Things Are Looking Up

 

Today is looking so much better than the rest of the week. We had some rain and best of all, the temperatures have cooled down ... a lot. Today's high is only supposed to be 70 degrees, and I'm thrilled with the 30-degree cool down. Next week looks like another hot one in the 90s but I guess that's summertime and it shouldn't reach 100. 

I'm going down to see Nugget tomorrow and have bagels with Jess but other than that, I've got a blissful weekend to myself. I hope you're anticipating an equally satisfying weekend!

Sometimes Monday ...

 ... is a day when you just want to lie in front of the air conditioner with a wet washcloth on your forehead. Our weather this week looks quite warm too d**n hot, like much of the rest of the country:

This is one week I'm really not looking forward to, but I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for 78 degrees on Friday.

I hope your Monday is a good one and you can find a way to stay cool this week!

Parched

The conditions are hot and very dry here in central NJ, and I'm sure that's the case for many other locations around the US (and the world). 

We haven't had measurable rainfall for at least four weeks, and the temperatures have been >95° F for the past week or so. Yesterday we hit 100° and that means the temperatures in my kitchen were 87° or more. This makes cooking a bit of a challenge, but I boil pasta for macaroni salad early in the morning, eat salads, and use the grill to avoid heating the kitchen up further. We don't have central air but have closed off some rooms to try and keep as cool as possible with the window units we have. 

The good news is that despite the crispy, brown, dead appearance of most of my lawn, we are not officially in a drought as of now, just "Abnormally Dry". The next stage after Abnormally Dry is Moderate Drought, so that seems to escalate a bit quickly, but we may get some rain from thunderstorms this afternoon. Fingers crossed!

Another piece of good news is that I haven't had to mow for four weeks. That's especially welcome when it's so hot. There is still a strip of green grass in the shade that I've told John we need to leave for the rabbits and deer. I've been cleaning and refilling the bird bath daily, and at one point yesterday I had a dozen birds drinking from it. All of the critters seem to appreciate some green grass and fresh water. :-) 

So while I wait hopefully for rain and cooler temperatures, I'm enjoying reading more, knitting more, and just relaxing. Here's hoping you've got plenty of iced mint tea at hand and things are green and well-watered in your world!