August 6: The Day Hiroshima Exploded And My Mom & Dad Got Married 60 Years Ago

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell at a glowing blue pool on the morning of the first Saturday of August, Day 6.

An A-bomb boomed over Hiroshima on this day in 1945, followed 6 years later by my mom and dad getting married.

Happy 60th Anniversary to my mom and dad. Whereabouts currently unknown.

We are starting to see some positive effects from the record breaking HEAT scorching North Texas. Mosquitoes do not do well with HOT dry air. Fire ants burrow deep to avoid being baked to death.

Today will be Day 36 in a Row of 100 degrees or higher. The official temperature recording station at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport has measured record breaking temperature for the past 5 days.

It is currently 84.1 according to my temperature measuring station, heading to a predicted high of 106 today. Meanwhile up at my old home zone of the Skagit Valley it is currently 55.3 heading to a scorching high of 70.

It is now that time of the day when I go swimming in that blue oasis, currently heated hotter than 84.1.

The Great North Texas Drought Of 2011 Has Stopped Arlington's Village Creek From Flowing

I stopped at the Village Creek Natural Historic Area on my way to Pantego to do some shady walking under the Village Creek jungle foliage.

As you can see in the picture, 35 Days in a Row over 100 degrees and the Great North Texas Drought have no water flowing through the dam/bridges across Village Creek.

I do not recollect Village Creek ceasing to flow in HOT times in previous summers.

This Friday afternoon a little after 3 the Weather Underground is telling me we are being heated to 107.2 degrees HOT at this point in time.

Peak electricity use hits around 4. I'll do my part during peak time and raise the temperature on the A/C so it does not run so much.

Getting Real HOT In Texas With My Leo Therapist & Me Being Shy About Horoscopes

Coming up on 5 on July 25 we are currently heated to 105 at my location in blistering HOT Texas.

The wind is blowing less than 5 mph.

The slight wind is not enough to bring on the Wind Chill Factor, instead the humidity has the Real Feel Heat Index feeling like 109.

In my current location a mechanical temperature altering device is chilling the air to somewhere in the 80 degree zone.

I remember 3 years ago today, shivering up in Tacoma. I asked if I could move to the upstairs loft, which was way warmer than the frigid basement I'd been being very cold in. The upstairs loft had 2 high tech A/C units. The A/C unit's digital thermometer indicated the temperature in the loft was 82.

The occupants in the house, in which I was incarcerated, could not understand that, to me, 82 degrees felt cool.

On a totally non-temperature, non Great North Texas Drought related subject, my therapist, Dr. L.C., sent me an amusing Horoscope thing this afternoon. The Horoscope thing said...

Far from shy, Leos can be quite opinionated, and their idealism is contagious––they are known for inspiring others. Starting your own blog where you can express yourself openly would be the perfect creative outlet for you. If you're not into writing, then try an acting class. Your flair for the dramatic makes you born for the stage.

Next month, in the Leo time of the year, my therapist's birthday and mine are one day apart.

As usual, with silly Horoscope stuff, this Horoscope stuff was really way off.

Both my therapist and I are very shy. Neither of us is at all opinionated. My therapist and I are not contagious. We are not very inspirational. We do both have blogs, but I can't see where they are a perfect creative outlet for either of us. My therapist does have a slight flair for the dramatic, unlike me and my very dull lack of any sort of flair.

The Day Before The Start Of Summer Will Be The 8th Day In A Row Over 100 In North Texas

I went to bed early Sunday, which has me up early the day before the start of summer.

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell at my destination in a few minutes hence, you can see Monday has dawned with yet one more blue sky morning in Texas.

Today is scheduled to be the 8th in a row where the temperature at the official measuring station at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport will go over 100 degrees.

Yesterday got to 102. Today is supposed to get to 103. Tomorrow the Heat Index will likely get in the 108 to 109 range.

Thousands in Fort Worth had their power knocked out yesterday. High winds knocked out some power lines.

I do not remember losing power during the air conditioning time of the year. That would be quite miserable. I need to knock on some wood.

And then go swimming.

We Are Having A Heat Wave In Texas But No Sunburns

It is Friday coming up on 5 in the afternoon in North Texas. Currently we are 4 degrees shy of 90 degrees.

I've got the ceiling fan spinning and am thinking of turning on the A/C for the first time this year.

If this was July and I was in the Northwest at 86 degrees, the locals would be in full whine mode over the horrible heatwave overheating everyone.

A couple days ago I read on Mr. Galtex's latest blogging about the Galtex's visit to Seattle, among his ponderings of things to consider regarding the idea of moving from Fort Worth to Seattle, was that he would be perpetually pale.

A glimpse from Mr. Galtex's Blog...

It rains in Seattle. It's generally not a heavy rain, just a drizzle, but it's enough to get you wet. We never broke out an umbrella, although we used the hoods on our coats a lot. If we lived in Seattle I would lose my tan and become very pale.

Every April in Texas we close up the windows and turn on the air conditioner, and it stays on until October. In Seattle, anything over 80° is considered a heat wave, even in August. Few residences have air conditioning.

I must disabuse Mr. Galtex of an erroneous notion. I have not had a single sunburn since I moved to Texas. In Washington I seldom survived a summer without getting sunburned badly at least once. In Texas my face remains suntanned year round, lesser so in winter. In Washington, in summer, I would get suntanned all over. Front, back, legs. In Texas all that gets tanned, in summer, is my back, face and arms.

Why is that?

Well, In Texas you can stand to be out in the sun at 100 degrees or more for an hour at the most. In Washington on a sunny summer day you can easily stay outside all day long, thus absorbing a lot of sun rays. If it's rainy on the west side, I could go east of the mountains and stay at Sun Lakes State Park for 4 days and come home suntanned.

In Texas, in North Central Texas, there really are no beaches where you would want and go spend a day. In Washington I had the pick of 100s of miles of beaches, on saltwater and lakes, where the day could be spent, outside, where you could have a fire and roast weenies. I can't imagine spending a day at a Lake Grapevine beach, with a fire, in July.

So, Mr. Galtex, when you and Gail move to Seattle, by the end of your first August, you will likely find yourself darker tanned than you've ever been. And then by October that will have faded to pale, until the next June, when you can begin the darkening process again.

Another big difference regarding suntans in Texas and Washington. I have seldom slathered on sunscreen in Texas. In Washington if I knew I was going to be out in the sun, I would slather on the SPF 30.

Up Way Before The Texas 106 Degree Sun This 2nd Day Of August

I was real tired real early Sunday night. I think going for a second swim during the HOTTEST part of a very HOT day did me in.

So, going to bed early got me up early, as in very early, this 2nd day of August. I've been up since 3.

It is now half past 4. I have a while to go before the sun starts to turn the light on.

Looking down at the pool this morning it looks real inviting. I think I'll turn off the lights and go swimming under the moonlight.

Overnight the National Weather Service seems to have decided to turn up the temperature for today and tomorrow. To 106.

106 seems to be getting into the territory of being seriously HOT. Then again, yesterday it was 119 in Baghdad. So, it could be worse.

We Are About To Hit 100 In The D/FW Metroplex

The National Weather Service is predicting a significant HEAT WAVE is heading our way, in North Texas.

The average date for the first 100 degree day of the year is July 1. Last year the first triple-digit day was on June 23. Followed by 21 more days over 100 before the slow slide to the snows of winter.

I think I've already said I'm not acclimating to the HEAT as well as Texas HOT times past. It is not helpful that my swimming pool is currently not working.