I think we have about two more days of triple digits and then it will hopefully go down. I remarked yesterday that when I lived in Cincinnati there were always heat-related deaths in that part of the country - probably the worst was St. Louis.
The Sacramento Coroner's office is investigating the deaths of 3 people this week for hyperthermia, or heat related death.
I just returned from the grocery and think that may be my last trip out today. I don't even feel like going to the gym, or driving anywhere. I made an impulsive purchase of a long roll with prosciutto and brie cheese, with fig sauce and arugula! I'm not kidding - I looked at the ingredients when I got home and can't wait to try it. I will probably eat half for lunch and the other half for dinner, and simply forget cooking anything. To make matters worse the swamp cooler doesn't sound "right" when I turned it on. I'll let it run for a bit to see if the air coming out gets cooler.
I've eaten 2/3 of that sandwich and it is the best thing I've tasted in a long time. I haven't yet looked at the ingredients list and food values, and I know I've blown "gluten free" today. I probably won't do it again soon so I'm just going to enjoy it now. It will be interesting to see if I can tell a difference with the gluten.
I've been texting with my daughter who is worried about me in the heat. I told her I only went to the grocery and probably won't go anywhere else today. This morning after showering and styling my hair, I dressed in a great combination of shorts, shirt and socks. I told Jeannie I thought I looked so darn cute it was a shame I wasn't going anywhere! Just kidding, but the clothes are cute and go together well!
I've been listening to some weather reports from the Gulf of Mexico and Hurricane Cindy, and worry about my friends and readers in the states adjacent to the Gulf, but it looks like the moisture and possible flooding could extend north as well. Please take care, all of you. If you'd like to write to me relating your experiences in this storm and how you are weathering it, I'd love to hear from you in the comments section or in an email addressed to me (address at the top of the blog just under the picture). Stay safe.
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Well Gypsy, it looks as if everyone is hibernating. I'm sluggish and miserable with humidity. The Cindy tropical depression has kicked a lot of humidity our way, but no rain.
ReplyDeleteThe best plan is to stay inside and work on your sandwich and enjoy your cute clothes. Clothes give me a lift too. If I slop around, I can get depressed and, of course, someone always drops by the see me at my worst.
I hope your swamp cooler is working like it should.
I'm so miserable with the heat and there isn't much humidity. The sandwich is dynamite and I saved a bit for supper. The swamp cooler is working as well as it can considering the heat level. I have it on "low" and run a floor fan to circulate the air. It's tolerable - I don't like hot weather but I can deal with just about anything. Drink lots of water and hang in there.
Delete"drops by TO see me"
ReplyDeleteI hate seeing my typos after I've posted.
I ran out this morning thinking it was OK I needed to check out a 2nd hand store as my daughter needed a car seat to drive around with her granddaughter. It's a really nice 2nd hand store but it didn't open until 10 am, I was getting ready to leave as it was getting to hot even with the a/c running in the truck when they came out and said come on in. I found a really nice car seat and it was only $10. Anyway I then needed to run to the store. By time I came out of the store it was already 102 and it was only 10:30. It took me quite a bit of time to be able to get my breathing under control and cool down. No more running out after 8 am for me.
ReplyDeleteI found it was hard on my breathing as well and it still wasn't much over 100 when I went out. Glad you found what you went out for though.
DeleteI live near the Gulf Coast in South Louisiana. Cindy was an almost non event for us. There was some coastal flooding because of a high tide and strong South wind. It looks like Alabama got the worst of it. The wind was strongest last night and I could see my hummingbird feeder swinging. It dumped most of the sugar water out of it. I hope the hummingbirds found somewhere to get out of that wind. I just hope this is all we get this hurricane season. It is a royal pain to have to evacuate.
ReplyDeleteAt least we don't have the high temperatures you have. It gets hot in Louisiana but most of the time not over 100 degrees.
Thank you, Martha, for the update. I'm surprised because to read the news (I don't have TV) it would appear your area was right in the storm's path. I hope you don't have to evacuate - I can't even imagine doing it. I'll be thinking of you in So. Louisiana, and hope you keep us updated.
DeleteI received this comment via email from Phil. It is very informative so I am posting it here in its entirety.
ReplyDeleteYour description of the 'swamp cooler' was not quite accurate. Here in Phoenix we generally refer to them as "Evap Coolers." And they do a relatively good job until the humidity climbs above 10%. When I bought my first house in 1962 (for $10,400) all it had was an evap cooler, so I learned a lot about how it operates.
The point you didn't mention, is behind the louvers on all sides are excelsior pads. Water drips from a little trough over each pad to keep it wet. When the fan is on, it draws outside air through the louvers and across the wet excelsior, (little strings of wood fiber matted into a pad). It is the water evaporating that cools the air. The cool air in the box is then blown into the ducts into the house.
For best results, it is important to not have any open areas in the pads, and that all of the pad is wet all the time. It won't cool if the pad is dry. And because the fan is drawing cool air into the house, you must have several windows open slightly in the rooms where you want the cool air. If you have an extra bedroom that doesn't need to be cooled, leave the window closed in that room.
Usually today, the bottom tray of the cooler is full of water, and a little re circulating pump pumps it up to a "spider" at the top, where 4 small pipes distribute to the troughs above the pads. It is important that the flow is equal among the four troughs, so that each pad gets plenty of water. The excess water drips down to the pan where it can be reused. A float in the bottom pan of the coo ler keeps the water at a constant level. When the humidity increases, the water doesn't evaporate, so there is less cooling.
In Phoenix the water is fairly hard, so minerals build up on the pads and other interior parts of the cooler. So for best results, many people put in new pads each spring. I think there are some more expensive synthetic pads, but the wood ones work well, and the smell of fresh cedar pads in the spring is cooling in itself. Your description sort of skipped over the pads, and the need to keep them wet. In the old days, some coolers didn't use pumps, just tap water running over the pads. The excess then fed a garden house which homeowners would move to different parts of their lawn to keep them green.
Sorry this explanation was so long, but I wanted to sure to describe how they work, since some of your readers are unfamiliar with them. By the way, if you call it an Evap Cooler, I think you will feel better about how it keeps you cool.
Phil
P.S. Still can't seem to post to your comments. I think it is something to do with my Google password or account.
Thanks very much for the more complete explanation. I replaced the pads last year about mid-summer, so they should last me for this season. Also, I keep a window in the kitchen open just a bit to circulate the air. Also, I turn the pump on for a minute or so until I hear water dripping into the tray, and then turn the fan on. I am very happy with the way it works but when the temperature goes over 100 it doesn't have the coolness that it does otherwise. It still is a lifesaver to me, and as I have mentioned I prefer it to A/C. Also, I'm so used to the term "swamp cooler" I don't think I could use any other term now!
DeleteI am so sorry to hear about this extreme heat lasting so long. I feel wilted at 93. Is this in Arizona and Nevada and elsewhere too? It's 57 here in coastal Maine at 7am, no humidity but the pollen is high. Itchy eyes. But I think we got the right place at the right time this summer.
ReplyDeleteI think it's much hotter in parts of AZ, such as , and I would imagine NV is the same way - cooler in the mountainous parts, but hot in the areas like Las Vegas. 57 in the morning sounds wonderful! Enjoy your summer.
DeleteI think our central Calif temps are headin down ...so thankful.
ReplyDeleteMy friend in Scottsdale, AZ sent me a text two days ago saying ,
Come for a visit, it's only 120 degrees, lol.
Temps like that can go on for days. I can't even imagine.
Everything gets so hot, the walls of your house, your roof, the cement.
The A C runs all the time. So we could be worse off for sure.
Wow, Maine sounds wonderful!
Stay cool Miss Gypsy !
I'm trying to keep cool. It's now past noon and I haven't done ONE THING today! Oh, I did make my bed, sorta.
DeleteHave a home in the desert and would not live without a swamp cooler. Rin it on high during the day and on low when you go to bed.
ReplyDeleteI love mine although we usually cool off at night so I don't need to run it. I think the air is much less stale than with A/C, and of course it's much cheaper on the electric bill.
DeleteYou are a daily poster and you have not posted in two days, hope everything is well with you. Stay hydrated.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for thinking about me. I'm sitting here debating whether or not to post - I hate just writing about the weather! I think I will write a short post, so look for it soon.
Delete