I probably say this every summer but I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere this hot.
Hot
It’s 107.4° at 3:331 p.m. That’s not the “feels like” temp . . that’s the real temp.
Those poor chickens. They’re looking pretty sad. I’ve been out several times to give them fresh, cold water but it doesn’t take long for it to heat back up. I just shaved some ice and took out for them. Any fruit or veggies in the freezer that gets old, I save it for this time of year. So far, they’ve had shredded zucchini, a bag of mixed veggies, a package of okra and some blueberries. That’s a good way to clean out the freezer even though I hate standing there with the door open digging for older stuff.
Our next chance of rain is August 29. Sad!
Last night I went out about midnight and I thought I could smell smoke. Depending on the wind direction the fires can be miles and miles away . .like several counties away, and if there’s a fire, we can smell it. I came in and checked the local Facebook pages for the police and fire departments and no one had any info about a threatening fire but I went ahead and checked our “grab & go” bags, made sure we have everything we need if he had to rush out of here. By 2 a.m., there were still no reports of fire. I walked around the house and couldn’t see the sky lit up in any direction. The smoke smell didn’t seem any worse than it had two hours before so I went to bed. I woke up at 4 a.m. and went outside and checked again. It’s so scary when it’s this hot and dry.
Melissa Raddetz says
The chickens need misters!
Judy Laquidara says
They have two and they don’t ever seem to go under them.
Rebecca in SoCal says
Huh…I was thinking the same thing. I guess the mist doesn’t penetrate their feathers?
I’ve been speculating recently about why we don’t seem to hear about fires in Texas. It is “fire season” in California, and I was just reading Leanna Paylor’s blog (she’s in Colorado) where she was mentioning smoke from fires far away affecting her area. The best I could come up with (for Texas) was not enough fuel for the fire? But you have woods on your property. I’m puzzled.
Laura says
104 degrees in central California at 3:17 p.m. Will be over 100 degrees for at least the next 10 days. Sigh …
Liz says
It’s 101 right now in OKC, and 107 heat index. Tomorrow is supposed to get to 109. At least it is only for a short period. A few years ago, we had about 70 days of temps over 100. So far, this is the first day over 100.
Could the smoke smell be related to the dust that was carried over from Africa. It is supposed to be in TX-OK region and adding to the haze. Perhaps the dust and the heat just created a new smell to you?
Ranch Wife says
I feel your pain about the heat! We are drying up over here and we are desperate for rain. My chickens had cold corn on the cob, watermelon, frozen yogurt, and frozen apples today. I water down their favorite spots in the morning so they can lay up in a cool spot during the heat of the day. Hard to find a cool spot when it’s 116°. Sure hope any fires are quickly extinguished!
Teri says
We live near Yosemite and there is a fire there now……heading away from us, but the smell and the haze is awful. About 3 years ago we were 4 miles from the Rim Fire and had our bags by the door every night. We were on mandatory standby evacuation for 2 months….. what an awful 2 months….so I know how nervous you are going to bed at night….
Funny story…..every night the structure fire men were on our property across the road looking for embers….I would take them cookies every evening……one night my husband drove me down the driveway and across the road…..the trucks were there, but no firemen….well they were on top of the trucks because they were afraid of the bears that wonder around at night…..they jump into a fire, but are afraid of bears…..go figure….
Carol Craven says
Big fires in llano county. 19,000 acres in one area. It crossed the road too. Another one in an area not far from it. Be careful
dezertsuz says
Gosh, between your post and the comments, I guess it’s good not to be in a lot of the southwest this year. I hope tonight you rest better.