Tuesday, July 01, 2014

Welcome, July!


9 comments:

  1. Dean is a refreshing wave!

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  2. Hallo all! I've just read the blog for the past few days and see that the weather has been a factor for most. Ours was clear and hot, and it's to hit 91F here on Tuesday. UGH!

    Alan, note for you at the end of the last thread.

    We are home from an overnight at the ocean, and to visit many old haunts. Our time together is a joy, so relaxed and we are also getting a lot of projects done at home. We can't believe our good luck that we're getting paid just the same!

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  3. From Alan's article: We’ve all heard that partners should be there for each other when the going gets rough. But research shows that being there for each other when things go right is actually more important for relationship quality. How someone responds to a partner’s good news can have dramatic consequences for the relationship.

    Made me laugh: I remember in my first marriage, coming home from college, with my first set of straight A's ever. He looked at the "report card" and said: I guess that's the best you can do.

    More tragically, he said exactly the same thing to his son in high school some years later.

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    1. One has to wonder what he was expecting or hoping to see!

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    2. Just reading the words, without the tone of voice, it sounds like understated pride: You did the best *anyone* could do.

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    3. It was sort of neutral, Bill. This was *not* a man who liked emotion--it seemed to scare him, even positive emotions. Never could say That's nice; That's pretty; That's terrific or I love you. To anyone.

      One night there was an amazing sunset I wanted him to come look at, and all he could say was, Calm down, calm down. . . .

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  4. 95F here today. =UGH!!= I took my air conditioned car to the air conditioned mall and found something light to wear. Came home and we cleaned up the basement, because it's cooler down there. Sleeping in the living room tonight (the bedroom is upstairs) and dreaming of the day we get an air conditioner!

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  5. Temperature = humidity? Many old houses out here had sleeping porches, and some had a summer living area partly sunk into the ground beneath an elevated first floor. Really very pleasant and practical, but difficult at best to add to a house designed for central heating. Harsh winters would be another complication, but I expect that a century ago there were practical local adaptations.

    Today was about the same here as yesterday--106F or so. Tomorrow is supposed to be about 101. Our house is located in a spot that is a few degrees cooler (or less hot?) than most of the city.

    --Alan

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    1. That 95F was with high humidity, Alan. We've been running between 60% and 98% humidity. That's what makes it unbearable. There are sleeping porches here too, and root cellars and basement family rooms. Our basement has one tiny window, so we don't like to hang out down there. The house is nicely insulated, with double-paned windows, so most of the year it's cool enough or snug and warm, as needed. But just as in Winter one can add layers and in Summer there are only so many layers one can take off, we can heat the house just fine, but there's only so much cooling one can do with a breeze or a fan. What one needs most from A/C is the dehumidifying effect. The trouble for us is that our kitties love being out on the screeened-in back porch, so we leave the sliding glass door open for them. We couldn't do that if we used A/C, so we'd always be having to let one or both in or out. Besides, we love A/C for maybe 3 hours on a hot day, but really dislike it otherwise.

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