Cue Martha Reeves and the Vandellas—it’s like a heatwave! (paid link.)
Warm sunny weather has moved into our region, making us all a bit giddy. Forecasts call for highs in the mid-70s by the weekend. A local disc jockey said Wednesday that his thermometer, positioned under his house, way out of the shade, hit 73°. Here in the shadow of the ridge, we’re seeing mid 60s, but that’s quite warm for us.
The plants, both wild and domestic, surge in the heat. A fine coating of yellow spruce pollen covers everything and swirls in eddies on the water (see Rinse and Repeat). The solar panels harvest way more amp hours than we can use. I’m having trouble thinking up enough hot meals to prepare in the sun oven. The birds and animals seem to bask in the warmth. So do the people!
Still life with blue sky (Photo: Mark A. Zeiger).
I’m doing my best to haul a tree out of the forest to the beach. I bucked up a windfall earlier in the year, a live tree that fell while dormant. If I can get it baking in this heat, and the accompanying dry breezes, it’ll season well in time for winter. I have doubts whether I will manage that, particularly while recovering from a recent knee strain (see Cutting the Grass). Nevertheless, I’ll do my best; the portions I can’t move in the weather window, I’ll at least split and re-stack to dry in place.
The view down Lynn Canal (Photo: Mark A. Zeiger).
I hope this won’t hurt attendance to the play this weekend. Our warmest temperatures may come today and Saturday. With daylight—right now, sunlight—lasting well into the evening, I’m afraid people will find better things to do than sit in a dark theater. It will be interesting acting in this weather, wearing those heavy monk’s robes. We’ll give it our best shot, whether the house if full or not.
Ironically, this heatwave comes at the traditional days of the southern German Eisheilige, or Ice Saints, when that region tends to experience unseasonably cold or wet weather (see Cold Sophie). As I’ve noted before, we usually see some of our best summer weather in this week. Time to make the most of it. Preferably while blasting some Martha Reeves!