August 18, 2022 ~ Thursday (night … 11pm … a lovely 68°)
It’s one of those balmy nights that usually don’t happen in this area. Usually, in the summer, the nights turn cool once the sun goes down. We are high desert, after all. But, this summer has been anything but usual.
If anyone knows anything about me – it’s that I’m a numbers gal. I count. I walk and I count steps (I hate it, but I do it). It must be an OCD thing. While other people walk and take in the sights and solve the problems of the world … I count. Like I said I count my steps … but I also count bunnies and deer (or at least I used to on the island) and certain colored cars, etc. I’m a counter.
As of today, I am roughly 23,822 days old. I’ve lived in CO for roughly 12,000 days. My dog, Annie, is roughly 4,213 days old. I walked 7826 steps yesterday. And I was in WA just shy of 2880 days. And so it goes.
I’m also obsessed with all things weather. So, it should come as no shock that I count things weather-related or at least take stock in the numbers pertaining to certain seasons … mainly the temperatures. It all kind of goes hand in hand. I should have been a meteorologist or at least a researcher for the NWS (National Weather Service). I always thought that if I was a TV weather personality, my nightly closing quip would have been, “Darkness … clearing by morning”. I realize now, I probably wouldn’t have had that job very long!
So, tonight I wanted nothing more than to sit outside on the deck, under the Edison bulb lights strung in the tree branches over the table and read. I thought I’d listen to the cricket-song and take in the breezes. But, my neighbor decided on having a pot-fest and the smell of skunk permeated the air so I was forced back inside. The air inside wasn’t much better – the breezes just wafted all that odorous air into my house! And … I had taken a walk earlier in the sun and 88° heat and it kind of melted my brain and fried me (once again) from the inside out. It’s been like living in a giant microwave oven this summer. So, instead of being outside, I found myself cooling off by the fan and counting up these past summer days according to their temperatures. Not including heat indexes … just good ol’ plain temps.
I’ve been here now for 93 days. I arrived on the 20th of May to temps in the 30s and two hours before 7″ of snow. That whole first week we didn’t make it past the mid 60s. The day before my arrival (and all that snow) was 89°. Crazy weather here. Crazy weather everywhere.
Of the remaining 87 days … there were 59 days over 85° … 46 of those days were over 90° … 21 of those 46 were 95° or higher. Two of those days were 100°. No wonder I’ve been feeling like a rotisserie chicken on a spit! For a NW wimp … this was a brutal reacquaintance with the season. For what it’s worth – I put in my order for a summer of high 70s to mid 80s. And … had I stayed in Langley, I would have gotten those days! The island is having fabulously luscious summer weather. All it took was for me to leave!
I left CO back in 2012 … the state’s hottest summer on record. Back-to-back days of 105° were recorded … the hottest ever in Denver. And to have multiple days … well, I’m just glad I was not here. I was sweltering in Chicago … I remember those 3-cold-shower days well! But, that summer in Chicago was nothing compared to the summer of 1934. My parents were five years old and they lived through the hottest day on record – ever – in the Windy City … 109° sizzling degrees!
Just two years ago, in 2020, the summer here was hot … having 75 days of 90° or higher temps. This year, in comparison, with a mere 46 days … I don’t know what I’ve been complaining about! It’s hard to have perspective … to me this summer has been dreadful. But, I’m coming off of eight years of NW island summers where a “hot” day was if we hit 72° and when I had to worry about my neighbors having heatstroke if the temps went any higher! Those mild days are a far cry from the roasty-toasty days of summer we’ve had here.
Tonight I looked at the forecast coming up for the rest of the month and for these last two weeks of August, we will be averaging out at 84°. I am breathing easier … and breathing a sigh of relief. I can do 80s! This lobster won’t need to worry about broiling any longer … but to be on the safe side, I’ll be staying away from melted butter.
In any case … I need to stop looking at the weather forecasts … and counting things up … it’s not going to change how hot it is or where the seasons ahead are headed. Scary as things do keep heating up – which makes me wonder why on Earth, I ever thought I could live in the South?! I’d be a fried sweet potato in no time!
Here’s wishing you cooler temps/wherever you may be … and a good rest of Summer. It’s going to go by in a flash and soon enough we’ll all be counting the days until its arrival once again.