Month: September 2013

Not-water dog

Achilles always wants to go outside in the morning so I let him out after showering and shaving. This morning I know that he probably needed to go out first thing so we went to the door while I was half shaved.

A light rain was falling. Chili Dog’s worldview on water is that it belongs in a bowl. Achilles has never been interested in getting wet and I have never pushed the issue. If he does not want to dip his paws in or stand belly deep never mind swim, that’s fine.

Anyway, he must have really needed to go out this morning because although it was raining, he slowly walked outside, ears flat against his head. Not long afterward I heard a scratch at the door, his polite way of asking to come inside.

Once we took everyone to the lake. That’s Lake Erie in the background and he was not at all interested in taking a refreshing dip.

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Art

There are some marvellous things to see if one chooses to look up. Here are some images from last night as the storm rolled in.

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RAIN!

RAIN!

Not only has it been so hot the past few days, we have had very little rain for several weeks. We had a nice little shower about an hour ago. It abated earlier than I hoped, but more is definitely on the way.

Because strong downburst winds were – are possible I cruised the yard looking for and picking up things that might blow away or be tumped over. A gust capsized the gold dust dracaena which broke the pot. It needed repotting anyway.

Probably a good idea to shut down, lightning dancing, thunder crumping, Achilles uneasy.

Moving quickly

Moving quickly

I apparently hit the snooze button four times instead of three, so am running behind. Still enough time to wish you a very pleasant morning.

heat

these two photographs tell the tale. It is 33 outside (yes this thermometer is outside), which is about right for a September day in central Texas. Of course this is not central Texas.

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And it is 28 inside. Warm yet with the ceiling fan and a fan on the floor going, not too bad. It also help to have a glass of cold iced tea at hand. People lived this way until my lifetime, when central air conditioning became ubiquitous. Billions of people still do. Sometimes it is good to remind ourselves how blessed we are, and how dependent on electricity.

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Last blast?

Last blast?

The next two days are predicted to be quite warm with each days’ high being 34 degrees or 94 Fahrenheit. The humidex (heat index) may reach the mid-40s or about 110. This is awful weather for this part of the world; blessedly it does not last more than a few days. We can’t change the heat or the weather, it is what life, climate, climate change, karma, fate, God, what you will brings and it is up to me to handle it as best I can. I think that complaining about it only accentuates the discomfort, unpleasantness, and potential danger.We will simply endure until it cools down later in the week.

It will be a brutal span for my co-workers who toil outside and they have my complete empathy. Perhaps this will be our last hot spell of the summer, perhaps not.

I took this photo of Stella during a hot spell a few years ago. We were in the living room and have a window unit a/c only in the bedroom. She was a hot pup that day. Her posture compelled me to call this her ‘I need a martini and a cigarette.’ photo.

Morning

Morning

It’s a spectacular morning, calm, clear, the sunrise is gorgeous.

Only got down to 8 degrees so all the plants are fine. Achilles and Stella are romping , , , in the freshly dug up vegetable garden expansion. Every time I try to take a photo they stop and I don’t have time to wait, so here is an old shot of the two playing.

Chilly evening

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This afternoon, Faye asked me to keep an eye on the weather. Our normal low temperature for this evening is in the mid to high teens. Environment Canada predicts a low of 4. The record low for September is -3, gadzooks! It’s a clear and totally calm evening which can be a precursor for quick- and far-falling temperatures. Already 14 degrees.

A neat thing about living in a small town is that there is no ‘heat island effect’ here as there is in the middle of a large town and especially in big city environs. We are closer to the real weather, several degrees cooler than a big city so we have to pay a bit more attention to low temperature forecasts.

The more tender houseplants that are on the deck are now under the Manitoba maple where they will get protection from its canopy and should be OK. Brought in the fuchsia.

Closed the windows, I don’t think we need any fresh air tonight.

Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds

The hummingbirds are building fat reserves for their long migration south. We have at least three visiting and sparring over our feeder. We watch this male and two others, possibly females and/or juveniles, regularly visit in the evening. This morning before 7AM, before the sun had risen, the male and another were at one another. They will not be around too much longer.

This photo is not the greatest. It was taken with a Fuji Finepix S5200 on autofocus at max optical/digital zoom (18x if I recall). Handheld, distance about 27 feet.

a very pleasant evening

I am waiting for the hummingbird to return so I can try to take a photo. May be stymied. In the meantime, it is a very pleasant evening to take in some BYTV.

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