Heat Wave Over. Only 96 Today.

 Heat wave is over.  Only going to top out at 96 or so today.

In what new world, do I say such a thing, with relief?

Well, in the world that produced 117 degree heat yesterday just north of here, in Salem.

I was there too, in it.  My sandals melted apart in fact.  I was at a friends place who had a small pool.

They bought it off facebook marketplace last year.  It's maybe a dozen feet across and three feet deep if completely filled which it wasn't.

Nonetheless it felt nice and I was in it for hours, off and on, along with my friend, another friend of hers and her brothers step kids, who were delightful and fun.  I had a great time!

Here where I live I think the temps topped out about 111 degrees.  Then came the marine air rushing into the valley from off the coast, like an emergency responder, in a hurry, producing high winds, that everyone including myself cheered on.  The cooler winds came so fast, I thought they're embarrassed, like they overslept or were at a bar, when they were supposed to come much sooner.  By 8:00 p.m. it was 75 degrees and I slept cool for the first time in awhile.

So today the temps will only get to the mid to upper 90's!!!  Big improvement over 110 to 117.  Still not exactly back to normal but getting there maybe.

AFter I got home yesterday afternoon, I waited til the temps were in the low 80's and went over to Lebanon and caught the mom cat of the three kittens already caught, behind the gas station.  I had been worried about her. 

 I found her in the brush, same old place she'd inhabited with her kittens, looking hot and very forlorn and lonely.  I reached into the bushes to pet her, since she's afraid of a trap, and finally she came out to get proper love.  I then scruffed her, raised the back door of my large trap, and pushed her into it.  She panicked immediately but I calmed her down with small talk and reassurements.

The Keizer woman who has her kittens met me at my place to take her home with her where she was reunited with her family and is in a cool, clean and cozy room now.  Oh my, be still my heart.

It's been work to try to keep everything alive I can through the heat.  I think my hydranga has had it though.   It's lived and delivered beautiful blossoms all the 14 years I've lived here.  But the heat curled its leaves and fried the flowers already formed.  

I'd get up early each morning to begin the weather work, of watering what plants I hoped to save, refilling outside water bowls with cool water, for any living thing who needed that water, cleaning litter boxes, turning on the portable AC in the cat room off the cat yard, dumping their waters, refilling, and adding frozen water bottles to the large bowls.

I let the catnip go to flower outside, instead of harvesting it, to dry and grind.   The bees needed something.  I put lids of water in among the plants, with rocks in the water, for the bees.

The electric bill for this period will be unimaginable.  So will the water bill.  I rarely water anything.  I wasn't just worried about keeping plants alive with watering, I was worried about fire.  We have idiots in the neighborhood who don't see extreme heat as a reason not to fire off illegal fireworks.  They have no working brains.  Last night, settled in, with my cats, suddenly---"boom, boom, boom."  The usual suspects, in the house behind the house across the street, firing off their illegal crap, irregardless of anyone else or the danger with the heat wave we've had or that its illegal.  I stepped outside, after my cats all bolted in fright over it, and let out a stream of curses.