Beating the Heat... or not

While David is working to finish a video edit, I’m going to entertain you with a little complaining. It’s a slight diversion from our Vision Quest blog posts as we attempt to 'beat' or at least 'deal with' the heat. Our issues here in Las Vegas are nothing compared to what Oregon, Washington and parts of western Canada have endured. The unprecedented 'heat domes' have caused significant problems especially where A/C is not prevalent. Nonetheless, I’m complaining.

119F??? That’s crazy hot. The highest ever recorded in Las Vegas is 117F.

I know, I know... we live in the Mojave Desert, we should expect intense heat in July and August. Yes, we should and do, but 10 degrees higher than normal for days on end? We, too, are breaking records both for daytime highs and nighttime high lows. Our A/C is cranking 24x7 and I can't imagine what it would be like to deal with the heat without it. Even though we’re doing our part by keeping the thermostat set at a moderate 82F and trying to comply with local recommendations regarding use of appliances during the day, I still can't wait to see our electricity bill at the end of the month. That, however, is the least of our concerns as we strive to remain somewhat cool while the sun beats down relentlessly and crisps everything up. So far though, knock on wood, we’ve had no rolling blackouts in our area. The humidity has been in the single digits. Every time I go outside, I can feel every bit of moisture immediately wicked from my skin. Wrinkles form daily... I'm crisping up, too.

So, what do we do to beat the heat? First of all, we're up 5am, so we can walk in the coolest part of the day around 6am. It was only 95F when we left for our neighborhood stroll this morning and 97F about 45 minutes later when we returned. By 10:30, it was 108F. Dry heat or no, 108 is HOT! We’re under an extreme heat warning till some time next week, so it ain’t letting up any too soon. A positive aspect of the hot morning walk, however, is that when we return to the inside house temp of 82F, it feels cool. It's illusory and fleeting though. Fifteen minutes later we're warm again... not hot, mind you, just warm.

The rest of the day? We reluctantly remain inside, a difficult task for us outdoor nature lovers. No bicycling, no hikes, no walks in the park. We minimize our errands and outdoor activities. If David has any projects that require work in the sauna, aka garage, he gets them done before 8am or puts them off. We haven't even been using the backyard grill much. We could probably just throw some raw chicken on the deck and it'd be cooked in no time, but that would require going outside.

There's a lack of energy and a whole lot of lethargy that accompany high temperatures. Afternoon siestas are almost a requirement. Our bodies just don't seem to want to do much of anything. We spend more time browsing around on the computer and less time doing really productive things. Instead of evening walks, we turn on the tube, mostly just to pass the hours till it's bedtime and we can try to sleep and then wake up to another day of the same hellish heat.

Now that I'm finished grousing, I realize that other folks are dealing with hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes, Covid issues, other health issues, financial issues... the list is endless and dealing with the heat is trivial in comparison. So, I'm done bellyaching... at least for now. I'm sure I'll find more to complain about soon. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, I'll continue with our Vision Quest blogs next week. I think you’ll really enjoy sharing these experiences.

Have a sizzling weekend!