I Hear Thunder!

   I also hear the pitter patter of raindrops falling outside.  I hope some of it will soak into the ground before it evaporates.  It is more than welcome around here, and the temperature outside is still 109.  Maybe it will cool things down a bit.
   On the other hand, it may stay hot and this rain, however brief, may make it more humid out there.  I'm going to hope for the best, though.
   This evening I am going to see the final Harry Potter movie with my kids.  I'm not sure when I went to a movie theater last, but I'm looking forward to sitting in a cool theater, eating popcorn, and watching a movie with the kids.  My daughter, who got movie tickets for her birthday, chose to treat us to a movie.  I fully expected her to go with her friends, but I guess that, considering all that has happened over the past couple of years, she thought we all deserved a treat.
   Yes, the gift of rain is a wonderful thing right now.  But the gift of kindness endures forever.

What a Tease!

   Isn't it annoying when you look up and see a vision of loveliness, wordlessly promising something you are longing for, and then it turns out to be just a tease?

   Lately this has happened to me.  I would go out at lunchtime, just to stretch my legs and to get some fresh air, despite the heat (it seems to hit 100 by noon most of the time lately).  I'd look up into the sky and see lovely clouds, drifting about, holding cool moisture that we need so bad.  And some of them would drift in front of the sun, cooling things down ever so slightly before drifting on and leave me wanting more.

Clouds that tease!

Not many visitors in this heat, but at least it's shady

Above the blue bench, this tree provides welcome shade from the sun

   I'll put up with it, though.  This is what we get right now and there is nothing I can do to change it.
   But still, it would be nice if those teaser clouds would stay around a bit longer.

Just When I Thought it Couldn't Get Any Hotter...

   Hot, hot, hot!  I don't recall July being this hot this early.  I know we've had some hot summers (the hottest officially was in 1936 - well before I was born), but jeepers!  The first picture below is from when we had some clouds for a little bit today.  The bottom picture is from half an hour later, when the sun was back out.  Good thing the wind was blowing, so it didn't feel unbearable when sitting still.

   I don't know what the official high temperature will be for today here in Stillwater, but at my house it was just too darn hot.