Our friends from Chicago left yesterday morning after spending the week here. The weather was perfect, as summer has slowly subsided, but refuses to give up completely, morning lows 60 degrees, afternoon highs around 80. They could not believe it was 80 degrees, as they are not used to having very low humidity as we do. Frank
80 degrees and low humidity- sounds like my kind of place!!! Weather report says it's 35 degrees. Not windy like yesterday though.
@Joanna Newton Our humidity year-round is consistently quite low, which is beneficial to many. My mother in her old-age always commented how much better she felt when visiting us from Chicago- she felt better "in my bones" (?). But, on the negative side, we live with scarce rainfall, around six inches per year, which requires more frequent watering of most plants. Some are quite tolerant, though, and the naturally-existing desert plants withstand long periods of no water, such as Mesquite, Palo Verde, Creosote, and the like. Our "Monsoon Season", from June through August, brings high humidity each year. Several days this past summer had dew points higher than Chicago! That part of the year is delightful in short bursts, as sporadic rainfall leaves much lower (temporarily) temperatures and humidity. The monsoon consists of a enormous surge of very wet air northward from the Gulf of Mexico which often reaches as far north as Canada. Evaporation here is amazingly quick. The hard surface like a kitchen table wiped with a wet cloth may be observed becoming dry; the moisture disappears as you watch it! Washed clothing hung outdoors drys in a very short time, due to the very dry breeze blowing. Frank
We keep having a change of seasons this time of the year that never settles...50s and 60s during the day, 30s (and some high 20s) at night. Tonight's gonna hit 25, and this Wednesday it's gonna be pushing 70. I fire up my wood stove if it's gonna hit 40 overnight so that my heat pump does not kick on. In prior years I would let the fire go out during the day and restart it from scratch at night if the daytime temps got warm. This year I'm throwing small scraps in it throughout the day so I got some embers to work with come sundown. I always forget how late it gets cold and stays cold...my weather website says the average high for this date is 60, and the average low is 39.
It is in barely 50 here today, with a freezing wind coming straight out of the north. We are staying in as much as possible, will go swimming again tomorrow when it will be a little warmer; but I am somehow going to have to get accustomed to going outside when it is so cold and I am freezing. Today, it is staying inside by my little heater and crocheting a new bathroom rug to match the toilet seat cover that I just made. Supposed to only be 30 tonight, so definitely a cold night, and warming up the bed with the electric blanket before we go to bed.
I gotta think that some folks dehydrate food out-of-doors there, maybe protected in sheds, unaided by fire.
@Joanna Newton You may only live IN the Gulf of Mexico if you are on a boat. The monsoonal air mass passes northward through CA, AZ, NM, NV, UT, ID, MT, primarily. Frank
@John Brunner I believe we've heard that native Americans were among those who so preserved foodstuffs. Frank
I think of all the dried chilis I've made sauces with. It really intensified the flavors. I've watched videos of women in Italy spreading fresh tomato sauce on a bunch of outdoor tables to let the liquid evaporate off in order to make tomato paste. I don't know what part of the country would be arid enough to do that.
Not jealous of the weather at all. We choose to live here. There are advantages and disadvantages to every location. No bugs at this time of year, and we can travel at 80 mph across a lake if we choose...or 10 mph when we used a dogsled. No cockroaches, fleas, ticks, snakes, racoons, opossums here even in the summer when we have nonstop daylight. No poison oak or poison ivy either. Of course, it is -10 F. this morning and over a foot of snow on the ground
@Don Alaska Well, here in the desert we have no mosquitoes, biting insects, horseflies......what about the REAL animals where you live which can pose a safety issue?
I am in southern Florida and tonight it’s gone down to 53° Burrrrrrr, I’m hoping this is just a fluke!