If You Can't Stand the Heat...

Well, that's just too dang bad this summer! My GOSH! It is so stinkin' hot (and I mean STINKING--P. U.)!!!

July was our hottest month on record, EVER, here in Oklahoma. I'm so glad I was here for that (sarcasm). Our electric bill for the month, just to keep our house at 80°F, was over $300!!!! The HVAC specialists in the area are trying to tell people that your A/C will not cool your house to 70°F when the outside temps are over 100°F. It's just unrealistic, they say, to expect anything cooler than 20° less than the outside temp. *sigh*


Because of the heat, Rob and I are having trouble sleeping upstairs. He has to take no less than 2 cold showers at night. One to get into the bed and settled down. When he finally settles down enough to get to sleep, the bed is too hot already and he has to go take another cold shower to cool himself down. It's a vicious cycle.


My coping mechanism has just been to sleep on the futon in Ellie's room. Her room is the smallest of the bedrooms. As a result, it is the coolest room in the summer. In fact, it was almost cool in her room when we woke up this morning. Almost. I was covered up with the comforter and didn't feel like I was going to melt. Rob doesn't fit on the futon with me, so he sleeps upstairs. Last night, he quipped, "We should move our mattress into Ellie's Room." I was all for it! However, it was 11 p.m. and neither of us had the energy to move a queen sized mattress down the stairs. If we don't get some reprieve from the heat soon, moving our bed's residence could become a sincere reality.
In case you can't tell, Rob and I don't do the heat well at all. We are used to cooler temps and actually prefer Fall and Winter to Spring and Summer--ESPECIALLY here in Oklahoma! Spring is scary here; Summer is relentless. Especially this summer. I assume it's like this all across the United States, from the news reports I've seen and all the facebook posts from my friends in various other regions of the country. I mean, when Wisconsin hits the 90's in the summer you know something's gotta give!

In the meantime, we are just trying to stay cool. I'm grateful for the air conditioning in my house and for my ice maker in my freezer. We're becoming well acquainted.


How are you all staying cool this summer? Got any "Beat the Heat" advice?

30 Things I've learned about Oklahoma

In honor of my turning 30, I thought I'd share a few things I've learned in the last 4 years:

1. There are a LOT of famous people from Oklahoma: Gene Autry, Garth Brooks, John Denver, Vince Gill, James Garner, Mary Hart, Ron Howard, Toby Keith, Reba McEntire, Dr. Phil, Mickey Mantle, Brad Pitt, Carrie Underwood, James Marsden and many more!
2. The Native Americans do NOT still live in teepees
3. Oklahoma still has Native Americans, but they aren't offended when you call them "Indians"
4. The "Indians" out here look just like you and me, but they get special license plates on their cars
5. Apparently, you only have to be, like, 1/92 Native American to get that special license plate (I'm going to start doing some genealogy tomorrow! Surely somebody in my family married an Indian... Right?)
6. The people out here will bend over backwards to have a conversation with you
7. Not only that, but if they find out you have any needs during that conversation, they will give you the shirt off their backs if it would help!
8. Oklahoma has only 3 seasons: Cold, Hot, and Windy aka Wet, Dry and Tornadoes
9. During the Cold season, everyone wishes for the Hot season.
10. During the Hot season, everyone wishes for the Cold season.
11. Nobody wishes for the Windy season, except for the local weathermen, who get overly excited when they find a funnel cloud.
12. During the Tornado season, men are expected to go out on the front porch to look at their impending doom.
13. Your "safe spot" during a Tornado is locally know as your "Hidey Hole"
14. A "light breeze" in Oklahoma is 15mph, a "steady breeze" is 25mph, and a "strong wind" is 50mph. Anything above that requires a "Wind Advisory". Because the debris flying through your front yard isn't advice enough to stay inside, apparently.
15. There are approximately 2 weeks out of the year where it is comfortable enough outside to leave your windows open. Unfortunately, those two weeks are random days scattered throughout 12 months.
16. Oklahoma is actually civilized; bandits do not roam the streets on horses anymore. Just sayin'
17. Time goes a little slower out here in Oklahoma. If you want to get somewhere on time, you better leave early. People on the interstates are never in a hurry and they believe you shouldn't be, either.
18. There is a Wal-Mart OR a gas station on every corner.
19. Speaking of corners, all the streets are straight out here. The cities are built on grids.
20. Not only are the streets straight, but they are flat, too. Elevation changes are very rare.
21. When it rains, it pours. Literally.
22. When it doesn't rain, the whole area is placed on water restrictions.
23. When water restrictions are enforced, stuff catches fire.
24. Stuff catches fire because the temperatures reach 100°F for weeks straight.
25. Since I've lived in Oklahoma, we've endured over 100 days where the temperature reached over 100°F.
26. I do NOT like 100°F weather
27. I do NOT like strong winds
28. I do NOT like tornadoes
29. I do NOT like straight roads
30. But I sure do love the people here!