Category: Weather

Hurricanes and Stuff

7/3/2014

It looks like we've been spared the wrath of Hurricane Arthur in South Carolina. So far all we have in the central part of the state is a lot of clouds, some wind, and scattered rain. The biggest impact is the influx of North Carolina evacuees clogging up I-20 west. My commute home took 25 minutes in Interstate gridlock. But I guess that just goes to show how spoiled I am by working 3 miles from home. 25-30 minutes used to be my normal commute when I worked downtown. That I'm used to half that time now and find what used to be normal outrageous - yea, so what? I battled downtown traffic for 4 years of college and 12 years of working. I paid my dues. Tell me you wouldn't cut your commute in half if you had the chance.

Anyway, we were spared. I am sorry for the Outer Banks getting smacked again, and this time on a holiday weekend. What a pain in the rear. Keep those folks (residents and tourists) in your prayers. Hurricanes aren't any small matter. Rick and I both survived Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Rick got the worse of it in Summerville, but it hadn't died down that much by the time it made it to the midlands. That put a scar on the lower part of the state. Folks that were in the lowcountry for that adventure still get jittery over wind and thunder to this day. Don't ask them why, by the way. Trust me on this. It's like asking folks around here about the downtown Lexington tornado in 1994.

Isn't it amazing how the weather can impact you? We think it's small talk, but when it rages, it can really tear stuff up and reshape landscapes and lives.

Then again, if the weather is the talk of today, then that means that: 1. it's the big story now (which it is) and/or 2. not much else is going on - which is also true. That's good, through. Most of this week has been cleaning and organizing the house (as we do every now and then), and I finished reading A Dance With Dragons. A great book, and it's safe to say that the A Song of Ice and Fire series has made my list of all time favorite must read books. Now I can't wait for The Winds of Winter to come out, whenever that may be. In the meantime, I'll have to find other things to read - probably sci-fi, since I feel an urge to return to that with brainstorming my own sci-fi trilogy that I hope to start working on in 2015.

And writing, of course. If the Lord wills and creeks don't rise, I plan to do another read-through/draft of Obsidian next week. I'm also thinking about trying my hand at short stories again. I did publish an article on Readwave yesterday titled "Unicorns, Dragons, and Spies" about the Facebook experiment snafu, and I realized that I really should be contributing more short stories and articles toward my writing endeavors. Short stories aren't that intensive, and I think it would be a good idea for me to brush up on that. I used to do a lot of short stories, but that was before I got my fiction published and when I was still really active on Writing.com. I kind of got away from it with Blurry and on - the novel ideas kept coming, and I've been rolling with that pretty much since 2011. Short stories are fun and I wouldn't mind improving my skills on them again. I see more markets emerging for anthologies, and I need to sharpen my skills on writing the shorter stuff if I want to take advantage of this growing opportunity.

Well, that's all that happening my corner of the world. Rolling along and loving life. I hope you're doing well. Have a safe and happy 4th of July and a wonderful weekend.

Bye!

This and That

6/8/2014

I’m on a quest. The undertaking: get Nonstop to Nowhere complete and turned in for the Nightlife Anthology and a good, solid fourth draft of Obsidian done before our schedule fills up again in late June. That gives me a couple of weeks to make some good progress on my current writing endeavors without rushing through them. But isn’t that the trick, because once I get in, I want to keep going as long as I can before time runs out or my eyes feel like they’re going to fall out of my head. It’s a balance of attentiveness and patience, because you writers know how it is. Once you’re in a “groove” you don’t want to get out of it – so you wind out rushing when you meant to slow down and pay attention. I can do it. I know I can.

So we upgraded our phones, and I downgraded my alarm clock. Sometimes top of the line, high tech works for you, and sometimes it doesn’t. I envy those of you that have had the same alarm clock for 20 years, because I’m lucky to get 3 years out of mine. I even had one to start burning in the middle of the night! (I had a really good excuse for oversleeping and missing church the next day.) I don’t understand why alarm clocks die on me, but sometimes it’s better to accept what is and give up figuring it out. From now on, I’m not investing much in alarm clocks. I got a simple one from Best Buy for $20. Watch it last through the Apocalypse now that I wrote this paragraph and posted it online.

On the homefront: Rick, Zack and Chloe are doing well, as is my family. Mom and Dad are both enjoying Dad’s retirement. They say it’s good to have time home together without him being stressed out over long work days and deadlines. He still does an occasional project here and there, but it’s not full time – heck, it’s barely part-time, and they’re enjoying life. Rick’s father is a yo-yo. Between the recent brain surgery and dementia, it really is a “guess where it’s at today” game. Therapy continues and some days are better than others, but we’re told that’s to be expected. At least he’s been moved to a unit that specializes in dementia care – such as it is. I’m starting to see why the elderly complain about their medical care, because doctors definitely don’t seem to know what to do for them, especially where dementia is concerned. That’s been an uncomfortable realization that makes me more than a little nervous. But everywhere else things are rolling along this day much as any other, and we’ll take that.

It’s come to my attention through, shall we say, “alternative means” that some people aren’t sure “how to take me.” Straight is the best way, just like wine or whiskey. ;) Seriously, I know I’m a hard nut to crack, and I’ll share a secret with you on why: I’m a borderline introvert/extrovert. I know, of all the characteristics to be borderline on, it’s the one that probably has the biggest impact on character. Sometimes I don’t know what end of that fence I’ll fall on in a given day, so I understand that figuring me out is probably more work than people are used to doing. For this reason, I’m not exactly a popular person, and the “in” crowd doesn’t have much appeal to me, and I tend to be a type that stands alone and socializes here and there with lots of different people. But really, it shouldn’t be that much harder. Like all other people, I have a lot of interests, and it isn’t that hard to draw me out, whether I’m having an isolated day or an outgoing day. I even have a cheat sheet on some ways to get me chattering on the “About Me” tab on this website. Yes, I’m unique, but not impossible.

I’m making good progress reading through the A Song of Ice and Fire series. I’m about halfway through Book 4 now (A Feast for Crows). Game of Thrones fans, you really should read these books. They’re amazing. I know 5 books in a series looks like a lot, but you get hooked and read through it fast. Of course, my progress may slow down now that I’m diving into my writing and then things will get busy again late month, but we’ll see. If I keep my intended pace, I may have time to read, write, and keep things moving. It’s possible now that my TV shows are in reruns (except Game of Thrones, which only has 2 episodes left in their season).

And no conversation is complete without a mention of the weather. Well folks, it’s hot and dry in central South Carolina. Highs in the low to mid 90’s and the skys have closed up. After several weeks of daily rain in May, June has us parched. That’s typical for us. I’ll take the heat, though. All that snow, ice, and “polar vortex” crap over the winter was stupid. I’m southern, so I’m built to slow cook, not deep freeze. At least the world is alive in the hot sun with blue sky and green trees everywhere. I’ll take that over the chill and gloom of winter. But the thing I like best are the long days. Sunrise at 6:30 a.m. and sunset at 8:30 p.m.? Heck yes, I’ll take that. I love long, hot days! That’s when the world really does feel alive. One challenge I face, though, is with my work on Obsidian. That story takes place in January, so weaving a tale where you can feel the darkness of the story is kind of hard when reality is approaching the height of summer. I’ll work it out. No worries.

So there you have where it’s at in my world – just this and that, and all is well. I’m happy with where it’s at and I can’t complain. Life is good. I hope you’re all doing well. Take care, and have a great weekend.

Bye!

Ice, Inspiration, and Earthquakes

2/15/2014

It's been a wacky week, and I'm feeling it. We had an ice storm on Wednesday that forced us to be homebound for the better part of two and a half days, and then last night there was a 4.4 earthquake in a town about 50 miles west of here. Needless to say, people are freaking. I guess it is rather unusual. Ice and earthquakes, while not unheard of, are pretty rare around here. But thank God, we've weathered both well. The ice wasn't as bad here as they predicted and (thankfully) we didn't lose power. And the earthquake was nothing more than a random "boom" that I frankly thought was ice falling off the roof, and it was over. Nothing even rattled. Just a boom and that was it. Strange, yes, but catastrophic, no. And at the rate we're going, I think we can expect the alien invasion sometime Monday. So folks, get out your tin foil hats to block them reading our brain waves. At least it's warming up. Heck, it's 50 degrees and windy here today and people are out wearing T-Shirts. I don't think we're quite there yet, but if you're at the pace where 50 feels tropical, knock yourself out.

Sad think is, I probably could have gotten a lot of good writing done if it weren't for this stupid writer's block. I decided to take a brief break after completing and publishing Incursion last week so I could "get myself together" and get focused on the two projects still in progress. Truth be told, it was a good idea, because I came up with a solution to my "show don't tell" conundrum in Nonstop to Nowhere, and I'm working on integrating a fix to that in the manuscript (I'm also still thinking about changing the title, but we'll see). As for Rearview Mirror, I think my problem is the setting - specifically, the time of year. I set the novel in January, and I just realized that I've never had a novel set in the winter. Blurry started in late February, but ran through the spring. The rest were in spring, summer, or fall. And really, winter isn't a very inspiring season. I wonder if I should tweak it a bit, to set it at least a month later, and perhaps even at the same time as Move to make it an even four years since the events of that novel. I'll consider this further. I have time since I plan to self publish it, and I really need to get Nonstop to Nowhere done first anyway, since it's on deadline for this summer.

At least I'm running on the right track with my writing, because all of these snow days have really throw me out of whack. I think some "cabin fever" has kicked in as well. That's rare for me, but I think it's happened. It was so good to get out just to get some lunch and run some errands today! I think this weird winter weather has all of us feeling a bit "off" and we'll get back on track soon. I'm just glad it's warming up and the sun is out.

Also, don't forget that I'm running a promotion for two more days on Incursion and Move . You can get Incursion for free at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/406060 with Coupon Code VV76A and you can get Move 50% off at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/286425 with Coupon Code AY42G. If you've never bought from Smashwords, it's easy. Just set up an account, and you can get ebooks in any format you wish - even PDF! So go pick up your copy today!

That's all today. Take care and have a great rest of the weekend.

Bye!

Another Snow Day?

2/12/2014

I'd like to open this blog to give a shout out on two special events: Happy birthday to Mom yesterday, and Happy 20th anniversary to Stephen and Nicole, my brother and sister-in-law, today! And what a way to spend these special days - holed up due to winter slush! Oh well, I hope you all have great days despite Snowmeiser's attack on the south!

So here we sit in the south, with our second winter weather day in two weeks. As you can probably tell from the news, we really aren't used to this. Down here, we're used to deep frying in the summer, not deep freezing in the winter. Our winters are usually mild, and we only get weather like this once every few years.

Oh well. Seems it's been a brutal winter everywhere. I think we can all agree on two things: we'll be thankful for spring, and the first person to complain about the heat this summer should be hit with Thor's hammer!

That being said, I suppose I'll take care of a few things around the house today, and maybe read. I'm taking a brief writing break - perhaps 2 weeks. I published Incursion last week and returned to Rearview Mirror and Nonstop to Nowhere to discover that I'm stuck on both of them! I have general ideas, but nothing specific is flowing. I didn't realize that I had been hitting the writing pretty hard since New Year's Day, and I probably do need a break. Having nightmares of demons and djinn chasing me around the church last night pretty much confirmed it. Yes, it's time for a time out. And so I shall. Right now, both stories need some brainstorming and some more research. In fact, the title to Nonstop to Nowhere may be changed. But I need to replenish the inspiration well before diving into these things, so I'm taking a brief break.

Don't worry; I'll keep the blog updated and post on social media. I may even crank out a flash fiction or short story piece. I just need to step back from these projects for a little while to regain my perspective and get going on them again. It's not unusual for this to happen in the middle of projects, and I'm not worried. I know I'll be back, maybe even sooner than I expect, and will get them done.

Everybody take care out there, and I hope you have a great week.

Bye!

Bye!

Two Things That Will Clear Your Schedule

1/27/2014

I've recently learned there are two things that will clear your schedule: the flu, and snow. Nobody needs you that badly when you have the flu. And nobody needs anything that badly when winter weather alerts go off.

Needless to say, I spent most of today clearing this week's schedule. And when the Winter Weather Advisory was upgraded to a Warning - and moved up a few hours - a sense of urgency had the phones ringing and emails flying faster than the speed of, well, germs. I haven't seen people scramble away this fast since I got the flu at the beginning of the month. Even my NOAA Weather Radio forecast seemed more urgent and frantic today. Bad enough the red "warning" light was on, but when a computer voice is panicked then it's time to pay attention.

Better to err on the side of caution, I suppose. And with all of the notice we had on this - they've been talking about it for a week now - there's no reason to be caught off guard.

A lot of people are hoping this will be a break. It would be nice to have some extra time to write, or read, or just to get some rest. I know a lot of people have complained about being tired, overwhelmed, and overworked lately. Our weekend just flew by. Attending to things around the house and running chores and errands had us going all weekend, and before we knew it, it was gone. I told Rick last night that I need another weekend already! I didn't accomplish as much with my writing last week as I hoped, and I didn't have a chance to read at all. In fact, it was all I could do to keep my chores and errands going. Maybe we'll get our wish. My bigger concern is for people to be safe.

We'll see what Mother Nature has in store for us. Nothing too bad, I hope. We've already had a polar vortex. Goodness knows, that was enough. This has been one brutal winter for us all. May this cold blast pass faster than my flu did. I can tell you this for certain: the first person to complain about heat this summer should be smacked with Thor's hammer. Seriously. Southerners were built to slow cook, not deep freeze. I know our northern neighbors are laughing, but it's a simple fact: we aren't used to this.

Take care and stay safe, folks. I hope your week goes well.

Bye!

Old Technology

8/1/2013

I thought it was odd when Rick unhooked one of our upstairs TV's and put it on an antenna. He did it to get the weather station on local television that just shows Doplar radar. It doesn't have weather forecasts, or even a commentator. It's just a radar that shows rain in real time. But he uses it, all the time. Even with a weather app on his phone, he still turns on that station every time the weather looks like it's going to turn stormy. And he's able to tell a lot from it too - more than from the app.

I have to admit that I have no room to talk. I have a NOAA weather radio sitting on the vanity in the bedroom. I had to turn the alarm off because it scared the poop out of the birds one day when it went off while we were out. But I have to admit, it's useful to see those watch and warning lights and the scrolling messages. Sometimes that catches my eye when I'm passing through the room, when I've been too busy doing other things to keep an eye on the push notification on my phone. As much as we love technology, it seems that Rick and I are still hung up on old tech when it comes to getting the weather.

I don't know how many members of Generation X would admit it, but I bet many of us hang on to old tech in one way or another. We were, after all, the generation that was growing up while computers were going through their exponential growth phase. I love technology and can't deny that it's made life a lot easier, but there's some charm in the old ways. I grew up with my brother having a weather radio in the house and Rick grew up watching the radar stations. Yes, we love the weather apps on our phones and refer to it every day - but let some clouds run in and we like to double check with our tried and true favorites.

So be honest: how many of you have a closet full of cassette tapes? You may rarely use them, but I bet you don't want to let them go, either. Personally, I'm hoping they find a way to convert my tapes to MP3's one day. Our music collection would easily quadruple if we could do that. And maybe one day, it will be possible. There are services that can covert VHS tapes to DVD. Who knows what's next? It is fascinating, in a way. We grew up in a time where this was everyday life, and now we can't imagine how we made it that way.

So, what old tech are you holding on to? Be honest - you know it's something. That is, after all, why it's still around.

That's all today. Have a Happy Friday tomorrow and a great weekend.

Bye!

Questions Without Answers

4/12/2013

It’s been one of those weeks where it seems like every question is a hard one, and unfortunately I’ve been designated as the “go to” person for those thorny questions that just don’t have a clear answer. I’m not sure how I got this honor. People say I’m smart, but I think it might have more to do with the fact that I’m not afraid to make up an answer if “I don’t know” won’t do. And of course, it often won’t. Hence, my inventive instincts kick in and alas, the unanswerable continues to come to me for an answer. I don’t know why others aren’t comfortable taking what they know and extrapolating an answer. Maybe it’s my personality. Or maybe it’s because I’m not afraid to do it.

Still, despite my creative instincts, there are still some things that I just don’t get. Don’t call me a “know it all” yet people, because I don’t understand:

1.      Why charisma wins popularity but integrity isolates. I know people swarming with friends that don’t do anything for anybody but the almighty “I” and others that give and give, and people tell them it’s never good enough. Real story: I can tell you of instances when I took off work to go to funerals or to visit people when they were sick. “Thanks!” they said, but once they recovered I was relegated back to my place on the Christmas card list while they ran right back to their buddies that were too busy and couldn’t be bothered with “using their leave like that” or dropping a card in the mail. Why was my time out not good enough but their casual “oh, sorry for your loss” when you went back to work okay?

2.     Why is it fine for some people to “be like that” but others need to get their act together. This harkens to my last entry about how it seems people like some people and their problems more than other people and their problems. An undependable person that you can’t trust to show up when they say they will is thought of as a “swell guy” because he has that charisma and can light up a room with cheerful banter. “Yea he’s not dependable, but that’s just him!” People say. But his shy neighbor that always shows up when he’s needed is “shady” because “I just don’t know if I can trust him. He really needs to be more open and honest with people.” I tell you; it seems that character doesn’t matter anymore. Why doesn't "swell guy" need to clean up his act and keep his word? And better yet, why do people get angry and defensive if you even hint at such a thing? It seems to me like people pick their friends arbitrarily and they won’t get facts get in the way of what they want to believe.

3.      What's up with cliques? Why, people? They’re useless. You don’t have to be in one to have friends. I know because I’m not a group or clique person and I get along with people just fine. In fact, if I ask people questions then they usually tell me things because they know I’m not going to gossip or use it to create drama. Which brings me to my next item …

4.      Gossip and drama. OMG. Why even bother? I have enough to deal with without having drama stirred up by people being sensitive and/no nosy. As the saying goes, nobody’s got time for that. At least I don’t.

5.      Why are we quick to assume the worst of those we know and the best of strangers? Some people do. Here’s a recent conversation I had:

Them: “There was a bag in my yard this morning! Why would my neighbor throw their trash in my yard?”

Me: “You saw them do it? Why didn’t you ask them about it?”

Them: “No! I mean, it was between our houses. Do you think they pushed it on my side?”

Me: “So you’ve counted out that a stranger driving by might have thrown it out of their car and it blew into your yard?”

Them: “Oh. I didn’t think about that.” Pause. “Could that happen?”

Me: “I’ve seen bags blow in my yard a lot and its windy out today. But hey, you know your neighbor. If you think they did it …”

Them: “No! They probably wouldn't ... I mean, it probably blew in my yard.”

Why were they quick to blame the neighbor and count out a stranger being an igit? I don’t know. And yet, this is a small example of what I see often. People are harsh with those they claim to love and will grant eternity’s grace to strangers. It seems to me it should be the other way around: suspect the stranger, assume the best of the inner circles. But who am I to say? It seems human nature is drifting toward assuming the worst in a lot of cases. We see nefarious intentions everywhere.

6.      The weatherman can be wrong 50% of the time (or more) and keep a job. Could you keep your job with a record like that?

7.      Why does everybody want Friday off? Friday is my easy, catch up day because of staff shortages and slower calls/emails/mail. I want Monday off. That’s the day everybody comes back and it hits the fan.

8.      Yield signs. I saw somebody stop at one a week ago for the first time in I can’t remember when. People ignore them. We need to replace them with Stop signs.

9.    Wearing a watch on an airplane when you’re crossing time zones. I learned the futility of this when I went to Arizona. I think I was the only one on the plane wearing one. And yet, I was pestered to death. “What time is it in Charlotte? How long have we been in the air? How much longer till we land?” Why ask me these questions? The watch doesn’t control time and its ability to tell it was compromised. Next time, I don’t wear it or hide it in my carry on. Geeze.

10.  Why do thermostats even have settings below 70 degrees or over 75 degrees? You know people get uncomfortable at temperatures outside that range. Choices, schmoices. Build HVAC systems for reality, folks!

And finally:

11.  Why is everybody wearing yellow today? I’ll wear my new yellow shirt, I thought this morning. Then I got here and saw about 10 people coming in wearing yellow. What’s up with that?

I don’t know. These are some of life’s questions that I can’t even hazard a guess. So I suppose my inventive instincts aren’t that sharp after all. But maybe they do still work to a degree, because the beauty of being a writer is that I can pass the questions I can’t answer on to you, the reader, and let you be the judge. Heh heh heh.

That’s all today. Happy Friday to you. Have a great weekend.

Bye!

Welcome Fall or End of Summer Blahs?

9/1/2012

Ah, Labor Day weekend - the unofficial last weekend of fall. How do you feel about that? Do you say "welcome fall" and embrace the change of seasons, or are you a bit blue that summer's waning?

I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it's been a brutally hot summer. It was nice to have Isaac bring in some more moderate temperatures last week, but it has been warm again yesterday and today. Not that I mind the hot. I'd rather sweat than shovel snow anytime. But it is nice to have temperatures a bit more moderate. Human beings can live in 80 degree weather. But 110? Not so easy.

It's also kind of nice being able to go out to lunch again without every place being so crowded. With so many people "out and about" between school being out and traveling, I had to cut back on going out to lunch because I couldn't get in and out of places in an hour during my lunch break. Running errands was tricky too. It's nice to have our population sufficiently spread out so that it's possible for me to eat out or pick up a few things at the store during my lunch break without having to stress over getting back to the office by 2. And I'm talking about places right around the corner from my office!

But on the other hand, I am sad that summer's ending. Spring and summer are my favorite seasons. I like the warm weather, and the long days. It's already getting dark noticably earlier than it was a few months ago. The bluebirds have moved out of the birdhouse and won't be back. The rose blooms are smaller. And the cicadas don't chirp nearly as much as they did. There is something a bit melancholy about things winding down.

Not that there's anything wrong with fall. People are back on a routine, so there's less stress with "covering" for vacations - and when you do go out, it's less crowded. There's also college football and fall festivals and TV shows starting their new seasons soon. I have to admit that the reruns are getting old.

I changed some of the house decorations from summer to fall yesterday and it was a mixed bag for me. It was sad to put the roses away, but the fall bouquet is an inspring spalsh of color in that entry way - the yellows and oranges just look great and are a nice change of pace. And switching from roses to apple cinnamon isn't so bad either. It's nice to have something different. There are, after all, merits in every season.

That's all today. Have a great Labor Day weekend. Be safe, have fun, and enjoy an extra day off.

Bye!

Tips to Beat the Heat

6/29/2012

Wow, we come home from a great vacation in Gatlinburg, TN to record heat. Today it was 109 degrees - a new record high temperature for us. And it's not just us here in central SC - I hear a lot of the eastern part of the country is under heat advisories for weather just like this.

Fortunately, 100+ degree weather isn't too strange to us around these parts. Truth be told, this year's heat wave came late, considering that we were breaking the century mark in May and early June over the past couple of years. So naturally we know what to do when it gets hot. The weather forecasters have given you their tips: Stay indoors, wear light colored clothing, limit exercise, stay hydrated, limit or avoid alcohol intake - these are all great tips. But I have a few more that I've picked up over the years that might not only help you keep cool, but keep those power bills from shooting up with the mercury in the thermemoter:

1.    Keep your blinds/shades closed, and if you have curtains, close them. A lot of people raised their eyebrows at us when we put up dark colored panels in our master bedroom and the other front rooms in our house, until the next summer when they saw how good those dark panels are at keeping heat out and cool in.

2.    Electronics and appliances put off a lot of heat, so you might want to limit use of them. The biggest culprits are ovens, dryers, and computers. Consider preparing meals that take a bit less time in the oven or on the stovetop. Only run full loads of laundry and dishes. Use cooling mats for laptops. Consider skipping the surround sound system when you watch television during the day at least.

3.    Use fans, but only in rooms that you're in. Fans work to help evaporate moisture in your skin as well as to circulate air, which means they don't do much good if you aren't in the room with them. So only use fans in the rooms you're using.

4.    Turn off the lights! Only turn on lights in rooms you're in, and try to use as few as possible. You might think a light bulb can't put off much heat, until you try to change one that was just on. Yea, those suckers can indeed get hot.

5. Those sun shades you see in cars might not look extremely fashionable, but they work. If you park outside for any length of time at all, get one and use it. Also, crack your windows or open your sun room to let air circulate and prevent your car from becoming a sauna (and potentially busting a window, which can happen if too much hot air gets trapped in there and can't get out).

6. Stick to indoor activities. I know it's tempting to head for the pool or the water park on extremely hot days, but that fun in the sun can wear you out. Consider seeing a movie or heading to an indoor shopping complex instead. Or better yet, just stay home. Read a book, do arts and craft projects, play a game, watch a DVD and make microwave popcorn, call a friend on the telephone - just stay in the AC.

7. Skip the sneakers and socks. Wear sandals or slide on shoes that you can wear without socks. And put baby powder on your feet to keep them dry and cool. If your feet are cool, it will be easier for you to cool off. I'm not sure why this is, but someone gave me this tip in high school and it works. It also works in reverse too - when it gets extremely cold this winter, put away the flip flops and put on socks.

8. Consider cool meals and snacks. Salads, ice cream, popcicles, watermelon, pineapple, cantelope - you can even stick apples in the refridgerator and they make good, cool snacks.

9. Take it slower. When the nighttime lows are above 70 degrees, it doesn't give your body or the environment time to rebound. That means that you're more prone to exhaustion and heat related problems. Your body is busy enough trying to stay cool, so what you normally do could put more strain on you than you realize. This is why the meterologists tell you to make sure you stay hydrated and to limit exercise when it gets extremely hot. I usually cut back my treadmill time and try to space out my housework more so I'm not pushing myself as hard as I usually do when it gets extremely hot. Likewise, you might want to try to get more sleep too.

10. I know you've been told this, but PLEASE bring in your pets and make sure they have plenty of cool, fresh water. If you're hot, imagine how they feel with feather/fur coats on! And animals can't sweat to cool off, so they usually have to adapt in other ways like drinking more or immercing themselves in water. Come to think of it, Chloe wasn't as disagreeable about her shower tonight as she usually is and she isn't pouting as much either ...

So there are a few more tips from a native southerner on how to adapt to the heat. Because I don't care what they say - you can't really beat it. I've tried for almost 37 years anyway and I obviously haven't won that battle or we all wouldn't be cooking these days. But I've learned to adapt, and I hope sharing some of what I've learned can help you adapt as well.

Happy Friday to you. Have a great weekend.

Bye!

What's Up From Chloe

11/4/2011

Hi everybody, I hope you're doing well. My name is Chloe, and I'm Sherri's female sun conure. Sherri (I call her mommy bird) is a bit tired tonight. She got over her cold to discover that the house was dirty, so she spent a few nights cleaning it. Then today she took off work to go to the Holiday Craftsman's Classic with her Mom. They do that every year. She came back this afternoon loaded down with bags and said she started some Christmas shopping. Snazzy stuff, too. Very unique, which is right up her ally. Anyway, she's a bit worn out, so I said I'd help by pecking out a blog entry for her tonight.

Halloween was uneventful. Zack was happy. He said that when they lived in a neighborhood the children would come to the door and expect mommy and daddy to give them candy - for free! It really ticked him off. He's content to cackle at horror movies with daddy now on Halloween. I find the entire holiday completely silly. Goblins and ghouls and ghosts and bogeymen - completely ridiculous.

Daddy accepted an offer to help design a website for someone this week, and the gentleman is supposed to come by tomorrow to see some preliminary work and give daddy some better ideas of how to design it. Daddy did such a good job with the church website at www.mttaborlutheran.org and he's excited about this new opportunity. Mommy is happy about it too. Daddy likes designing websites and she said she's very glad he's developing this.

What a windy day it was today! And it seemed to get worse as the day went on! I was definitely glad I got adopted by a family that lets me live in the house with them. Life in an aviary is ok as long as the weather is nice. But weather, wind and rain - terrible for the feathers. Mine have gotten so much softer since they adopted me. I'm softer than cotton now! And I don't have to fight to get to the food dish any more either - I have my own food bowl! I love it. I love my toys. I love mommy, daddy, Zack and Ollie. I love my life. It's a happy life. Sometimes I'm so happy that I dance. But I'm a bit sleepy now and tired of typing, so I'm going to go now. If you want to know a bit more about me, Zack and Ollie, please feel free to check out our website at http://conurecorner.weebly.com .

Mommy said to tell you Happy Friday. I hope you have a good weekend as well.

Luv,

Chloe

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