...103˚ for three days straight

It's been hot here... today is the 3rd day where the high is expected to hit 103˚. Around midnight, it drops to around 75˚, so I can turn off the ac and open windows until about 9 or 10 AM the next morning, when I close them up to maintain the longest period before the ac kicks on again.

However, I've seen much worse in my 60 years of living in the Central Valley. The worst I remember here in Mudville was in 2006 when we had a heat storm of about 8 days in August of 110˚-115˚, oppressive humidity and high pressure holding the "lid on". It never cooled off at night. The low was in the upper 80's. Then, it "broke" and the lovely Delta breezes finally started up again, bringing cooling marine air from the San Francisco Bay across the Delta and down the channel finally refreshing us.

So this time has been quite manageable, especially with the "cool mist" humidifier and the humidity monitor that help me keep from being dehydrated by the blowing of the ac.

Outside however, things are not quite as happy...

The Meyer Lemon tree has quite a few shriveled lemons, in various states of dessication.

The cherry tomatoes are happily ripening in the heat... these were green only yesterday...

But the new blooms are burning-up or not setting well in the stifling heat.

The allyssum, dianthus and lobelia have been scorched, but have been watered well and should recover with cooler temps...

The completely overgrown rose bed, with rampant asparagus fern, volunteer trees and spent rose blooms will be cut back when things cool off, otherwise they would be too stressed and I can't afford the water bill that saving them under those circumstances would create.

I just watered the weeping cherry 2 days ago, but set a slow sprinkler on it this morning for about 30 minutes to make sure it survives.

The fern "pup" from my Grandma's Boston fern, is doing well...

as is the ancient fern itself which almost died this past dry winter/spring... When I get around to re-potting it, I may be able to put the "pup" in as well...

The creeper is weathering the heat fairly well... a few crispy edges here and there, but not the full-scale, "die-off" that I've seen when the heat has protracted spells or it's much later in the year...

Still, with this south-eastern exposure, leaves could begin to drop if this heat doesn't begin to ease-up tomorrow as predicted...

The early "turners", will be the first casualties... there are always creeper leaves turning red once we get into August, but they don't last at all in the heat...

finding themselves on the ground way too soon... a victim of the sun...

'Way high up in the big oak tree, where they get the coolest Delta marine air in the early morning, a patch of creeper leaves has turned even while some trumpet vine flowers still struggle to hold their blooms in the heat. The lower trumpet vine blooms are all on the ground...

Continuing around the block, the small apple tree planted a couple of years ago that died during a very dry period, has come back from the roots and seems to be thriving, even in this heat.

Morning Glories don't like the heat, but these are in the shade until very late in the day and have been encouraged by the automatic sprinklers...

Water being a luxury this lawn has not had. This house is across my back fence and has been empty for quite some time, though lately, workmen are there daily so either it's going on the market or some one's moving in soon... This is the lamppost/tree I have referred to in the past as the "Narnia tree"...

These lantanas further down the street always remind me of the large bed we had at the ranch. How they loved the full summer sun! These seem to also love it.

This is only my 2nd trip around the block in the last 2 days. It's been about 2 years since I was strong enough or pain-free enough to make the trip and this low wall on the far corner of the block is a perfectly placed resting spot before I proceed on around back home.

One of the things I've really missed besides the fresh air and good exercise has been seeing and greeting the neighborhood kitties. Yesterday, a fluffy, well-groomed orange and white, flat-faced Persian greeted me and allowed me to pet her. These 2 were not as friendly, but at least didn't flee until I captured their picture...

This lawn seemed a bit parched, but not the wild violets clustered about...

The magnolia tree on the corner is often covered with blooms, but at this point, there was only one left, quite high up, which once opened, probably won't last long. Most of them have already bloomed and gone into seedpod mode.

Most of the sycamore trees, and they are the main, "street tree" in this area due to their drought-tolerant nature, are getting that faded look. Mature leaves haven't been too zapped by the heat, but there are many immature casualties on the ground.

This podocarpus is fortunate because the homeowner who planted it, installed a way to deep water it,[note the 2 PVC pipes sticking up from the ground...]

This street tree, NOT a sycamore was not so drought-tolerant and beside being almost destroyed by the heat, it's been taken over by mistletoe...

which really hates the heat as shown by the dead mistletoe littering the sidewalk...

I join all the flora,[and other fauna...],in Mudville that is eagerly awaiting the reappearance of the cooling Delta breezes... and the more normal warm days that drift into cool nights... Good sleeping weather...