Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Summer days

The other day Meike mentioned the use of the term "high summer" in Germany  to describe this period from mid-July to mid-August, when temperatures are at their highest. I love the sound of "high summer" and think it perfectly describes this time of year.

South Carolina is currently smack in the middle of the first big heat wave for this summer. Temperatures have been reaching around 98F degrees (36.666C, and no, I didn't make up the ".666" part!) with high humidity to go along with it. We've been having weather (heat) advisories every day, and going outside is almost out of the question. It's like walking into a blast furnace when the sun is out, and at night it's like a sauna, with air so thick and hot it's like having a damp blanket over your head. After a sweltering hot afternoon yesterday, we had a brief  but heavy rain shower. When it was over, you could see steam rising off the streets for the next couple of hours. Yuck.

Getting exercise (for me and the dogs) has suffered. We take the dogs out most nights for a short walk after dark, but it's still so hot that we're lucky if we make it around the full half mile loop of the neighborhood just once. Not only is it extremely uncomfortable for me, but Ginger has a thick coat and is 13 years old. We have to be more careful with her these days, and this heat is no joke. We all need more activity, but I'm not sure how to manage it! In a normal year I'd go and walk with friends at the (air conditioned) mall sometimes if it was too hot to do it outside, but of course that's not a good idea with the coronavirus still raging. In a normal year, I might at least go downtown occasionally, to the library, to the thrift stores to browse, etc., but not this summer! Back in the spring, being at home got tedious sometimes, but at least the weather was nice and there was plenty to do outside. Now that I'm stuck literally in the house with this heat, I'm feeling kind of stir crazy. But summer in South Carolina always feels a little bit like that anyway. 

Our Crepe Myrtle trees have been blooming their hearts out for us over the last few weeks! Last winter's careful pruning of the lower branches may have had something to do with it, or maybe it's the plentiful rain we've had this year, but in any case they sure have been pretty.





These photos were taken last week. Now that the temps have soared, we noticed yesterday that the flowers are beginning to look a little past their prime already. Everything that's green outside is starting to get that late summer slightly tired look. I doubt we'll see any real lessening of the heat for some weeks to come, though. Summer still has us in its grip!

Speaking of high summer, tomorrow happens to be the anniversary of the day I took a trip to the ocean with my friend Marla a few years back. I know I shared pictures from the trip, but I don't think I ever told the story of how we almost died in a state park that day. I think I'll use that for a post tomorrow! It was a memorable experience, that's for sure.

 In the meantime, stay cool my friends.

39 comments:

  1. What lovely pictures of your garden finery and a charming home. I also like that term "high summer" and LOVE IT. It's been in the high 90's here, 101 one day, but luckily I like the heat and sun. Even Buster, god knows why loves the sun, and lays right out in it. The whole yard could be shade, yet he finds the one spot of sun!!!!! I take his water out with us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Every now and then my crazy George will go out and flop down right in direct sunlight! Crazy dog! :)

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  2. been VERY hot up here too. lucky we don't have to walk the cats.

    no crape myrtle blossoms for us yet; what's taking them so long!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha! Lucky you don't have to walk the cats! Thanks for the smile.

      Delete
  3. Your grass still looks very green in all that heat. Could you send some of that warmth and sunshine over to the UK?

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's sweltering up here, too. When I left work on Sunday it was 101 (F). I take the dogs out for their walk in the early morning, things have had a chance to cool down. That Crepe Myrtle is beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know that you all are having a heatwave too. I'm sorry! Hopefully it will pass soon.

      Delete
  5. Okay, now that song from Grease is running through my head on a loop! Love the trees. If I have to be hot, which I loathe, I'd rather it be a dry heat. Sweltering sucks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I DESPISE being hot. Despise it. It bothers me a lot more than my (thin, fit) husband. I keep telling him to try dealing with the heat with extra weight, large boobs, long hair, and female hormones and he'd be as miserable as me! Haha.

      Delete
    2. Well, Balder Half does have extra weight, semi-large moobs, no head hair, but fuzz all over the rest of his body and I can barely deal with his male hormones! Heaven forbid he gets female ones! Unfortunately, he and one of my sons were both born hot house plants. He's under blankets while I'm laying there nekkid, on top of the covers, with a fan blowing air directly on me! TMI? Sorry, I got triggered a little bit. I'd hate to add humidity to these circumstances. I feel for you, gurl!

      Delete
  6. It is hot, hot, hot, and like you, I am staying inside. The boredom is driving me crazy and I even took a nap, which is something that I seldom do.

    Your Crepe Myrtles are beautiful. I saw the first flowers on one of ours today. They are my favorite tree and bush.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hate being stuck indoors! It really is boring.

      Delete
  7. I used to have a crepe myrtle that colour, it was replaced with a hot pink bougainvillea which looks good but grows like a weed. It might overtake the house one day

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A house overtaken by flowers doesn't sound too bad!

      Delete
  8. Thanks for the pictures of your crepe myrtle's when the flowers were beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Certainly high summer here too. Our temps are between 33 C and 34 C at present. Too hot to work outdoors in the afternoons.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Your Crepe Myrtle trees are indeed beautiful! We have been having heat advisories here as well with the temps staying in the upper 90s. However, I know it is worse for you in South Carolina because your humidity is much worse than ours here in Missouri! I grew up in the south and my husband grew up in South Carolina and I remember well that southern humidity! You and Gregg be careful and try to stay cool!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You too, Bonnie! I understand that a lot of the country is experiencing a heat wave. I feel sorry for people in the northeast without good a/c systems in place to deal with it!

      Delete
  11. Your house and garden look really good. I'm reminded now of when you were going to buy it and how excited you were. I'm glad we don't have heat like you're having right now.
    And Im waiting with a sense of alarm to hear your story of your defying death in the state park!!
    Alphie

    ReplyDelete
  12. You almost died in a state park?!?! That is surely going to make for interesting reading!
    Your house and garden look lovely, and like Alphie Soup above, I remember how you were looking for a house and how exciting buying and moving in was.
    Yes, such heat and high humidity is no joke, no matter how many years (all your life?) one has lived in such a climate.
    By the way, I did leave a message on your work phone but don't know whether you have been back since :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Meike!!!!! I just went through my work messages and listened to it! You made my day! How wonderful to hear your voice. I will save your message to listen to again later. Thank you!!! :)

      Delete
  13. We got such a rain last night and it is cooler today. At least so far. Maybe you’ll get lucky too.

    ReplyDelete
  14. It is hot here in Central Virginia too. The kind of steamy heat that I really don't like. Your crepe myrtle trees look great.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Our crepe myrtle trees LOOKED really great. The terrible heat this week has really fried a lot of the blossoms. :(

      Delete
  15. I am always cool baby. So cool people call me The Popsicle. Seriously though, I do not envy you that sweltering heat. I sometimes experienced similar oppressive heat over in Thailand. It's so hard to do anything except lounge around waiting the relative cool of the evening. We do not have that particular problem in northern England.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Ugh. I do not miss the heat in the American South. Even on its hottest days, England is quite tolerable by comparison.

    I'm not sure what to suggest for exercise -- maybe you can do some home exercises? Yoga? It might just keep you from going TOO stir-crazy. Probably doesn't help the dogs, though. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've considered looking for some stuff on YouTube to exercise along with. But as for the dogs...no good!

      Delete
  17. Oh that heat.
    And humidity. I’ll stop complaining about ours! Crepe myrtle remind me of my mother-in-law and that’s Avery good thing. Yours are stunning.

    ReplyDelete
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