Sweltering Heat!

It's Summertime!  I can't say we weren't warned!  Butch had his head shaved the other day - but of course the beard has stayed :-)  Each day this week has been warmer than the one before.  I went out Monday morning to mow in the creek area & within minutes my clothes were soaked.  I kept on - I needed to do something physical & physical it was!

Backyard~

After just over an hour, I had to give it up.  I was so beat, I didn't even put the mower back in the shed.  As so many are saying;  the humidity has made the heat so unbearable.  Even so - I've been amazed at how green things are staying!  Water is still flowing in the creek & when I stepped down onto the flat before the drop to the creek - I stepped into water!  My next thought was Snakes - so I stepped back out faster!

When you go out a door - it's like walking into a furnace - the light breeze does help.  At least it makes you think there's some cooling - but no - not really.  Today's humidity is actually less than yesterday - probably because the temperature is climbing higher.

Back Porch

I ordered blinds for the back deck - but this one is obviously too transparent.  It was rated to keep out 75% of the sun - but that isn't enough.  Thankfully Blinds.com is sending out samples & will replace it with one that will keep out more of the heat.  Both the porch & the deck are wonderful.  They keep the house cooler & giving us outdoor living space, we both enjoy so much year around.

Soaking up water~

 My plants in pots need watering both morning & evening - even sitting in the shade for most of the day!  The few I have planted in the yard - I water every morning & it's crazy how fast they dry out!  I unpacked another box of garden items we'd had in storage.  I found the dragonfly made from kitchen knives :-)  It's like Christmas when I find things that I'd forgotten about.  Thanks to some good friends, more got packed into those boxes than I'd hoped.

It's really tough here in IA...

It's amazed us both how good Nika is with the heat!  She has actually wanted to stay out when the temperatures hover around 90.  She never asks to come in - but when I call her - she'll come at a run!  I've been keeping her in during the afternoon heat waves.  In the evening when we sit out with the fan going - she runs around the yard - mostly shaded by the trees along the creek.  She's had such good sport chasing the bunnies from under the shed to the burn pile. :-)  The last couple evenings though - they haven't appeared.  I'm sure they stay in their burrow when it's so hot.

Front Porch~

The blind works wonders...  As I've said before - it's tough to photograph heat!  I go out & sweat just to take the photos, come in to upload them & they look so inviting!  Inviting until you realize it was still 85 degrees with 70% humidity at midnight last night!

Next week is supposed to be cooler - as in mid-80's!  I won't be complaining about the mid-80's again any time soon!  :-)