It got up to something like 105 degrees today.  And right now it’s still in the 90’s at 10 pm!  Same tomorrow, same on Sunday, same on Monday.  Last summer was hot, but not these continuous 100+ days.  And the humidity!  For whatever reason, moisture is building in the atmosphere and the air is thick with humidity.  There are even flash flood warnings in the upper deserts and mountains.  At this point I am really looking forward to my trip to Seattle and the cooler weather.  I won’t even mind having a bit of rain…just a bit, though.  And a bit doesn’t mean rain every day!

Stacey and Brian went to Universal today.  I think they had a good time, but the oppressive heat made it difficult to enjoy some of the attractions.  Sorry, but the Backdraft show just wasn’t something they wanted to deal with in 100 degree heat!  Other than a few things they chose not to do, I think they enjoyed the tour of the backlot and the rides and shows they did attend.

We stopped and picked up chicken from El Pollo Loco after I picked them up at the train station and they went swimming while I watered the plants and flowers in the back yard.  My poor flowers are really taking a beating from this heat.  It’s really a wonder any of them are still alive and blooming.

I finally fired my gardener today.  He only cuts the grass and trims the bushes in my front yard…and his crew has been getting really lazy lately, leaving weeds around the roses in the front yard and blowing loose leaves under the front bushes.  They could accurately be described as “mow, blow, and go!”  The new guy I hired is really not a new guy but someone I used many years ago.  Francisco (his name) will be doing both the front and back yards…and that includes trimming all the bushes in the backyard as well as cleaning up any debris around the edge of the pool.  And he’ll be doing it for the same price as the other guys!

One of Patrick’s friends posted a message from Burning Man today.  Apparently they’ve had a few dust storms that have produced white-out conditions and lots of wind.  Today they also had rain, but got the benefit of a double rainbow after the storm.  Even though an arsonist burned the Man early (on Tuesday), he was rebuilt and will be officially burned tomorrow night.  And then they pack it all up and leave on Sunday for Reno where they’ll spend the night before they head back to Pasadena on Monday.  I expect I’ll have the trailer in the driveway again, but it WILL be moved back to Patrick’s place by next weekend.

I had hoped to do some cleaning in the garage while Patrick had all his camping stuff moved out, but the temps out there with no insulation in any of the walls is twice as hot as in the house.  Possibly Patrick will wind up storing a lot of his gear in the trailer and won’t bring it back into the garage at all.  We live in hope!

Any visitors to California should keep this in mind for future reference:  August is very hot in So.Cal. and I don’t have central air!