I looked at my phone today. 78°. I haven’t seen that temperature in awhile! Yesterday was our hottest day on record. We’ve beat this record for the second year in a row with 117° heat index. So: it’s been crazy hot.
I am not done with all of my major outdoor projects. I’m close to finishing, but not quite there yet. So in our cool morning I dug a trench from my porch, across the grass and into a bed where I have dripline set up.
I used a spade like this: spade. It was enjoyable work. It took me maybe fifteen minutes.
When I was done I checked my phone for our current temperature. It was noticeably hotter: 82° feels like 86°. I thought to myself, “I’ll just do one more thing.” Famous last words.
I went over into the Serengeti grassland, that I have out in a gravel play yard. (A place full of grass where I DON’T want it.) Moved some metal posts from an old gazebo we had, pulled the grass (some of which needed to be dug out), raked the gravel out of the way. I then used a tined digging fork (like this: tined fork) and broke up the soil. Dug a hole, which I’m pretty sure is not big enough for the potted black mission fig I’m going to put there (so I’m not done.) But even 82° (feel like: 86°), it was too hot. Standing in the sun, and with the humidity from our morning rain shower, I was miserable. I was also getting light headed. Stupid Texas heat. I need to find the giant umbrella I used to use for soccer games. It’s lost somewhere in the massive garage mess.
Anyway, two things on my to do list that I didn’t know I would be completing today. Yay, for summer storms!
Our heat index for today is supposed to be 111°. So, I’m done for the day. I’m headed in for a shower and then I’m going to take my son to the gym. (My workout is already complete!)
Meet you out in the garden for cool temperature project surprises!
Crazy Green Thumbs
Crazy Green Thumbs 
I would have to pass on working outside in such heat…
So, . . . people wonder why I do not relocate from here. LIke, REALLY?!
Yes! Apparently there’s an exodus out of Texas from the California newcomers. Can’t handle the heat. It’s the weather or the government. I guess you can only choose one. I’ll tell you a secret. Colorado is beautiful. Only place I’ve ever lived where it snows three feet and it’s gone the next day. Unfortunately, they have short seasons in the parts I lived in. So: perfect weather for humans. Not so great for heat loving plants. One more place that tomatoes don’t like.
Most of the Californians who migrated to Austina and elsewhere in Texas are not really Californians anyway. They migrated here first, complained about it, and then left. I am not concerned with how appealing anyplace else is because I will never leave here permanently.
I have family in California that agree with that sentiment. Although, one of my family members lost her home in a fire out there. She has horrible panic attacks when the fires start up around Santa Barbara. But, I also have a family member that left and moved out to Alabama. But she has family there. Since I’m not really “from” anywhere, (because we moved so often) I think of Texas as home because I have lived all over this state. I never used to even register the heat when I was a kid. It didn’t bother me when we first moved back out here either. But, not anymore. Last two years have been brutal.