The First Sunny Sunday Of August In Texas Will Be Day 37 Over 100

Looking at the Shadow of the Skinny Dipping Thin Man you can see the sun has not yet arrived on the first sunny Sunday of August and already those distant nuclear explosions in the sky have heated the pre-dawn darkness to 86 degrees.

Today will be Day 37 in a Row of 100 degrees or higher as measured at the official temperature measuring station of North Texas at D/FW Airport.

I have yet to locate my mom and dad, who, today, begin day 21,901 of wedded bliss. Give or take a day or two.

Meanwhile up in my old home zone it is currently 54.1. The Puget Sound region has had two days in the 80s this summer. Carlotta Camano thinks air-conditioning needs to be installed in her house to combat those rare instances of sweltering heat. Carlotta's current husband is not agreeing to taking cooling measures. He must not realize what a delicate orchid he married.

The sun has now arrived to light up Sunday and turn up the HEAT. Which means it is time to take my sunny Sunday skinny dip.

The Texas HEAT Has Driven Me From The Tandy Hills

Almost 109 in the 3 in the afternoon time frame on this sweltering 2nd day of July.

I suspect a temperature record will be set again today.

I was not able to go swimming today.

With no wind blowing, and even though the humidity had dropped, I decided not to subject my aged self to my usual daily salubrious HEAT stress.

I can not remember the last time a day has gone this far past midnight with me having had no aerobically induced endorphins sedating my pain. It sort of makes me sleepy. I am drinking coffee, right now, something I rarely do, except early in the morning, hoping the coffee caffeine stimulates me out of this extreme doldrum that has me thinking this must be how people feel when they decide to take a nap in the middle of the day.

Changing the subject from the Texas temperature to my nomadic mom and dad. A couple hours ago I heard from my Tacoma sister that mom and dad have left Tacoma and the company of Blue, Max, David, Theo and Ruby to head North to see Spencer Jack and then East to see my favorite auntie and then back to Arizona.

I imagine mom and dad have been shivering bad up in Washington. Right now it is only 69.8 in Tacoma. That is 10.2 degrees chillier than my interior space and 38.8 degrees chillier than my exterior space.

I'm shivering just thinking about being up in Washington right now.

The First Day Of August Will Be Day 31 In A Row Over 100 Degrees In North Texas

As you can see via the existence of a Shadow of the Bald Thin Man I am up well before the sun this first day of August.

Monday is already heated to 86.1, heading to a scheduled high of 106 on Day 31 in a Row of 100 degrees or more.

This morning, at my former location in the Skagit Valley of Washington, the natural air conditioning is chilling the Puget Sound zone to 47.4.

My interior A/C just cycled on, cooling me to 80.

Yesterday I blogged about seeing an old lady in pink and a gloved jogger.

Someone calling him or herself Anonymous commented about the gloved jogger....

Yes, the gloved hands do look odd. You aren't old enough, yet- but treatment for skin cancer (basal or squamous) or post- forever treatment requires covering up the affected areas. Hence, his long sleeved shirt too. Men, particularly seem to get these conditions on the hands, forearms, balding heads and chests. He probably used to do exactly what you are doing now, outdoors, with no protection.

Why would the gloved jogger go jogging in the High Noon HEAT if everything needed to be covered due to cancer? How does Anonymous know how old I am? How does Anonymous know whether or not I slather SPF 50 sunscreen all over my exposed parts, including my bald head?

I think I shall go swimming now and do some Anonymous pondering. Without sunscreen.

The Old Pink Lady & Gloved Jogger Today Turned Fort Worth's Fosdic Lake Into Texas Twin Peaks

Walking around Fosdic Lake at Oakland Lake Park, today, had a bit of a Texas Twin Peaks feel.

When I left air-conditioned comfort, before noon, the sun was already heating Sunday to a HOT 97.4 with the Real Feel Heat Index feeling like 101.

The First Texas Twin Peaks thing was what I saw upon arrival at Oakland Lake Park's east parking lot. An elderly lady, dressed mostly in pink, was standing under the sparse shade of a small tree by the tennis courts.

The Old Lady in Pink was using a very crooked cane to support herself.

Walking across Fosdic Dam a guy who appeared to be a very overweight middle-aged man of Asian descent was being pulled by 4 yapping Chihuahuas on very long leashes. I said howdy to the dogs and the guy as I passed. The guy said something back to me in some Asian language. Maybe Chinese. Maybe Thai. Maybe Korean.

A short time after howdying the Chihuahuas, the most Texas Twin Peak thing of the walk rapidly ran toward me. That's right, you read correctly, a man was out jogging in the 101 degree HEAT. An elderly man with a very very well-worn face, wearing long pants, long-sleeved shirt, a headband, hat. And gloves.

Yes. Gloves. 101 degrees HOT and this guy was jogging while wearing gloves.

After the Gloved Jogger passed me, I got to the west side of Fosdic Dam and took several pictures of him, using the zoom. One of those pictures is at the top.

I then continued with my walk around Fosdic Lake. When I got back to the west side of the lake I saw the Gloved Jogger jogging once more across Fosdic Dam. I knew our paths would again intersect, so I prepared to shoot.

I was not prepared for what happened next. I snapped several pictures as the Gloved Jogger ran towards me. And then he stopped jogging, took a left and said something. He was some distance from me, so I was fairly certain he was not addressing me.

The person the Gloved Jogger was addressing was the Old Lady in Pink. The Gloved Jogger walked up to the Old Lady in Pink and took her hand, holding hands as they walked to their car. Apparently they are a couple.

She had stood there under the slight shade of that slight tree while the Gloved Jogger ran at least two times around Fosdic Lake. In 101 degree HEAT.

I was down at lake level, the parking lot is on a bluff above the lake. I watched the slow process of the Old Lady in Pink helping the Gloved Jogger remove most of his outerwear. This is how I learned he had a headband on under the hat. And a t-shirt under the long sleeved shirt. He did not take his pants off, so I don't know if he was wearing long underwear under them.

Prior to the Gloved Jogger, meeting up with the Old Lady in Pink, another jogger Texas Twin Peaked me. This guy had a very odd jogging style. With very skinny legs covered with tattoos. By his grizzled leathery face he appeared to be old. But I don't think he was. He had a youngish spiked haircut, dyed blond. And really creepy piercings all over his face.

And then there were the Fosdic Lake Ducks today.

I don't think the ducks like the HEAT.

Usually the birds that live on Fosdic Lake are skittish. But not today. Ducks floated in the shade of shoreline trees. And did not care that I was getting close to them.

I would have thought the Fosdic Lake Turtles would have been out and about, loving the HEAT. But I saw no turtles today. That is unusual.

According to my weather station, we have gone over 100 today. I don't know if it has gone over 100 at the official measuring station. I suspect it has, thus making this Day 30 in a Row of 100 or HOTTER in North Texas. Which would make this now the 2nd longest HOT streak in North Texas history. Twelve more days of 100 or more and we either tie or break the all time record of 42 HOT days in a row, set in 1980.

The Last Sunny Sunday Of July Will Likely Be Day 30 In A Row Over 100 Degrees In North Texas

I was up before the sun this last day of July, looking through the bars of my patio prison cell at the dawning of yet one more North Texas Sunday where the sun is scheduled to turn the temperature up over the 100 degree mark.

Again.

Yes, despite the forecast indicating Saturday would end the Days in a Row over 100 at 28, at 4:28 in the afternoon the official temperature measuring station at D/FW Airport's thermometer hit 100.

We are already heated to 84.7, well on our way to 100 and Day 30 in a row. The forecast for Monday is 106. For Wednesday we are scheduled to hit a new high for the year at 108.

Well, enough about the temperature. For now. It is time to go swimming.

I Believe The Current North Texas 100 Or Over Streak Has Ended With Incoming Of 108

I am almost 100% we did not hit 100 today, thus ending the streak of 100 or over HOT days at 28 in a row.

But, look what we have to look forward to. 108 on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Meanwhile in Phoenix it is currently 109.3, with the Real Feel Heat Index making it feel like 114. Currently Phoenix is not benefiting from a lack of humidity due to being in a desert. It is monsoon season in the Valley of the Sun.

And then we have my old home location of the Flatlands of the Skagit Valley in the cool, wet state of Washington. Right now it is 71.8 with the Real Feel Heat Index making it feel like a balmy 76.

I do not remember the Heat Index having been invented yet when I lived in Washington. I do remember when 76 degrees felt really HOT to me.

Currently my air-conditioner is set at 80. That feels cool to me.

We can blame CatsPaw for availing me of way too much temperature information feeding my temperature fixation.

Will The Last Saturday Of July Be Day 29 In A Row 100 Degrees Or Hotter In North Texas?

Looking out my primary viewing portal on the last Saturday of July at a clear blue sky it would appear that Tropical Storm Don has passed us by.

Despite the prediction that we would not hit 100 yesterday, at the official temperature monitoring station for this zone, at D/FW Airport, we did hit 100, making Friday Day 28 in a row of 100 degrees or more.

The prediction for today is only 99. But, if we do hit 100, or more, I believe that would make today's Day 29 in a row the 2nd longest streak of 100 degree days in North Texas history.

Meanwhile, up in Washington, Betty Jo Bouvier reports that yesterday it got to 80 and she almost sweltered to a full swoon whilst working in her garden. This morning Betty Jo is being chilled to 53.5, while here in North Texas we are being chilled to 79.4.

Changing the subject from the HEAT to lunch, I am making pizza from scratch today. Carlotta Camano gave me the step by step directions as to how to do so. I believe the pizza dough will be the only step which may present me with some measure of difficulty.

Before I make pizza I am going swimming and then later will likely do some hill hiking, followed by Town Talk. Then pizza assembly.

We Are Cooling Down In North Texas While I Help Gar The Texan Find The Best German Beer In America

My best friend with an IQ over 165, that being Gar the Texan, thinks I am temperature obsessed due to suffering from something called SSAD, with those SSAD initials being the short way of saying Summer Seasonally Affected Disorder.

Apparently I have had episodes where I have been unreasonably cranky, due to being overheated.

Gar the Texan has also made note of the fact that around 80% of my 20 to 30 bloggings a day seem to have something to do with the temperature.

Well, the thing is, the temperature is a HOT topic. I just realized a couple minutes ago that my Google AdSense revenue has already broken the monthly revenue record, with 2 days to go in July.

Now, I know Gar the Texan, with the advantage of his Ultra IQ, does better than I do with the pertinent blogging subjects. I imagine he has brought in a small fortune with his search for the perfect German beer made in America. And his parenting adventures.

Now, switching the subject from Gar the Texan and his parenting adventures, back to the temperature. I do not believe we hit the 100 mark today. If that is the case, the streak is over, with the 2011 streak being, I think, the 3rd longest in North Texas history, as measured at the official station at D/FW Airport.

If we don't get to 100 on Saturday, apparently a new streak of 100 degree days will begin on Sunday, with this coming Tuesday currently scheduled to be heated to a HOT 106.

We are currently scheduled to only get to 97 tomorrow. A 2 degree reduction from the previous prediction. Earlier I saw some big cumulus clouds that I assumed were due to Tropical Storm Don. But those clouds currently do not seem to be increasing.

Even so, I suspect there may be some thunderbolts jolting me in a few hours.

In the meantime I'm going with Gar the Texan to help in his quest to find an American Hefeweizen beer that is at a German quality level. This is an important project. It would be much easier if we were up in Washington doing this search, what with Washington's many brewpubs. For a state where the people seem to like their beer drinking, there seems to be a serious brewpub shortage in Texas.

Cold Front Brings Slight Big Chill To North Texas While I Think About Gilmer Sweet Potato Queens

The sun was just starting to light up the place when I stepped outside the pleasantly temperatured Wednesday morning of August 25.

70 was the overnight low. That is quite a drop from the 106 high of 2 days ago. Or was it 3?

I've got my windows open, no A/C running. The predicted high for today is 88, the low, 68. With a 50% chance of rain with possible bolts of lightning.

About a third of an inch of rain fell since midnight. I did not hear it, but I saw all was wet outside when I stepped out on my patio for my daily view of the morning.

One nice benefit of this currently chilling cold front is in addition to drastically dropping degrees of air temperature, my swimming pool also was chilled down this morning to a more pleasant refreshing temperature.

If it is Wednesday, creature of habit that I be, I must be going up to North Richland Hills around noon, then to Hurst, going to the ALDI Food Market for my weekly chat with Victoria.

Yesterday I finally made it virtually out to Gilmer in the Piney Woods Region of East Texas, after being chastised by Elaine Fletcher for daring to leave out talking about beautiful small town Gilmer.

Turns out Gilmer has an interesting history. And its Yamboree Festival, with its celebration of the Sweet Potato, is a big deal.

The Sweet Potato Queen appeared to be a bit chunky. Maybe that is a requirement for the Sweet Potato Queen wannabes.