weather – Site Title

What Have You Been Putting Off?

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Each year, it is the same old stuff. When fall rolls around, it is time to turn off the water supply to the garden so that you don’t get frozen pipes that could cause a lot of damage, car inspection to get it ready for winter, check the salt supplies to make sure that I have enough when cold weather rolls around and get my summer clothes bagged up and bring out the winter stuff. There are other things that need to be done but I usually wind up putting them off until I really have no choice!

Just looked at the weather forecast and it says a cold polar blast is going to show its face around here early next week. Temps should be in the minus and that means warmer clothes. I wouldn’t say it’s a mad dash to get my winter clothes together but since I have a lot of them, it means sorting, cleaning and getting it ready. Grrr!!! Not my favorite thing in the world to do.

I’ve got the wash running and getting what I need cleaned and ready. The rest will need to go to the dry cleaners. Yes, a major job and I’m not in the mood for it as I wanted today to be nice and easy. Cuddling with Chachi, the cat, and sipping from the soup I made yesterday to watching something good on TV. Looks like I will be dealing with putting summer away and bringing winter to the forefront. Not to mention the shoes as well. I forgot those. Boots, scarves, socks, gloves, and whatever else is needed to keep me warm and toasty will need to be sorted out as well.

I used to be a clotheshorse. I say, “used to be” but judging from what is coming out of the closets, I still am! The clothes seem to be multiplying right before my very eyes. Oh well, that’s what I have been putting off doing. Now, back to work so that I can meet the new season in style!

You may be saying, but she hangs out in PJs all the time so why the hassle? I ask myself that very same question. Let’s just say, I like having them ready just in case. Chachi is saying, “Not on my watch mommy!”

Daily writing prompt

What have you been putting off doing? Why?

View all responses

HEATWAVE!

We’re in the throes of one and it doesn’t look like it is going to let up anytime soon! Summer is on its way out but not without a last hurrah!

Summer break is over with and school starts on Monday. Hopefully everything else will be back on track as well. Time stands still when vacation starts and everything is run with a skeleton crew. I’m looking forward to calling for an appointment and NOT being told, “Doctor is on vacation. You can get an appointment in two week’s time!”

Anyway, I woke up this morning with my t-shirt plastered to my body drenched in sweat. My freshly washed hair of two days ago has decided to kow-tow to the heat and is not doing much better. The only place in the house that is cool is the living room with its stone floors, the rest are like being in a sauna!

I’m looking forward to the next season when I can go walking for miles on end and have the cool breeze accompany me. Hot weather is for the birds but they are taking cover as well! We’re all waiting for the beauty of fall to step in wearing its golden colors and with it some reprieve.

According to the weather forecast, we have another week of slightly lower temps and then the rain moves in to cool things off. Until then, Chachi, the cat, is sweating his a** off and I have to cool him off with a damp towel two or three times a day. It also seems that no matter how much water I drink, it takes but minutes for it to evaporate in sweat!

Yucks?!! Exactly right. I had my shower this morning but I feel sticky already. Oh well, time to bite the bullet and let the day have its way.

Have an amazing Sunday and I hope it’s cooler where you’re at.

HEATWAVE!

“Dear weather, stop showing off….we know you’re HOT!!!”

The news reads, “Europe swelters under severe heatwave as temperatures soar above 40 degrees Celsius” No kidding! It is HOT and there is no reprieve.

According to a 2024 report by the EU’s Corpernicus Climate Change Service, “Europe is the continent with the fastest-rising temperatures on Earth, having warmed twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s.” This is alarming folks.

Some love it hot and some don’t. My friend, the diver and diving instructor, loves it. I complained that it was too hot yesterday and he said, “At least, it’s not humid.” Hmm…..”humidity” was wearing bells and singing Hallelujah in my bedroom! Just goes to show that some like it HOT and some don’t.

I have a beautiful garden but not because I put a lot of work into it. I had a Polish gardener who did a fantastic job of keeping the weeds at bay and the flowers in bloom. Last year, he had a back problem and went back to Poland. Now, I have a Chilean guy who helps out now and then. I had him scheduled for today but decided it was too hot to be sweltering it out in the garden so called to cancel. His response, “No problem, I LOVE HOT WEATHER!” Like I said, some like it HOT and some don’t.

Chachi, the cat, is like his mom. He hates hot weather. The fur coat doesn’t make it any better either. He walked up to me looking absolutely miserable.

“Mom, we need to talk about this fur coat. Can I go skimpier?”

ME: “Sorry love, you’re stuck with it. Mommy will make it better.”

So, I’ve been wetting a towel in cold water and running it over his fur and that seems to help for now.

Today, the temps will be reaching new highs.

“My skin is sticking, my brain is frying, and I haven’t stopped sweating since I got out of bed.” Unknown

AND

“The heat index is between OMG and WTF!” Unknown

You get the picture.

Have an amazing day.

The Lazy Hazy Days of Summer!

It has been HOT, it has been sticky and the heat has been unbearable. Sweating it out is not a pleasurable experience and going without air-conditioning is not my kind of a nice summer day either!

Europeans do not believe in air-conditioning. “Less than 20% of European homes have air-conditioning, compared to 90% in the US.” This is due to environmental concerns such as energy consumption and green house gas emissions. Add “no deo” to that, and you’ve got a hot sweltering mess!

My energy levels have tanked and I’ve been doing what Chachi, the cat, has been doing. Staying quiet in a cool spot indoors. Add lots of hydration and it is bearable. Walking is out of the question for now and that hasn’t set too well either. It’s just too humid and the “stickiness” that ensues from being out there has kept me indoors for the time-being. I’m like a grumpy bear looking for some relief!

I’ve upped showers to twice a day and some days I want to stay there for a while. A friend told me, “Do what Europeans do when it’s hot.” It seems they go naked and let it all hang out! Not a pretty picture considering most of the people in this village are older people and going without clothes, well, you get the picture! I recall the first time I saw my in-laws in their “bare nothings!” It was a traumatic experience, well not quite, one I don’t want repeated again!

Summer is here and it plans to stay for a while. I’ll just have to put up with it and do the best I can.

One good thing about summer is this:

“Some of the best memories are made in FLIP-FLOPS!” Unknown

I’ve got them on and my feet are smiling even if the rest of me isn’t!

Have an amazing day.

HEATWAVE!

“Then came July like three o’clock in the afternoon, hot and listless and miserable.” Allie Ray

Only problem we’re in June now and after weeks of rain, the weather has decided to do the other extreme. We have heatwave warnings on and it is supposed to hit 36 Celsius today! That’s 95 degrees in Fahrenheit.

It is noon right now and the temps are going up. Just took a walk in the garden and the plants are drooping even though I watered them this morning. Chachi, the cat has given up and he is hiding out under the stairs where it is cooler. The living area is nice and cool because it has stone floors but the rooms under the roof are another story altogether! It feels like a sauna up there.

The weather prediction calls for rain tomorrow, however, it is up and down and all over the place as far as the weather is concerned recently. I’m hoping for a cooling off as I’m not a fan of hot weather. Perhaps, tomorrow will bring a reprieve but today it’s going to simmer and dance with heat!

Sweat it out, stay indoors with feet propped up and do what Chachi is doing. The little guy in the fur coat sure knows how to do a number on the weather but since I won’t fit under the stairs, I’ll retreat to the bedroom with a glass of iced tea and a slice of cheesecake!

Fingers crossed for a cool off tomorrow.

Have a wonderful day.

The Tease Update

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I woke up this morning hoping to see the streets and rooftops covered in white but no luck there! “Magic” was what I was expecting but the weather decided otherwise and the forecasters were wrong again!

What a tease?!! Promise of snow has been in the forecast for the last few days but each time I get my hopes high and think tomorrow is the day I’m going to take the first walk of this year and be welcomed by snow-covered fields has amounted to nothing but disappointment.

I love SNOW! Let me take that back. I love snow as long as it is not accompanied by ice. I love the soft powdery kind that looks like icing on the cake and is sprinkled thick over the fields covering them in white, blinding white for as far as the eyes can see. A pristine and serene landscape that captures the imagination and takes off running to parts unknown. At least mine does but then again I have an overactive imagination.

So far, we’ve had a light smattering of snow in December but when I headed out to the fields most of it had melted and the pathways were a wintry mix of snow and mud, not my idea of “magic” folks.

We don’t get much snow in these parts. If we’re lucky, we might get some heavy snowfall two or three times during winter and that is it. I’m still waiting for it to dump some heavy duty snow but all it has done so far is to “tease” with promises of more to come. This morning I walked out the front door and a few flakes greeted my unbelieving eyes and hope springs eternal but alas, it was not to be. The sun is shining brightly now and those itsy bitsy tiny flakes were a tease as well!

I guess it will come when it is good and ready and not a moment sooner. Here’s the thing, the forecast says snow this weekend! Hmm…..not buying it until it shows up wearing bells and brings snow drifts to boot! It’s a wait and see approach now AND the “teasing” has got to stop! Put the snow where it belongs, right there in the fields and I’ll be quiet for a change. Please ! Pretty please!!

Update:

I guess it (the weather) decided to let me have what I was hoping for but on its terms! We got lots of snow during the night and I was up bright and early ready to tackle the day meaning in these parts when there is snow you need to get out there and clear up the sidewalk and salt them as well. I was ready and willing since I wanted to go walking in the fields afterwards and revel in the wonder of a snow-covered fantasy. I bundled up and headed out only to find that it was raining as well! Hmm…what a tease!! I guess it (the weather) thumped its nose saying, I’ve still got the upper hand! Oh well, no walk today since it is still raining and the forecast is rain for most of the day. I’ll leave it at that and it’s time for another cup of coffee.

Have an amazing day.

The Tease!

Have an amazing day.

The First Snowfall

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields that it kisses them so gently? And then, it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, “Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.” Lewis Carroll

Looking out the kitchen window this morning, snow-covered rooftops greeted me as Chachi, the cat, wagged his tail excitedly at the scene before him. It was the first snowfall of the season and it was beautiful.

Slipping on my boots, I made it to the fields excitedly to see what this first snowfall would bring. It was freezing cold and even though I was bundled up from head to toe, I could still feel the bitter cold as the wind brushed past my face touching my nose in a not so friendly way as it made its way to the open fields to play. It had free rein.

It was still early and the snow-tipped mountains were gleaming white from a distance. The ground closer to home was left untouched but it was wet and muddy, not really a pretty sight BUT beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say.

I wanted to see frosted trees all laid out like picture postcards but I was disappointed. This snowfall was light and barely visible. The trees stood tall and proud their bald tops reaching to the sky. They seemed content with what was to come. Afterall, they’ve seen this cycle many times over. Nature was at work and everything had a time and place.

The crows were at it again only this time they were gathered in the trees and their raucous cacophony deafening to say the least. I wanted to see if the herons would make a showing so I headed to the spot where I had seen them last. Unfortunately, it was empty. Then I heard a loud shrill cry and on the other side from where I was, I spotted one lone heron standing still, its wings pulled tightly against it like a cloak to ward off the cold wind. Again, it stood there ignoring me as I wondered, “Why alone? Did it somehow get left behind? A straggler that somehow missed its flight for whatever the reason? What’s the next move I wondered. Just then out of nowhere I saw them flying gracefully past me. There were three of them their wings spread out, their spindly legs hanging low as they flew gracefully across the skies. One headed to the left and the other two stayed together. They didn’t land this time, they were headed somewhere. Perhaps, it was time to get out of here. The one lone heron was still there standing still perhaps contemplating its fate or it had made up its mind to stay and to weather the storm.

I left it there and made my way home hoping for more snow tomorrow. It’s in the forecast and this time I hope it will blanket the fields in white and fill it with magic.

“Snowfall rouses your inner child to dream and play once more.” Angie Weiland-Crosby

The Walk

I was restless. My mind was doing a dance while the rest of me was having a hard time keeping up. It was still early in the morning but I needed to get out and into the open. I needed to breathe and leaving the enclosed space I was in would help me to do just that. I needed that blast of cold air to shut out my thoughts and I needed to feel free.

Bundling up was my first priority. It was cold as I approached the open expanse I call the fields. The wind was doing its happy dance and reached out brushing my face with its long cold fingers. Icy it was not, but that was to come in the not too distant future. It was just a matter of time now.

The purple-hued mountains in the distance were shrouded in a thick fog and they were now invisible to the naked eye just as parts of the fields were as they too were covered in a veil of white. I paid it no mind as I knew the way well and could get around the area with my eyes closed. As usual, there was no one around and I had the place to myself. My mind started to settle down taking a back seat for a change and I let out a sigh of relief. It was nice to feel calm again.

It wasn’t a pretty day as pretty days go. Everything seemed grey and gloomy, there was beauty there somewhere if only I looked hard enough but today I wasn’t looking. The fields were bare having lost their summer bounty of fruits and vegetables. Some parts were brown, tilled and ready for winter but other parts had something green growing and flourishing in spite of the weather. I couldn’t tell what they were except that they were a bright green adding much needed color to an otherwise drab day. Probably some feed for the animals. The farmers had it down to a science so nothing was ever left to chance. The trees had lost their golden glow, the leaves had all but gone and the branches looked bare their gnarled fingers reaching to the sky as it sent a chill down my spine. I prefer them clothed in green or in shades of gold, orange and red.

Suddenly a shrill sound caught my attention. Looking up I saw a large hawk cut through the fog gracefully. It was on its way somewhere. I stood and watched as it flew out of sight and disappeared into the distance and all was quiet again.

Winter was on its way, that was clear. The fields were preparing to go into their winter sleep having done their work for the summer. It was time to rest and recuperate and to work beneath the surface but they were not in a rush either. They had the time to work their magic in silence so that when spring rolls around they will emerge to WOW with a new bounty of the fantastic kind meant to mesmerize the mind, body and soul. I wasn’t quite ready for it yet. I needed a break.

Summer had bid adieu and we too will bundle up against the bitter cold, gather indoors for warmth and in a way like nature, it will be a time for introspection and regrowth. It is a chance to stop, reflect, regather our strength and to come back stronger, I hope, to face a new season. That is the plan.

“Look for something positive everyday even if some days you have to look a little harder.” Unknown

Have An Amazing Day

Nature’s Way

“Adapt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

It was wildly windy yesterday but since we had a respite from two days of non-stop rain, I decided I would venture out and see what nature had in store for me.

Approaching my usual haunt, I noticed that I was all alone with wide open spaces before me. The sky was dotted with angry grey-tinged clouds and they seemed to be gathering force, perhaps for another deluge or two. It was in the weather forecast afterall.

I couldn’t take my usual route because it was covered in mud so I kept on the narrow roadway heading to the top of the hill. I noticed that even the birds had taken cover from whatever Mother Nature had in store for us. Not a soul and no animal or bird was out there but I liked it that way. However, I would have liked a rabbit or two for company but not today. The wind was strong as it whooshed past my head and it wasn’t whispering softly as it usually does.

Suddenly I noticed something move in the distance. I stopped and watched as it glided gracefully with the wind. As it got closer, I noticed that it was playing along with the wind, doing a dance of its own. I thought it was a hawk at first but it was much bigger than any hawk I had ever seen and its underbelly was tinged in orange. Was it an owl? Do they fly like that? I had always thought they were nocturnal creatures but I’ve been surprised before. I stood and watched as it got closer with every gust of wind. Right before it got above me, I decided to move and fast! Not sure why but I just did and the unidentified creature took off in the opposite direction.

The wind had picked up speed as I got to the top of the hill and it was playing havoc with my hair whipping it around my face. I looked around and noticed that today my beloved fields were cloaked differently. The trees were showing bald spots where once it had been a lush green and the farmers had harvested all their crops and in its place planted something that was sprouting green. Not sure what but it didn’t matter. They knew what they were doing. Then it dawned on me that I loved the fields in whatever color it chooses to wear. I’ve seen it dressed in white, seen it bright with flowers, golden when it is turning colder and today dressed in grey with its skirt billowing from the wind and that too seemed to suit it just as well.

Stopping at the top of the hill to take in the scene before me, I noticed the wind had picked up speed so I turned around to make my way home and just then I felt the wind pushing me forward and not too kindly either. It seemed to be saying, “C’mon get moving! I’ve got work to do.”

I walked home with a smile on my face, the wind on my back and a new found respect for nature. It has it all planned and execution of that plan is never a problem. Winter will get here when it is good and ready but first fall needs to make one last stand. Golden suits me just fine as well.