Greetings and salutations, everyone; yes, once again it is I, Mani the purebred border collie, filling in for the guy I live with, and here today to tell you how roasting hot I’ve been.
You may remember me from such posts as “Roasting Again”, “Unbelievably Roasting Hot”, “Ultra Roasting”, “Still Roasting”, among so many, many others.
Here I am in a characteristic pose.
I’m waiting for my waiter to being me the next course of my dinner.
You may have surmised by the title of my post that it’s hot here. It is hot, and we purebred border collies do not like hot weather one little bit.
Today it was 96 degrees F (36C) with six percent humidity. The really low humidity does make the heat more bearable.
It was also windy yesterday.
Our house doesn’t have air conditioning. The guy I live with said when he moved here sixty years ago no one had air conditioning; it wasn’t felt to be necessary.
The guy I live with thinks it’s weird to have all the windows closed so you can feel cool, but he did bring up the portable air conditioner to my bedroom. It makes the bedroom freezing cold.
Back then, people didn’t have sprinkler systems either, and we don’t have one of those.
The guy I live with doesn’t do much watering anyway.
There are some plants which seem perfectly happy with this dry heat.
Here’s the giant salvia, happy as a clam. (The guy I live with tried to explain this saying to me, but then said he didn’t understand why clams would be happy. I don’t understand sayings.)
This thing is six feet tall. (Two meters.) He got it as Salvia ringens, but he thinks it’s crossed with Salvia recognita.
The other plants that are happy may surprise you.
This is Lilium candidum, and it seems utterly unfazed by the hot weather. It hasn’t been watered.
The guy I live with says this species is an oddity in the genus Lilium.
You plant the bulbs in September, no deeper than one inch (2.5cm) below the surface of the soil.
Soon after that, the bulbs grow leaves, which overwinter, even here.
This used to be offered in the trade, but now it’s hard to find. It’s easy to raise from seeds, so the guy I live with is hoping to get some seeds this year, and start a Lilium candidum farm.
When the guy I live with went out to add grape jelly to the oriole feeder this evening, he noticed the seed pods on Asphodeline lutea. They look kind of strange. He was startled to see them.
So that’s about it for today.
I’m roasting, and that’s really all that I’m thinking about.
It wasn’t so hot when I went on my evening walk.
Until next time, then.
the miserable gardener 
Clams are happy when the tide is high, so that predators can’t get them. Or so the complete saying goes. I had to look it up.
The guy I live with said that’s good to know. I still don’t understand what a “clam” is, but it’s nice to think they can be happy.
96 is still quite warm, regardless of aridity. I expect lilies to dislike the aridity of that warmth. I mean, I do not expect them to have a problem with warmth, but I do expect them to have a problem with minimal humidity in conjunction with warmth.
The guy I live with says this lily is very different from all other lilies, with the winter growth. It’s not stem-rooting like other lilies.
Native to the Middle East and the Balkans.
We each have our climatic limits, I suppose. We have considered ourselves almost cooked though our temperatures were a comparatively comfortable to you 22C. However, our humidity levels levels are around 70%. The evenings are most uncomfortable as the house heats up during the day. Temperatures have dropped to 16C today but it still feels warm and clammy but good enough for a walk before this afternoon’s forecast rain.
The guy I live with said 70 percent humidity would only happen here after rain.
And imagine what it’s going to be like in parts of eastern North America in the next few days: temperatures as hot as we had (cooler today) but with 70 percent or higher humidity. A steam bath.
The guy I live with also said that one time he and his wife drove a well-known European gardener around Denver when it was like 28C. Which is not hot, for us. The guy I live with and his wife thought their guest was going to die.
When he was dropped off at the house at which he was staying his relief at being greeted by air conditioning was palpable.
Yes, we struggle above 20C and cook at 25!
The guy I live with says you’d like it here today. 17.2 C and 54 percent humidity.
Yes, this is an abrupt change.
That’s a good temperature and humidity. We had much the same here today but lower humidity and a cooling breeze – we went for a swim at the seaside!
The guy I live with had to explain to me what a seaside is. He said it was something very far away. He used to go to the beach when he was little.
I have always lived close to the seaside and swimming has always been part of our lives. It is a great enjoyment.
The guy I live with grew up in Long Beach, California, and he still remembers the smell of the ocean.
The weather has improved here and sea temperatures are up so we swim every day now.
The guy I live with said once when he was little, and on a trip, his family tried to talk him into swimming on the beach at Larchmont, N.Y., but they also said he might step on a crab or two, and he freaked out and didn’t go in the water.
It’s true, air conditioning was not felt to be necessary here, back then. Also true that it is hot. I am glad you have the portable A/C, Mani. We seem to be entering a pattern (or so some climate experts say) with wetter than normal springs, which result in lush vegetation, which then dries out in later in the year and creates ideal wildfire fuel. Ugh.
Those lilies are gorgeous.
The guy I live with says there’s talk of an “active monsoon” this year, and that we may get some rain from it next week. Remnants from Hurricane Erick maybe.
I guess we’ll see.
I’m glad to hear you have your personal room air conditioner, Mani, and I hope a large dish of cold water is also nearby. At 96 degrees, only the mosquitos and ticks are happy to be out of doors. Although, gotta say, you have some beautiful lilies and amazingly tall Salvia ringens…
Thanks. I have filtered water to drink. And of course the birdbath, though the guy I live with repeatedly says not to drink out of it.
It’s 63F today. How things change.
96 deegreess??? Mani that iss way two *hot*!!! It was 82 F heer but with Humidty it felt like 102 F. Brutal Mani an Guy! Wee due not have A-Cee eether. Just a ceiling fan an 2 other fanss…Tomorrow iss apposta feel lile 105 F. How wee gonna get thru that…**sighss** Yore Salvia iss amazin! Our neayburrss iss over 4 feet tall . Yoress winss!!! Pleese try an stay kewl…..
***nose bopss*** BellaDharma an ((hugss)) BellaSita Mum
Thanks. It’s 63F here today. Quite a change.
The little Midea air conditioner was kind of expensive and is noisier than the window fan, but it makes the bedrrom freezing cold.
Mee-yow wee wuud love 63 F rite now Mani an Guy! Tonite it iss 78 F butt Hunidex iss makin it feel like 93 f. So it iss still furry *HOT* an not comfy at all. Mee gonna sleep til it kewlss off!
It was really nice and cool today, but we didn’t get very much done, unless you count napping, which I certainly do.
Nappin countss inn my bookss Mani!!! It iss a bit kewler today butt not enuff ….yet……
Nice and cool here today. It even rained a little.
HUTTAJ foe rain Mani an Guy….wee think Fursday we get rain 😉
It might rain tomorrow, too.
That wuud bee pawsum!! Wee apoosta get rain tomorrow an Furiday two Mani! Hope you’ss get ssum!
We got hardly any rain at all. Very disappointing.
FISHCAKESS!! Wee hoped youss’ wuud get rain Mani an Guy…pawss crossed fore tomorrow!
Well I saw a bear yesterday, which I thought was better than getting rain. We got about a tenth of an inch of rain.
A REEL LIVE BEAR Mani??? Mee-yow WOW!
Yep, I saw a bear. Told everyone I met on my evening walk just now, too.
Mani mee wuud bee meowin this too efurryone two!!! Since wee have known you; wee nevurr herd you mention seein a Bear. This iss xcitin’!
It was my first bear. The bear was just a little bigger than I am.
A baby Bear!! Mee betss hee/shee was furry cute!?
The bear was kind of hard to see.
You’re so right, Mani…it’s been brutally miserable over the past week. We do our walk at 5:45 am to be able to enjoy the upper 50-60’s. I’m always surprised when I see people walking their dogs (especially the black ones) at 11-2. What the dog?? Try to stay cool and pray the forecast includes some rain later today/tonight.
I kind of like going on a walk at noon. The guy I live with checks the pavement with his hand to see if it’s too hot, but it never is.