The best summer in years for me.

Oop's I forgot to post this one wanted to add pictures of our not so little man Nacho. Tuesday wasn't one of my better day, today is starting out much better.

Which means I haven't been writing much, only stuff in need to write out, in a way to let it go. I don't get comments, 98% of the comments I have been getting are spam. Been writing a lot about politics I shouldn't do that, it upsets people. Been posting more on facebook it's easier for me and very few comment on my posts.

This has been my best summer mostly because, it's been cooler and at times even down right cold. The last few years it been so horrible H-O-T, I couldn't spent much time outside at all. The heat drained all my strength in no time at all, a few times I almost didn't make back inside. This year it has only happened twice, It sucks when it so hot I end up stuck in the house.

Having Nacho has made this year great for me, having him walking with me has helped me get out of the house. Nacho being so friendly we are visiting his doggy friends, most of the time we go around Longfellow park not far from home, depending on how we I'm doing going for a longer walk. If I were to leave it up to Nacho he would be dragging me home. It's so nice not being stuck in the house this year!!
To everyone hope today is A HAPPY DAY for you also!!

Nacho's best puppy dog eyes.

"You did say something about a walk! 

Now work's for me"

With this Guy saying walk or any word that start with W when looking at him,

means we should are going for a walk. Nacho goes sits next to the refrigerator because his collar is kept on top, Nacho will keep looking up at it and then at Jane or me repeating the action over and over again  

From March 1st until last week we only had 15 days sunshine!

Now at last Spring has finally Sprung here! Summer comes with all it's heat, of which I'm not a fan. Did benefit from the longer wet spring got a head start growing grass that's really going great, had so much winter grass kill in places I had to start over.
Noticed during our long cold spring, when the sun did come out warming things up a bit, people and pets didn't wasting a moment. Hearing as lawnmowers and  other tools used to regain control of overgrown yards. Nacho barking as his friends walked by, seeming to ask me "Can we go for a walk so they can bark at me as we walk by PLEASE?" Looking at me with his cutest puppy dog eyes, 45% of the time I cave in, really hard not too darn cute! Nacho knows those eyes don't work 99.9% when it comes to my sharing my food or extra treat's, Jane on the other hand is a huge marshmallow. From time to time she'll ask me why doesn't he beg from you? Giving her the look of, you already know the answer! Don't you? The cool part is Nacho knows what it means too. With my inability to speak clearly much of the time, the look works fine!

Having been cool so far this year Nacho and I have been able to go for more walks. Jane wanted to know how far I've been walking with Nacho. So we drove my walking route to Longfellow park. To and from it's 2 miles, Granted I don't always take Nacho all the way to the park. It does explains why my hands and arms, aren't working very well, since they are what supports my weight when I walk. We have many dog and people friends we visit on our way, having a very friendly dog doesn't hurt.
It's nice having sunshine for a change, would like it more if it didn't make it so hot. So far my cooling vest is helping but soon it will not be enough. After a short walk I took my vest off and set it on the floor, needed to rest before I put the ice packs back in the freezer, went back to do that and found Nacho laying on my vest sound asleep! As I was laughing he woke up lifted his head a bit, then laid his head back down closing his eyes and let out a heavy happy sigh and was again sound asleep, next time I'll put a towel in the freezer so he can lay on that instead. Have now mapped out our walks so we will mainly be walking in shade. The windows of time for walking is more problematic because, the best times would be 4 to 6 AM or 9 to 11 PM but the rabbits are active and everywhere and I can't see them as well as he can. Nacho still thinks they are doggy toys he can also eat! No he will not be eating cute little Bunny Rabbits! On to the times with the most shade are 11am to 2pm and 4:30 to 6pm with 3 water and cooling stops. The heat will make our walks shorter. It's been nice not dealing with the heat, all things change so I'll do what I can, when I can. Nacho's thick black coat, make him even less a fan of the heat than I am. Yet he still wants and needs to go for  walks, between Jane and I he will get all the walks he needs. It's really great seeing people smiling again!

Wet Bulb Global Temperature Index (standard*)

This information is good enough to stand as it's own post. Having M.S. the heat for me carries it's own stress that has taken me out of action more than once. On the table below the far right column is my own guideline and at the bottom is how I need to manage a whole day of actives. Yes it sucks having limitations of what I can and can't do but it's better then ending up in a Ambulance and or a Hospital! Been there done that more than once and don't want to do that again. Each person can set their own limit.

Wet Bulb Global Temperature (heat) Index (Standard*)
                                                                                          My M.S.
Category        Temperature         work/rest             work/rest
1                          78-81.9                   40/20                    30/30
2 (green)           82-84.9                  30/30                    20/40
3 (yellow)          85-87.9                  30/30                    10/50
4 (red)               88-89.9                  20/40                     5/55
5 (black)           90-or greater         10/50                     0/60

For each hour worked using this chart, I decrease work by 10 minutes and increase rest by 20 minutes. Anything over 4 hours increase rest by one hour for the rest of day. If temperatures drop down below index category 1 it's a judgement call based on how well I stuck to the day plan.

*Standard is set by a person who is physically fit and in good general health within the age range of 18 to 23 years old.

My window to the world

A different kind of post from me, it's just to hot to be outside so I watch from my window this is some of what I see.

I'm not big on watching people, I watch the critters mostly and these two love that the bird's are messy eaters.

Breakfast under the tree!

The bird bath is in the back yard and it's always stays in the shade:-)

Here are some shots of last winter!

These were taken 12-12-10 on top this 34 inches we got another 84 inches. None of it started melting until mid March and was gone the last week of April, the last snow fell on May 12 if I remember right.

Right now I wouldn't mind a bit of last winter Back Today!

Here comes the HEAT

Started 7-15
The normal high for this time of year 84 degrees, however starting Saturday through the follow week it will be 90+ degrees with dew point in the upper 60 and 70 so the heat index will be over 100 degrees, right now it's 74 degree Yesterday the high was 77 degrees all last week the dew point was in the mid 40 to the low 50. To be honest I don't know how those of you who live where that is the normal, handle this kind of heat even when I was stationed in Kentucky which was 30 years ago it was hard to handle back then. 

7-16 lowest temp was 78
Yes I know it's all relative but after my trip to florida in march I'm a bit nervous. This heat wave may last longing then two weeks. Last year we had a small one that lasted for less then 5 days but we lost power 3 times and I almost lost it. With the weather having been cooler then normal this year, I'm having more trouble than I did last summer. It will be okay I've got a plan in case all hell breaks loose and we have rolling black outs, I'll go to the V.A. it's only 3 miles from the house, I do know a few that may give me a ride to get there, if I ask them or I can always call a taxi.

7-17 low temp 81
After last winter you would think, I'd be a little more thankful for some heat, what's come isn't heat for me it's too much HOT with air so thick it would be easier to drink than breath. Talk about climate change January coldest was around -10 degrees below zero with a windchill of -25 meaning that's how cold it felt. If we do reach the +99 degrees with a heat index of 115 degrees that's a swing of 140 degrees I think. The normal swing is around 81 degress. As I finish this the temp is 92 the heat index is 110 and it's only 1:40pm.

Oh my what a week!

Now that the sun has come out and the rain has stopped, maybe now my little garden will really start growing, I have cucumbers, green beans and two kinds of tomatoes. Bell peppers I've planted three so some will be green, yellow and red. The herbs have loved this cool wet weather and are doing great, I've already been harvesting and if they keep this up I'll need to thin them out quite a bit. Some I'll move into the house for the winter, I just love having fresh herb's to cook with in winter, I've also been thinking I may want to make herb bag's for the winter season.  This year I may have gone over board with the herb's just a bit, okay more then likely way too much. Growing all my herb's in pots, they do like to spread out and for balance I enjoy having some lawn in the yard, to sit out and look at the garden. The herbs I have are: sage, rosemary and thyme and no because of the song. Three kinds of mint spearmint, chocolate and English.  As well as sweet and purple basil, Italian oregano, tarragon and marjoram yep that's it.

My neighbors tell me my yard smells good enough to eat. Living inside of the city it does stink from  all the pollution, it's the reason I don't hang my wash out on the line to dry, the smell alone makes me nauseous, having that pollution next in my skin now somebody tell me how that can be good. Just because something smells good does not make it clean. Sorry I didn't mean to go off on a tangent like that.

Oh well now lets go back to the garden. Last year I thought  I had killed all of my hosta for sure! Of course I was wrong yet again for they are the bigger then they have ever been. The weather has been  perfect cool and wet, now all I need is sunshine and just enough heat to have a good crop, hopefully better then last year at the very least.

To one and to all, my is hope as we celebrate summer we  remember to take to time out to just smell the flowers. To not hold back the joy of learning some new. Spending time with the people you love and taking the time to share with the people who love you.