little while and THEN went back to bed.

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  2. Gorges...I have to admit that being retired makes it much easier to do whatever I need to do. I can adjust to whatever comes along, like the heat and humidity that sort of wrecks me for a time. There are days when not having a schedule is a blessing. :)

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  3. It's been hot here, too. Have been making mud puddles for the gang to keep their feet cool. We need rain.

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  4. We had a little rain - just enough to make it steamy outdoors. More is forecast, so I hope that will cool things off a bit. I wouldn't mind a mud puddle or two to stomp through right now! :)

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  5. I've got a stew going in the crock pot , don't plan on going out either. I'm stuck here waiting for FEDEX to bring ammo scheduled for delivery today anyway. Don't know that I would go out in this heat and humidity even if I had somewhere to go.

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  6. Harry...Me... I'm opening a jar of home canned soup that I can microwave and adding a sandwich made with some egg salad I fixed the other day. Anything to avoid heating up my apartment. So far the air conditioning is working well and there is a small storm rolling through as I type. Perhaps the rain will cool things down a bit. I am lucky in that I have no need to go out unless I want to. I don't want to until it cools down a bit. I think I am ready for fall. :)

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  7. You're very smart to hunker down and stay cool. It's hot here, for us. I'm working on cleaning out the freezer of any microwave food. Your home canned soups and meals would probably taste better but it's what I've got.
    I,too, love the freedom of retirement. Yea!! I miss some things about working but not the daily grind of having to be at work and following my employer's schedule.
    We had a thunderstorm roll through yesterday morning which gave us quite a bit of rain. I was glad for the day off watering my gardens. Today is sunny and clear so I'll go water soon and then be home. Cheers, SJ in Vancouver BC

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  8. SJ...The hunkering down is likely at an end. It is raining and the last time I checked the outdoor temp had cooled off considerably. There is no wind so I have opened a couple of windows to let some of that lovely, rain soaked air into the apartment.

    I have to admit that there is nothing I miss about working a job. But then, I really don't play well with others and prefer being home as opposed to being out and about with crowds of people. Like you, I enjoy having my own schedule and not having to follow someone else's.

    Glad to hear you got some rain. How is your garden doing? I hear some are having a bountiful year and others are having gardens burned off from excessive heat. Hope yours is more on the bountiful side.

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  9. Our A/C has been running non stop. The guy next door see's me and says where you've been?? Staying inside enjoying the A/C that a very nice gentleman and his wife gave to us. He laughs your welcome. He and his wife gave us their old A/C. Then we picked up another unit for the back of the house. How does it work?? Great I'm getting over my cold, as I caught a chill. LOL. I was thinking about you and this dog gone heat. The storms kicked our butt yesterday 6" rain in 24 hrs. GOT WATER??

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  10. Rob...I was thinking about you and your family in this nasty heat. So glad to hear you have air conditioning now. Makes life easier, doesn't it. My apartment stays cool as long as I don't use the stove or oven much. The microwave and crock pot are my friends. :) I don't know how much rain we got here, but it was enough to cool things down. It is nice to be able to open a couple of windows again and let the breeze flow through the apartment.

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  11. Hi Vicki - my garden has been hit or miss this year. I'm having bumper crops for beets and strawberries. But my tomatoes are struggling. We had really hot (for us) weather the month of June and then rainy, cool weather for most of July.It's only now getting to our seasonal highs of 80s. So,the tomatoes are a bit confused. Same for the cucumbers and squash/zucchini.
    But I'm taking advantage of the beet crop. First, I froze a lot. Now,I'm canning pickled beets as I process the excess. And, of course, eating my fill of the fresh.
    Thanks for asking and take care. SJ in Vancouver BC

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  12. SJ...I follow several YouTube channels about homesteading and some of them are saying the same thing about their gardens. Especially when it comes to their tomatoes. I haven't heard how tomatoes are doing here in MN, but I wouldn't be surprised if the prices at the Farmer's Market are higher than last year.

    Glad to hear about your beets. I am a cult of one in my family when it comes to beets. I really like them as a vegetable and as pickles. The Farmer's Market doesn't seem to have many for sale, but I hope to get some this year.

    The weather has been a bit strange here, too. Warm and then unseasonably cool and back to hot. No wonder the plants are confused! Glad to hear that you are getting at least some bumper crops. :)

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  13. Here in AL we have had 90s for the last three weeks and high humidity. The crock pot and salad greens work for me.

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  14. Linda...We have been lucky here in MN. It has been only the past week that has been miserable with heat and humidity. My apartment is small and it doesn't take much to overwhelm the air conditioning, so crock pot and salads are the way to go here, too. :)

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