Hot!!

OK, I know its July which is usually considered the middle of the summer and when we should expect hot weather.  But I was not prepared for THIS:

This is not one of those situations where my car was sitting on hot black pavement, causing the temperature to read artificially high.  Just the opposite!  My car was sitting on my concrete driveway. And as I drove past a bank with a digital thermometer display, it also read 100 degrees.

Living so close to the ocean our temperature here is moderated by the ocean water temperature.  Inland just a few miles it may be as much as 10 degrees hotter in the summer and 10 degrees cooler in the winter.

I won't even begin to talk about how hot it FELT due to the high humidity.

Let's hope this heatwave doesn't last!

The heat is on

We've been having unusually hot weather here recently.

I mean, I realize its summer, but this is coastal DE.  Our weather is tempered by coolness of the ocean water.  Its pretty rare that it gets above 90 degrees here.

But recently the temperature reached 94 degrees!  

And then a couple days later it was 96 degrees!

Add to that the heavy humidity and the 'real feel' temperature was like 107 degrees.  

Fortunately the forecast is for a bit of a break in the heat (but not the humidity) next week when it will be in the 80s again.

I realize this doesn't sound so strange to those in climates that are routinely this hot, be we are definitely NOT used to it here.

Weekend recap

On Sat I worked (as usual) but didn't have any showings scheduled so I volunteered to drive the company bus for a couple hours, providing shuttle transportation to/from a local arts festival.  People were very nice and appreciative of the free shuttle service and it gave me a little something different to do since I had no appointments.

That evening we had a simple/easy dinner out with Steven & Thad, then came home and relaxed a little before heading into town to perform in the Legends show as Boy George.  I love doing that Legend because the songs are so good and his presence is unmistakable. The place was really full and the crowd was really 'into' the show!  Immediately afterward we go out into the audience for 'meet and greet' time, and I got several requests for photos and had several conversations with folks who complimented me on my performance.  My buddies Jason & Kevin were there too so I spent a little time chatting with them as well. It was a really fun night!

When I got home about 11:45 Spouse was watching 'Justice League' so I grabbed a big glass of water and watched it with him.  I can never come home from a show and go right to bed; I need some time to settle down.  

Since we went to bed so late we didn't get up until 9:30 Sun morning.  We picked up wraps and chips and headed to the beach, arriving just before noon.  Believe it or not this was our 1st beach day this season!  May was very rainy and cool, and then in June it seemed like every Sun it was overcast, so this was our 1st opportunity to go.  It was glorious!!  The oppressive humidity we've had for the last 2 weeks broke and there was a lovely breeze blowing.  

The.  Perfect.  Beach.  Day.

I didn't get the laundry done or the dogs bathed as I'd planned, but it was worth it to take advantage of such a pretty day.  That evening we had dinner with Steven & Thad and then stopped at the grocery store on the way home.

A pretty decent weekend.

Crazy weather

It was literally 1 week ago today that schools were closed, the State government (where Spouse works) was closed, and my real estate company was closed, because of a winter storm that blanketed the area in snow.  Temperatures were in the single digits and low teens, which is highly unusual for us.

Yet yesterday, it was practically a different world!

But I ain't complainin'!!

As you can imagine, there was a whole lot of melting going on yesterday.  But it was great to be out and about and not even need a coat or jacket.  I saw several people wearing shorts and even saw someone driving their convertible with the top down!

Today its not quite as warm, but still in the low 60s with intermittent showers.  You can best believe there's a whole lotta meltin' goin' on!

Weather

The weather this time of year can be quite changeable.  While the calendar says its fall, the actual weather feels like summer.  This is commonly referred to as Indian Summer.  Its almost Nov but the temps have been close to 80 degrees recently, with just a few 60 degree days mixed in, just to keep you on your toes.

People don't know how to dress when its like this.  You'd think they'd look at the weather on their phones and dress accordingly.  Just today I cracked up when I saw someone on the street wearing a quilted parka, hat and  gloves and someone else right behind them in shorts and flip flops!

But you won't hear me complaining.  I love summer weather, regardless of what the calendar says. I will do my best to wring the last drops of summer out before switching over to long pants and sleeves.  I don't think twice about putting the convertible top down on a warm winter day if the sun is shining.

I should live in southern CA where convertible drivers rarely put their roofs up.

Labor Day weekend

Happy Labor Day!  

I hope you are enjoying a 3-day weekend.  Since I'm a realtor and typically work on most weekends, there is no such thing as a 3-day weekend unless I request to be off.  Our friends Mike & Clark planned to spend the long holiday weekend with us so I requested to be off, but due to the death of a friend, they cancelled their visit.  But I kept my 3-day holiday weekend off work anyway.

Unfortunately weather was rather iffy/unpredictable due to tropical storm Hermine.  Our area was told to 'batten down the hatches' and prepare for heavy wind and rain.  But it turned into a big toodoo about nothing.  Sat morning it rained for about an hour and it was breezy, and that was it!  The rest of the weekend it was partly cloudy and partly sunny at times, but no more rain.

My Elton John wig, glasses, and tips

Sat night I performed as Elton John in the last Legends show of the summer season.  Typically the show's introduction includes a notice that the performers do not accept tips during the show, but will be available for photos and tips immediately after the show's conclusion.  But since it was the last show of the summer season the owner decided NOT to make that announcement and instead told us performers that we could accept tips during the show as long as we did not compromise our impersonations.  I'm not sure if the audience was feeling especially generous or if I 'pulled out all the stops' in my performance, but I was shocked at the tips.  I received at $20 bill from someone!!  After the show I had lots of fun greeting the patrons, posing for photos, and talking to the folks about where they live.  There was a bachelorette party there, which can be good or bad.  When its bad the women are drunk and sloppy and loud.  But on Sat it was good and the young women were ladies.

On Sun Spouse & I had breakfast with Steven & Thad, then stopped at the grocery store on the way

Thad's custom cake

home to pick up a few things.  Later that evening Steven & Thad and Joe P came over to celebrate Thad's birthday.  The weather was pleasant so we had dinner on the screened porch.  Thad came up with this special menu of things he'd been craving, so Spouse made exactly what he wanted.  Homemade meatballs in sauce, homemade potato salad, an orange-flavored cake with the center hollowed out and filled with chocolate mousse and covered in butter cream icing, and rosemary mint lemonade.  We also had rolls so Spouse and Steven made meatball sandwiches with them.  Everything was very tasty, we had candles and lanterns lit and music playing.  We had a nice time.


Today was very low-key.  I did a little bit of laundry (even though you're supposed to rest from your labors on Labor Day), took the dogs for a walk, watched some TV, and poked around on Facebook.  While it wasn't the Labor Day weekend I was expecting, it was a pleasant one none-the-less.

What did YOU do this weekend?

Family visit

Yesterday some of our family arrived for a short visit.  Spouse's mother, sister, nephew and his girlfriend arrived from the DC area around noon.  I was at work, but Spouse took off Tues, today, and tomorrow.

Our nephew Eric and his girlfriend Natalie immediately went to the beach, while Spouse and his mom and sister chatted and sat out on the screened porch.  After weeks and weeks of heat and humidity, the weather suddenly turned gorgeous when the family arrived so that was nice for them, and for us.

When I got home from work I found everyone hanging out on the back porch with the dogs.

Nephew Eric with Walter & Marvin

Natalie & Eric with Walter & Marvin

Marvin relaxing on Grandma's lap

A little later we all went for a casual dinner.  Our nephew Eric will be starting college later this month, as is his girlfriend, so it was nice to have this time to talk with them about this chapter in their lives.  Both are very smart so I have no concerns about their futures.  It was actually fun to be able to talk with them as adults about politics, career planning, travel, etc.  We really had a nice time.

Today Eric & Natalie are at the beach again, and Spouse and his mom and sister are doing a little bit of shopping.  I'm at work.  Tonight the 6 of us are meeting up with Steven & Thad for dinner at Dos Locos which I'm sure the family will enjoy.

Scorcher

Today is going to be another scorcher!  While temperatures in the low-to-mid 90s may not sound that hot to those of you in dry AZ, here on the east coast its not only hot but also humid.  So today's 93 degrees will feel like something over 100 degrees due to the humidity.

Dehydration can occur quickly in weather like this so I'm reminding everyone to be sure and drink plenty of water.

House painting

Last Mon the crew began prepping the exterior of our house to be painted.  We have HardiPlank siding on much of the house so that didn't need much prep, but we also have a lot of wood trim.  Some of the wood trim was peeling and flaking, and there are a few spots where the siding was damaged due to a roof drainage problem that's since been corrected.  So they started scraping, priming and caulking.

We initially got quotes for repainting just the areas that needed it, but both painters said that since our home is 11 years old we would need the rest of it painted within a few years, and doing some now and some later would cost more than doing it all now.  This made a lot of sense, especially considering the height of the home (3 stories) and the time spent setting up ladders, tarps, etc.  

So, since the entire exterior is getting painted, we decided to change the color scheme completely.  This is what our house looked like before they started:

The siding is a sand color, the doors are burgundy, the shudders are dark green, and there's a lot of white trim.  This color scheme was the builder's choice; we bought it after the home was completed.  As a reproduction Victorian farmhouse I'd always thought the color scheme was very 'safe' and didn't reflect the way most Victorians are painted with multiple, stronger colors.

So, this is our new color scheme:

The siding will be sage green, the scallop siding in the gables will be Autumn Orchid, the trim will be Mardi Gras purple, and the doors and shutters will be Cameroon green.  What do you think of my pallet?

We actually selected the painter and the colors back in March, but it was still too cool to begin the work.  It has to be at least 50 degrees, so we waited for warmer weather.

And then it began raining.  We had at least 1 day of rain every week for 8 consecutive weeks, and many of those weeks had more than 1 day of rain.  This, of course, caused the painter to get backed up, which is why they finally got to our house in the heat of July.

So they spent 4 days prepping and then on Fri the 1st color went on:  Mardi Gras purple on the trim.  I loved it immediately.

I'll post more photos when the house is completed, in another week or so.  I'm really excited to see it all come together!!

In like a lion

There's an idiom about the month of March that couldn't be more true here recently:  

This refers to the fact that March often starts out cold and unpleasant (like a lion), but later becomes warm and mild (like a lamb).  While this actually refers to the month as a whole, we recently experienced both the lion and the lamb in less than a week.

Last Fri we had several inches of snow accumulation, and 4 days later it was 80 degrees!  It was nearly a 50-degree temperature change within 4 days.

Our forecast for the next 10 days or so is for temps in the 60s which is warmer than typical for this area, but I'm not complaining.  I'm oh-so-ready to drop my top!  My convertible top, that is.

Warm and sunny Sunday

Wow, yesterday we had some pretty incredible weather!  It was bright and sunny, and the temperature got up to 63 degrees - on the last day of January!

Its hard to believe that just 1 week ago we had about 5 inches of snow.  Yesterday felt like Spring.

Spouse & I took the dogs for a nice long walk, and while doing so we saw several people wearing shorts and even a few cars with their convertible tops down.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not complaining.  In fact, I could get used to this kind of winter weather.

The lesser-liked Jonas

So the snow from the lesser-liked Jonas started falling around 3:00 on Fri afternoon, somewhat lightly, and continued for 5 or 6 hours.  We probably got about 5 inches before it changed over to rain.  Fortunately we did NOT get the 2-3 feet of snow many of our friends and family in the DC area got by the time it was all over.

We got a LOT of strong wind though.  Crazy, howeling wind that rattled the window screens and whistled past the eaves of the house.  Fortunately there was no damage to our home or property.  But the strong winds combined with the full moon and high tide created an unusual situation that caused the canal to flood, just 4 blocks from our house.

In the photo above, you can see in the distance a multi-level condo building, and in the foreground is a park.  Between the condo building and the park is the canal, which overflowed its banks on both sides. 

The canal also 'feeds' a large parcel of marshland nearby.  When the marsh could no longer contain itself, it too overflowed onto several neighboring streets.

Spouse was off because it was Sat, and my company decided not to open on Sat due to the weather so I was off too.  We didn't leave the house at all on Sat.  We texted with family and friends in the DC area, watched TV, played with the boys, and did some laundry.  Very easy, relaxing day.  Once high tide was over and the winds died down a bit the waters began to recede.  By Sun the roads were all passable again.

Long weekend recap

Spouse & I had a nice holiday weekend - 3 days off together, which is unusual for us.

We did some yard work, we watched some TV, we had a few meals with friends, did some laundry,  visited with some friends from a nearby town, and we went to the beach.

The weather was beautiful on Sat: about 75 degrees and very low humidity.  I'm sure glad we did our yard work that day!  Sun & Mon were very hot (90+ degrees) and very humid.  All in all we had a low-key and enjoyable holiday weekend.  How about you?

Mild weather

This week has been uncharacteriscally mild here in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Typically at this time of year (mid-August) the daytime temperatures would be in the upper-80s to mid-90s and the humidity level would be very high, producing a 'sauna' effect.  We also refer to this time as the 'dog days of summer'.

But every day this week the temperatures have been in the upper-70s to low-80s and the humidity has been almost non-existent.  Spouse and Marvin and I have had dinner out on the screened porch several times and even slept with the bedroom windows partially opened.  

Not that I'm complaining - its been fantastic - but it does make you a little leery.  Does this mean we're going to be blasted by a heat wave at the end of the month??  Or does this mean we're going to have another colder-than-usual winter??

I'm going to try and not over-think it, but instead, just enjoy it.

Weekend highlights

I worked Sat from 9-11am, then came home to pick up Spouse and meet the others who were caravaning to Rusty's memorial service. It was being held in his family's small country church about an hour away.  Steven & Thad, the Bobs, Joe P, Chris, Dennis & Rasaahn carpooled with us.  It was a record-breakingly hot day, 105 degrees.  The little church had air conditioning but it wasn't sufficient.  There was a visitation hour scheduled before the service, but the visitation had to be extended due to the number of people who showed up to pay their respects.  Rusty worked at the same place for 27 years and many of his colleagues from over years were there, as well as many other friends like us from the beach area.  The service was about 30 minutes long and was about as uplifting as a funeral can be.  I was glad I had thought ahead and brought 2 pocket-size packages of tissues.  I shared 1 package with those sitting close to me, and the other package I gave to a couple standing in the visitation line near my isle seat.  One of the guys was sniffling and wiping tears from his cheeks with his hand.  Without saying a word I simply pressed the tissue package against his arm.  He mouthed the words 'thank you' and I just nodded my head.  At 1 point I was struck by the beauty of sorrow.  Of course its terrible to lose someone you love and a natural reaction to this is tears.  But as I looked at so many people crammed into that tiny church full of sorrow and tears, I was struck by the beauty of it all.  Strange, I know.

When we returned home from the funeral Spouse's brother Louis and his wife Karen were here.  They had asked if they could visit with us and stay over night since they were taking the ferry the next day to Cape May.  We had a snack together, visited for a few hours, and played with Marvin.  Louis is a huge dog fan and he got a kick out of little Marvin Parker.  That evening we had dinner together at Bethany Blues BBQ and then talked until bedtime.

Sun morning we had coffee at home, then decided to go to breakfast.  Since I had to be at work at 10 I drove separately.  I worked til 1pm, then Spouse & I went grocery shopping and took Marvin for a short walk since it was still so darn hot.  That evening we had dinner at Steven & Thad's house along with Joe P and 1 of the Bobs.  In honor of our friend Rusty who had given us 2 bottles of 'discounted' sparkling wine last New Years Eve, we used the sparkling wine to make Champagne Darlings and toasted Rusty.  It seemed fitting.

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.  Shall we get started?

I recently switched over to the 'new' Blogger interface, which probably came out a year ago.  I really like how you don't need to select the size your photos will display before uploading them.  Instead, you just upload them and then you can experiment with what size you want them to be.  Genius!!

A friend sent me this and I wondered if Ikea will be stocking this soon?  Me thinks their demographic would 'appreciate' the styling.

Our weather has been wacky again recently.  40 degrees one day, 65 degrees the next day, then back to 40 again.  It makes it hard to know how to dress for work!

I lost 2 more lbs last week, for a total of 19 lbs since New Years Day.

I saw this one on Facebook.

These dear old folks warmed my heart!

Spouse has been driving me nuts with our portal electric space heater.  We turn the thermostat down before we go to bed and turn on an electric space heater to keep our bedroom warm and cozy.  Only, just recently Spouse has 'experimented' with moving the space heater around in the room.  The other night after I'd gotten into bed he put the heater right smack in the middle of the walkway.  When I got up in the dark to pee I walked right into it.  I was so mad I nearly turned around and peed on him!!

This cracked me up!! 

If you don't get it right away, look closer.

Have a great weekend Everyone!

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

I saw this on facebook and it gave me a chuckle!

We continued with the crazy temperature swings again this week. 60 degrees one day, 40 degrees the next. I swear I don't know how to dress.

Thanks to my facebook friends for sharing this too:
Many of these have been on my grammatical pet peeve list for years, especially #1 and #10. I would just like to add that "realator" is not a word, but "realtor" is.

Have a great weekend!

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

I saw this on facebook, and although it isn't 'new', I think its cute enough to share.
We have been experiencing yoyo weather. That's when the temperature goes up to 65 degrees for a couple days, then plummets to 35 degrees the very next day, then goes back up to 60 and back down to 30-something. Its really freaky! And I literally do not know how to dress from day to day.

I had a settlement today for my client and friend Bob's new home. I like settlement days because I get a check! Oh, and because my clients are happy and excited too.

I want to have this made into a t-shirt and then give them away to people. Powerful message!

The painter is coming tomorrow to paint over the out-dated mauve walls in my client's house. The new color is called Cinnamon Sugar and is a medium brown. Its very modern and I think it will go a long way toward updating the look of the place.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

A friend sent me this funny photo.

Mon & Tues evenings I went for rehearsals for the upcoming Legends Christmas show series, which runs the 4 Sat nights between Nov 26 and Dec 17. Its gonna be great!

Another friend sent me this amazing video of a two-faced cat that's defied the odds.

This week we've had crazy weather. Mon & Tues it was 76 degrees, then Wed & Thurs it rained and was only 46 degrees - a 30 degree difference overnight - then today it was back up to 70 degrees again. Its a wonder we don't all have pneumonia.

Today I worked but Spouse & the family took advantage of the warm, sunny weather and went to the boardwalk. Notice some of them are wearing shorts.They're all going home tomorrow.

Work continues to go well and I'm still enjoying it very much. I wrote offer #11 this week and the seller accepted the offer without countering! Tomorrow I'm accompanying another client to a new home community to write up offer #12.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Weekend highlights

I was scheduled to work on Sat but I got a call at 8am letting me know the office was going to be closed. Turns out the Governor requested all businesses in our area to close on Sat so that employees could evacuate or at least prepare for the arrival of hurricane Irene. All non-essential driving was banned.

Vacationers were told NOT to come or try to check into their hotels or homes on Sat, and residents who live within .75 miles from water (ocean, bays, tidal lagoons, etc.) were told to evacuate further inland. We checked with our neighbors and found that none of them were evacuating because "we live .8 miles from the beach".

Spouse & I didn't want to evacuate anyway. Although it might have been fun to hang out with friends at their house, no one knew how long it might be before we could return to our house. Would it be a day? A couple days? A week? Remembering what it was like after hurricane Katrina, we just didn't want to impose on friends for an unknown amount of time. Plus we have Jordan the dog. It might have been easier to stay with friends if it were just the 2 of us, but bringing a dog along seems like a much bigger favor to ask. But mostly I didn't want to evacuate because I wanted to be here to try and fix something relatively small so it didn't turn into something huge. For instance, if a tree limb crashed through a 2nd or 3rd story window, I could throw the limb outside and cover the window up, preventing hours and hours of rain from coming in the window, ruining the wood floor and drywall on that level and the one below it.

So we made the decision to stay. Spouse went to the grocery store several times and purchased food that didn't require refrigeration or cooking, like Poptarts, pretzels, apples, and cookies. He also bought 24 bottles of water, a box of 16 candles, and 2 lighters. Seeing the box of 16 candles I asked him "Instead of 16 small candles, why didn't you just buy 1 of those large jar candles?" to which he responded enthusiastically "Oh, I did!"

My husband, the drama queen.

So while it rained and the wind began to pick up we watched TV and ate. Then at 6:15pm on Sat the electricity went out. Shortly thereafter Steven called us to say that a tornado had touched down about 2 miles from our house, destroying 1 home and damaging several others. Ironically, after having an earthquake on Tues. and the the hurricane on Sat. folks had joked "What next - locusts?" No, a tornado!!

The news of the tornado nearby amped up Spouse's anxiety level and he declared that we needed to prepare a "safe room". He informed me that we should find a place nearest the center of the house on the 1st floor with no windows and be prepared to seek refuge there if we heard or suspected a tornado. I usually accuse him of over-reacting and he usually accused me of under-reacting so this time I just decided to 'go with it'. I told him the closet in the TV room was the best place. Using a flashlight he removed the vacuum cleaner and carpet cleaner stored in the closet and placed bottled water, candles, and a knife in the closet.

"Ummm, exactly what is the knife for?" I asked him, picturing the 2 of us trapped in the closet for weeks and weeks after a devastating tornado, him being forced to stab me to death and eat me to save his own life.

"Oh, that's just in case... the door got jammed and we needed to cut the drywall to get out" he replied. Thank goodness it was dark and he didn't see me giving him a suspicious eye.

Once the "safe room" was prepared we returned to the living room and sat in silence. Just the sound of the relentless pouring rain and the leaves being raped by the wind. It was only 9pm or so but I started getting sleepy so I laid on the couch and dozed off a few times. Spouse got his mp3 player and listened to news reports on the radio. I was awakened over and over again by text messages from friends who'd seen the news report of the tornado or were simply concerned about us being so close to the coast with Irene. I assured them we were fine and were prepared. At 11:30 I suggested we go upstairs to bed but Spouse said we should remain on the main floor, near the "safe room", until the eye of the storm had passed us at 1am. Apparently he'd heard this on the radio. So I dozed off again, still on the sofa, until I was awakened again by a friend checking on us. At 1am we went upstairs and climbed into bed with our flashlight and cellphones on the night stand.

Sun morning the electricity came back on at 8:30am. It was still raining a little but you could tell the worst had passed and the clouds wanted to break up. Eventually they did. We went outside to assess the situation and were a bit surprised but happy to find our house and our neighbors' houses intact. We had definitely been spared. We learned that the hurricane had shifted a bit to the east so the more destructive winds were over the water instead of over the coastline.

The driving ban was lifted at 10am but the decision had been made to keep the office closed on Sun so we met up with Steven & Thad and drove to the beach. Again I was surprised that the water wasn't more wild and that the waves weren't as high, but it was low tide. It could have been a very different scenario if Irene hadn't shifted to the east or if Irene had arrived during high tide.

So, within 1 week we had an earthquake, a hurricane, and a tornado! Shouldn't we get some sort of award for that?