Jul 13, 2012 |
Those thunderstorms we’ve been waiting on? You know, once the ridiculously hot triple-digit weather wafted into something a tad bit cooler and stirred up the atmosphere with the confronting high/low pressure fronts…
Yeah. THOSE thunderstorms…
We had our first little taste overnight. At 3:06 a.m. Friday the 13th no less, I was awakened by one subtle roll. Soon after, a louder one, and a few minutes later, a third. But then it was quiet. The rains began gently, turning into a steady downpour but nothing horrific.
But today we’re on the map for several days of STORMS. And they’re coming. In case you doubt me, check out these fine photos!
From Weather.com 2:55 pm July 13, 2012
2:42 pm July 13, 2012.
2:44 pm July 13, 2012
2:45 pm July 13, 2012
I’ll be adding more as the storm front approaches… but for now, I’m reminiscent of a place called Kansas and a girl named Dorothy….
[UPDATE JULY 13, 2012 5:05 PM]
The Severe Weather Alert on my cell phone has been sounding off every half hour (or less). The Flash Flood warnings were originally extended to 4:45 pm. Then 5:00 pm. Now it’s up to 6:30 pm.
The clouds have broken a bit, there’s a touch of blue sky trying to peek through. But over the horizon, it looks more ominous. The birds are flocking to the feeder and bird bath like they’re attending Woodstock. And the breeze keeps kicking up now and then.
Looking forward to tonight. Once, that is, when Dot comes home. I don’t like her being on the road in inclement weather… but what mother does?
[UPDATE JULY 13, 2012 8:02 PM]
The Severe Weather Alert for Flash Flood Warnings has now been extended to 10:00 pm. The dark clouds are back, but I’ve yet to see any real rain fall.
I prefer the rain to fall during the day so I can watch it. When it’s dark, and there’s a flood warning, I worry about what it is I can’t see.
[UPDATE JULY 14, 2012, 9:07 AM]
The alerts kept going off. When I last checked my phone, the alerts had been extended until 11:00 pm last night, or possibly even later.
[Un]fortunately, nothing happened in my part of town. Not a drop. Not a flash of lightning nor roll of thunder. I woke up intermittently throughout the night, wondering what I might see and hear. It was like being in a sensory-deprivation tank… all that anticipation for naught.
And looking outside this morning, it’s a bright and sunny day. And it’s gonna stay that way.
Drats.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Jul 13, 2012 |
These are more photos I took on the hottest day we’ve had so far this year. My flower seeds have finally taken root (no pun intended, but there it is!). Fred is definitely getting ready to produce a harvest of Beefsteak tomatoes. And around the yard are other signs of life. Even Dot and a cat or two got in on the photography session!
I like trying different types of photography: Using natural lighting to change the tones and textures. Changing the object of focus to bring other objects into view instead.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Jul 12, 2012 |
See that? That’s a Photo Grab I took from Weather.com in the middle of the afternoon. Ridiculous, isn’t it? And that’s not the worst of it. It actually got hotter! It reached 107 at my house today. In fact, I started writing this at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday evening, and it was still 105.
Some of my friends who live about five miles away as the crow flies are reporting temperatures as high as 112! The weather report has said today should be the worst of it. Along with slightly cooling temperatures, we’re also now in the running for a few isolated thunderstorms. While thunderstorms are fantastic entertainment, out here they’re dangerous.
Lightning ignites too-dry brush and wild shrubbery. Rain sits atop drought-parched land and instead of soaking in, causes the all-too-familiar flash floods. Either situation is generally a cause for alarm out here, but to have both… no wonder we’re in the midst of a Special Weather Warning. It’s supposed to run for several days.
It’s sometimes hard to live in a place where humidity is so absent that even 5% can make you feeling like you’re swimming in a vat of Jell-O. But once the rain actually falls, there’s this great smell… it settles the dust, and there’s just this smell of dirt and sand and water and pollen and… it’s wonderful. The trees are greener. The shrubs and flowers are fresher. It’s the kind of smell that makes me sit out in my PJs in the early morning, and let the rain drop into my coffee as I take it all in.
Yeah. I’m hoping these are those kinds of clouds.
But before the clouds came in, we had sun. And heat. And a lot of it.
And since our Beach Trip was postponed, and we had nothing planned for the day, in the middle of the hottest moment of this heatwave, we decided to try something I haven’t done in about 20 years.
We tried to fry an egg on the driveway.
Because the driveway has a slight slope, once Dot cracked the egg, it ran a bit.
Five minutes later, it looked the same.
It wasn’t really hot enough to fry an egg. So Dot decided to take a stick and scramble it.
I did another little science experiment and put one ice cube directly on the pavement and a cup of cubes next to it to see if they’d melt at the same rate. They did!
The ice melted. The egg didn’t cook.
But the clouds are coming in, and we had a lovely sunset.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Jul 11, 2012 |
This week’s theme for me seems to be
In the Middle.
or, possibly,
On a Teeter-Totter.
It’s already the middle of the week. In four more days it will be the middle of the month. We are closer to the end of the year than the beginning. Yikes!
While the local craft stores and Hallmark Movie Channel are celebrating Christmas in July, my town is in the middle of a scorching heat wave. We hit 105 in the shade today. Sure, people will tell you, “But it’s a dry heat…” as if that takes away some of the sting. Lemme tell ya, 105 is still 105.
My eggplant and green pepper plants can’t decide if they want to survive or not. My Sweet Broom plants are hanging on. Luckily, Fred the Tomato is thriving. It’s in shade more than the others… I’m thinking one more day of this, and the back patio will become my impromptu potted garden.
Dot went swimming over two weeks ago and ended up with Swimmer’s Ear. She gets that the first swim each summer, but this year it didn’t go away. So we spent an hour at the Doctor’s office Tuesday getting antibiotics and ear drops. We had planned to go to the beach today, but the drive is ninety minutes long and involves an altitude shift that always leaves ears popping. So we’ve decided to put that trip on hold until she feels better.
We started cake decorating classes two days ago. The Wilton Method, Course 1. It’s going to be so much fun. That is, if I remember to take ibuprofen before going. As creative and crafty as I am, my hands don’t always appreciate it. In fact, there’s this little thing called arthritis that’s starting to get in the way. I am not a happy camper.
I had a sort of epiphany last week. A shift in attitude, a revelation of emotions. I can’t wait to tell you about it in a soon-to-be-posted blog. It’s actually very exciting! Usually when I share my emotions, I’m either very excited or very sad or very angry or… you get the picture. I mean, drama is what sells, right? You don’t want to hear that I was just content to sit at my window sipping coffee… do you? Well, guess what. I was. I did. And I continue to do so. And it’s awesome. But more on that later.
I’m also very excited to read what everyone has to link up this week! Jenn and Casey have made their move from Maine to North Carolina and it’s been fun to read about their trip. I can’t wait for them to share their new home adventures!
Well, I could write so much more about this Teeter-Totter, but I’ve some tending to get to.
What’s on your plate this week?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
What’s the Word? Wednesdays is a linky that allows other bloggers to share whatever is on their minds that they want to talk about. Think of it as a virtual coffee date with some great friends. What’s going on in your world? Tell us all about it!
A few things to remember:
- Each week’s linky is valid from Wednesday through the following Tuesday. So if you link a post today, you can still come back and link another post tomorrow!
- If you add a link, please put the badge on your post as well.
- Be sure to check out what others are posting, and even leave a few comments.
- You can now show your “likes” by voting for your favorite links.
So, c’mon. Join the conversation. After all, a great coffee date is one where everyone gets to chat, dontcha think?
Jul 10, 2012 |
I made a few alterations to Frankly, My Dear… and I think it’s a much better fit now!
I’m so excited at the way things are going; and they’re just going to keep getting better. Last week the planets aligned to put me in a better attitude and from those events (which I’ll blog about later this week), a new self-confidence was born!
I’m always at my best when I’m writing. I mean, really writing. Not just making notes but really working on getting a project closer to being finished. In the last week, I’ve grabbed that bull by the horns and worked.
A few minor projects were slight changes to the Blog, and I’m hoping you’ll approve:
*I posted a new blog hop: BLOG*HELP*BLOG*HOP. The full title is HOW TO WRITE A BETTER BLOG: I have questions. You have answers. It’s an ongoing Blog Hop where I’m hoping other blog writers and readers will comment and link up their own questions, ideas, and information about writing a better blog.
*I put a BHBH badge on the sidebar of my blog, so no matter what post you’re reading, you can click the BHBH badge and it will take you directly to the original post. I’m kind of excited about this, because (a) I designed the Badge all by myself, which is a HUGE accomplishment, and (b) I’ve received some nice feedback on it. I know it take a while to get noticed, but I’m hoping others will find this to be a great source of information and ideas to make each blog uniquely individual and inviting!
*I have partnered with ZipList.com for my recipes. ZipList is an online recipe-sharing site that also provides you with a grocery list and meal planning options. It’s completely free. You should give them a try!
*This excites me, because when a reader clicks “print” or “save to my recipe box”, ZipList makes sure that the recipe credits back to Franky, My Dear… and New Inklings Press. Right now, I don’t have many recipes saved to ZipList, but I have used them to format some. I’m looking forward to providing more, for both my readers and ZipList users.
*There’s a ZipList badge on the sidebar. If you have a ZipList account, or if you just want to see what it’s all about, you can click the Badge and you’ll be taken to their website.
Those are the major changes to the Blog. I’m looking into ways to attract more readers and subscribers, and in the last month I’ve discovered that my Giveaways have garnered some great attention. I love planning Giveaways, but I’m not always sure what would be a great prize. I’ve won some great prizes: Scharffen Berger Baking Chocolates, a Le Creuset Utensil set, even a Kitchen Aid Blender! I’m looking into trying to get some great sponsors, but right now it’s Me, Myself, and I… and we’re not really sure what kinds of Giveaways you might be interested in. Feel free to offer up some suggestions!
*Each Wednesday through the following Tuesday I post the “What’s the Word?” Wednesdays, Blog Hop. It’s a place for people to comment and link up whatever they feel like talking about. Many thanks to Ann from Doodles and Jots for always linking up some of her great posts! If you haven’t checked out her website, I urge you to do so. She’s so very creative, and always has some wonderful suggestions for children’s books and arts.
*For the past two Mondays I’ve been posting a Weekly Theme: that one mantra I cling to through the next seven days to build on. Whether it be something creative, smart, inspiring, or just fun, I plan to have a new Theme every week.
Those are all the up-and-coming changes right now. But as I am ever changing, so will Frankly, My Dear… I hope you’ll enjoy the new directions, too.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
