@simplersimon@Tin_Foil St. Louis or thereabout. We start with artic cold; we get two or three weeks of spring, which includes copious amounts of rain, creating Water World. Water World entices mosquito breeding (oh the bites) and wild animal sprawl putting them in danger ; then we roll straight into 7th level of hell heat and humidity which seems to last for months. Oh then we get two or three weeks of beautiful fall weather.
@simplersimon@Tin_Foil@tinamarie1974 Yeah, I remember those days growing up in north county. STL gets screwed on both ends… nasty “northern midwest” style winters and hot/sticky “southeast” style summers. That’s one of the reasons I live in central AL. At least the winter is better… Those days of living in International Falls when “summer” was a random week in July are over.
@chienfou I used to work for Outward Bound on both sides of the border around the boundary waters. OMG those bugs were so thick it made me wonder on occasion how anyone would choose to live there pre the invention of DEET. Of course considering that DEET melts plastic I kind of have always wondered just what the heck long term exposure does to you.
@cinoclav Around here most folks put plastic over their seats. I’m most concerned about the Lime and Jump bikes. Someone else will be using those later. . .
@tinamarie1974 For the most part they are fit, but it is actually a lot of fun and pretty family oriented. A few choose to wear bottoms, but that is the minority (and any minors).
Let me tell a story of my Summer Solstice experience in Stockholm Sweden, on a weekend. Friday, everyone left the city for their Summer cottage, vacation house, whatever. On Saturday, everything; stores, restaurants, even pubs; was closed. Even the Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, and hotel bar was closed. And the streets, normally with bumper to bumper traffic, was completely empty.
I am an introvert and can do without people, but a large city with no people gave me the creeps. I started wondering if I missed the apocalypse warning given in Swedish. At least CNN was still on the air, but as it is a constant rerun, it didn’t dissuade my sense of dread.
And then life returned on Sunday, and I could eat salted herring and potatoes again.
@hchavers lol. Sounds like the episode of My Name is Earl when they thought the world ended because it was New Years morning and the world was sleeping in.
@chienfou crap… had to come to work early today so not sure I can sneak out to take advantage of this deal (or how to get them back to the ER without them turning to pools of lukewarm liquid in the 5 minute drive back to the ER if I do get a chance to go before 11pm)
A week and a half ago, my husband and I decided to upend our lives. I’m selling the ancestral manse that I inherited, and we’ve taken delivery of a diesel pickup truck and in two weeks, will pick up our fifth-wheel RV. He’s given notice at work, and we’re hitting the road. Catch me in three months when I’m not losing my mind as I sort/purge/donate/pack and prep the house for sale - then I can talk about relaxation.
@LinnE That sounds awesome. My former boss did that and I’m always jealous of their posts on Facebook. They’ve crossed the country a couple of times now.
@Fuzzalini My SIL told me I have to reactivate FB now, but instead I might start using my poor neglected website. I bet there’s a good template out there I could use…One more project to add to the list!
@LinnE That IS AWESOME! I want to do the same when I finish grad school. I lived the RV life many years ago and have been itching to get back to the rubber tramp life. Good luck and best wishes!
@aetris I’ll be at the end of my 12 at the same time. But since I am at an ER my celebration while at work will be rather muted… (in fact odds are NOBODY here will know that today is the SS)
@aetris yep. it actually did. I was able to sneak out to run an errand for the ER doc. (one of the benefits of living in a small town and working in a small ER). While I was out she asked me to go by DQ and pick up an ice cream cake for the staff… so I got my free cone (dipped in dreamsicle topping) and put it in the freezer for tomorrow… WhooHoo!!!
@RiotDemon Ditto: see above note!
Freaking humidity was so high this morning all the windows had dew on them (on the outside thankfully!) Looking forward to time off next week when the grands come down to hang out and play in the pool.
@sanspoint yeah, it’s been rainy/thunderstormy this week here (central AL) as well. Got 5 feet from the door on the way to work Tuesday and raindrops the size of grapes started falling… lots of them… I looked like I had been through the pool when I got to work.
It’s overcast, a cool 55F now with a forecast high of a comfortable 69F later in the afternoon, but no rain. Perfect start to summer for this NW Oregon native.
@zinimusprime If you ever get tired of that process i would highly recommend a mini-split unit. I put in 2 in a 16x16 2 story storage building I converted into a pool/guest house and can’t begin to overstate how well they work/how efficient they are. Installation was a breeze and the results are amazing.
@zinimusprime yes, that’s the “split”. The set-up I bought was complete with both parts, tubing and wiring. The units come pre-charged with freon, and once it was installed I pulled a vacuum with a pump and set of gauges from Amazon (about $100) to be sure there were no leaks, then let the freon into the system. The instructions that came with the units were great and the company is very good about helping you size the units and answering any questions you might have.
I have been quite impressed with how efficient and quiet they are. I did all the installation including the wiring and new breakers myself. I don;t believe any of the parts were over 50 lbs.
I had never heard of it before yesterday, but apparently there’s a thing called, “Summersgiving”, which is celebrated the first Saturday after the Summer solstice. So, I decided I’m going to celebrate it this year. I have a nice 5# brisket hitting my Traeger grill at 5:30 tomorrow morning, so it will be ready for supper. Then after supper I’m going to see a couple “Hair Metal” bands in concert…Warrant & Slaughter. Let’s Rock!!
I cut the grass. It’s my usual Friday thing to do. (Friday is my day off.) Usually I cut my mum’s grass too, but because of the exuberance with which I wasn’t celebrating the solstice I figured I ought to cut it yesterday. In the rain.
Oh, and a friend gave us tickets to the Pops concert tonight. I guess that’s a celebration.
@sammydog01 have fun… we had a jazzfest locally last weekend and it was lots of fun. 3 bands each night, BYO chairs, drink, food or whatever. Everyone was well behaved, and the weather was actually pretty decent. A grand time was had by all…
@Kidsandliz I consider any concert that meets those requirements to be fun. And the music was really good as well. And they had Kona Ice. And I could take my comfy folding chair. Yes, it was a good time.
2nd day of Summer. Went to a tropical fruit festival at a local nursery. Got to taste some mango salsa and avocado on chips, some tropical fruit shandys, fruit juices, sangria, and a bunch of cut up fruits. Probably 12 different types of mango, and so many different types of tropical fruit deliciousness. Jack fruit, lychee, longan, sapote, etc. Can’t even remember them all.
Too bad the thermostat says 98° in the shade. I was dripping sweat within ten minutes.
@RiotDemon I love Lychee… can you grow that locally? What about pitanga (aka Suriname cherries). We ate some in Portugal and when we came back I found that they are grown in FL in some areas… Keep meaning to try some locally but not sure we have had enough global warming for them to be survivable yet.
@chienfou yeah, lychee can grow here. I’m borderline zone 9b/10a. Lychee grows in 10/11. Never seen the Surinam cherry. It says it grows here. Usually only see the Barbados cherry plants for sale.
Wait? There are still seasons?
@Tin_Foil no it is just hot or hotter
@Tin_Foil depends on where you live. For example hear we have Hot, Cold, Frozen Wateland Death Trap, and Still Cold.
@simplersimon Sounds like we could be neighbors.
@simplersimon @Tin_Foil St. Louis or thereabout. We start with artic cold; we get two or three weeks of spring, which includes copious amounts of rain, creating Water World. Water World entices mosquito breeding (oh the bites) and wild animal sprawl putting them in danger
; then we roll straight into 7th level of hell heat and humidity which seems to last for months. Oh then we get two or three weeks of beautiful fall weather.
@simplersimon @Tin_Foil @tinamarie1974 Yeah, I remember those days growing up in north county. STL gets screwed on both ends… nasty “northern midwest” style winters and hot/sticky “southeast” style summers. That’s one of the reasons I live in central AL. At least the winter is better… Those days of living in International Falls when “summer” was a random week in July are over.
@simplersimon @Tin_Foil We have the four classic seasons: Hot as hell, Not quite as hot, Comfortable, and Fires. Not always in that order.
@simplersimon What no mud season in that?
@chienfou You forgot that special season International Falls has (along with select other parts of the country) - the black fly and noseeum season.
@Kidsandliz Yep… I spent 30 years trying to forget… Then again, there’s a reason they say the state bird is the mosquito!
@chienfou I used to work for Outward Bound on both sides of the border around the boundary waters. OMG those bugs were so thick it made me wonder on occasion how anyone would choose to live there pre the invention of DEET. Of course considering that DEET melts plastic I kind of have always wondered just what the heck long term exposure does to you.
It’s just another day…
On Saturday I get to watch many dozens of naked people ride bicycles through my neighborhood. Does that count?
@shampshire That certainly sounds interesting.
@shampshire Philly has one of those every year too. I worry about the bike saddles…
@shampshire that happens here too. Usually the folks brave enough to bike naked are a scary looking and should NOT be seen without clothes.
@shampshire @tinamarie1974 …do they still have to wear helmets?
@chienfou @shampshire in STL they do, they should wear a smile, but they don’t always
@Fuzzalini The painting party is viewable from the roof of my place. The designs are quite creative.
@chienfou @tinamarie1974 No, they are given special dispensation from our police for the parade. A few do wear helmets though. Safety first.
@cinoclav Around here most folks put plastic over their seats. I’m most concerned about the Lime and Jump bikes. Someone else will be using those later. . .
@tinamarie1974 For the most part they are fit, but it is actually a lot of fun and pretty family oriented. A few choose to wear bottoms, but that is the minority (and any minors).
@shampshire I have only seen it here twice, both times by accident. I saw folks from every walk of life. But everyone was having fun.
@shampshire @tinamarie1974 well that certainly lends new meaning to the term “Peddling ass”…
This is Texas. The first day of Summer was in April. Today is just another long, hot day.
@hchavers Ditto.
Yesterday it was a heat index of 113 in the shade.
Today, there was no shade.
@hchavers You are right, this is the 1st celestial day of summer.
@hchavers Same in Bama
@hchavers @lseeber but with even more humidity!
@chienfou @hchavers True that!
/giphy I’m going to Disneyland
@Ignorant That’s a really Mickey Mouse thing to do…
(Have fun!)
Some day I´d like to do the whole Stonehenge thing.
@rtjhnstn I think someone sold you a counterfeit apostrophe.
@rtjhnstn or you can always do the winter solstice in Ireland…
Let me tell a story of my Summer Solstice experience in Stockholm Sweden, on a weekend. Friday, everyone left the city for their Summer cottage, vacation house, whatever. On Saturday, everything; stores, restaurants, even pubs; was closed. Even the Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, and hotel bar was closed. And the streets, normally with bumper to bumper traffic, was completely empty.
I am an introvert and can do without people, but a large city with no people gave me the creeps. I started wondering if I missed the apocalypse warning given in Swedish. At least CNN was still on the air, but as it is a constant rerun, it didn’t dissuade my sense of dread.
And then life returned on Sunday, and I could eat salted herring and potatoes again.
@hchavers lol. Sounds like the episode of My Name is Earl when they thought the world ended because it was New Years morning and the world was sleeping in.
Free ice cream cone from Dairy Queen…
@chienfou crap… had to come to work early today so not sure I can sneak out to take advantage of this deal (or how to get them back to the ER without them turning to pools of lukewarm liquid in the 5 minute drive back to the ER if I do get a chance to go before 11pm)
Shopping! I didn’t even know it was summer day 1, but shopping!
A week and a half ago, my husband and I decided to upend our lives. I’m selling the ancestral manse that I inherited, and we’ve taken delivery of a diesel pickup truck and in two weeks, will pick up our fifth-wheel RV. He’s given notice at work, and we’re hitting the road. Catch me in three months when I’m not losing my mind as I sort/purge/donate/pack and prep the house for sale - then I can talk about relaxation.
@LinnE That sounds awesome. My former boss did that and I’m always jealous of their posts on Facebook. They’ve crossed the country a couple of times now.
POPSOCKETS! ROAD ROCKETS! SONNY CROCKETT! AWESOME!
@Fuzzalini My SIL told me I have to reactivate FB now, but instead I might start using my poor neglected website. I bet there’s a good template out there I could use…One more project to add to the list!
@LinnE That IS AWESOME! I want to do the same when I finish grad school. I lived the RV life many years ago and have been itching to get back to the rubber tramp life. Good luck and best wishes!
FOOLS! TOOLS! JEWELS! AWESOME!
@Gypsigirl213 @LinnE Post here! We’re less creepy than Facebook. Usually. I want to see photos!
I plan to celebrate until 11:00 pm tonight, and then leave work, go home, and get some sleep.
@aetris I’ll be at the end of my 12 at the same time. But since I am at an ER my celebration while at work will be rather muted… (in fact odds are NOBODY here will know that today is the SS)
Working, cuz I’m an adult and shit costs money.
@wyk3d yep… I feel your pain! I’m doing 12 hrs in the ER today. Hopefully can stop by DQ on the way in though.
@chienfou @- I hope that worked out for you!
@aetris yep. it actually did. I was able to sneak out to run an errand for the ER doc. (one of the benefits of living in a small town and working in a small ER). While I was out she asked me to go by DQ and pick up an ice cream cake for the staff… so I got my free cone (dipped in dreamsicle topping) and put it in the freezer for tomorrow… WhooHoo!!!
I’m working.
Besides that, fuck Florida summers. They suck. I’ve been sweating for weeks.
@RiotDemon Ditto: see above note!
Freaking humidity was so high this morning all the windows had dew on them (on the outside thankfully!) Looking forward to time off next week when the grands come down to hang out and play in the pool.
By being rained on for the fifth day in a row this week.
@sanspoint yeah, it’s been rainy/thunderstormy this week here (central AL) as well. Got 5 feet from the door on the way to work Tuesday and raindrops the size of grapes started falling… lots of them… I looked like I had been through the pool when I got to work.
It’s overcast, a cool 55F now with a forecast high of a comfortable 69F later in the afternoon, but no rain. Perfect start to summer for this NW Oregon native.
@macromeh Meanwhile Tennessee is sweltering with 90 degree weather, high humidity, and serious storms.
Headed to a Ball Game
@indiebass Perfect summer entertainment!
Putting in my window AC’s #dadlife
@zinimusprime If you ever get tired of that process i would highly recommend a mini-split unit. I put in 2 in a 16x16 2 story storage building I converted into a pool/guest house and can’t begin to overstate how well they work/how efficient they are. Installation was a breeze and the results are amazing.
@chienfou I’ve been thinking about it, but I know nothing about them. Are all of them made up of a wall unit and an outdoor unit (w/ an exhaust fan)?
@zinimusprime yes, that’s the “split”. The set-up I bought was complete with both parts, tubing and wiring. The units come pre-charged with freon, and once it was installed I pulled a vacuum with a pump and set of gauges from Amazon (about $100) to be sure there were no leaks, then let the freon into the system. The instructions that came with the units were great and the company is very good about helping you size the units and answering any questions you might have.
I have been quite impressed with how efficient and quiet they are. I did all the installation including the wiring and new breakers myself. I don;t believe any of the parts were over 50 lbs.
I had never heard of it before yesterday, but apparently there’s a thing called, “Summersgiving”, which is celebrated the first Saturday after the Summer solstice. So, I decided I’m going to celebrate it this year. I have a nice 5# brisket hitting my Traeger grill at 5:30 tomorrow morning, so it will be ready for supper. Then after supper I’m going to see a couple “Hair Metal” bands in concert…Warrant & Slaughter. Let’s Rock!!
@tohar1 Ooh. what time’s dinner? I love brisket!
@lseeber Sorry! Just saw this request! We had plenty to go around & it was awesome!!
VAN GOGH! MANGO! TANGO! AWESOME!
Hosting a lovely dinner party for some wonderful ladies.
No one else here does the Pride thing? Starting tonight and all through the weekend, it’s gonna be all rainbows and liquor for me!
/giphy pride
@QuietDelusions I was going to attend Pride celebrations in downtown Nashville, but alas schoolwork has impeded my plans.
Enjoy!!!
@Gypsigirl213 @QuietDelusions Yeah, my daughter lives in East Nashville so I imagine she will take part in some event there this weekend.
I cut the grass. It’s my usual Friday thing to do. (Friday is my day off.) Usually I cut my mum’s grass too, but because of the exuberance with which I wasn’t celebrating the solstice I figured I ought to cut it yesterday. In the rain.
Oh, and a friend gave us tickets to the Pops concert tonight. I guess that’s a celebration.
Play golf then cut grass
Countryfest! It was not crazy hot, no one got struck by lightning, and I didn’t see anyone passed out drunk. We go again tonight. Fingers crossed.
@sammydog01 have fun… we had a jazzfest locally last weekend and it was lots of fun. 3 bands each night, BYO chairs, drink, food or whatever. Everyone was well behaved, and the weather was actually pretty decent. A grand time was had by all…
@sammydog01 So was it fun? Your listed criteria above seems to be minimum requirements rather than anything on the fun meter.
/image fun meter
@Kidsandliz I consider any concert that meets those requirements to be fun. And the music was really good as well. And they had Kona Ice. And I could take my comfy folding chair. Yes, it was a good time.
@sammydog01 Then you are easy to please (grin). And I do realize you were making a joke, I was just having fun with that.
2nd day of Summer. Went to a tropical fruit festival at a local nursery. Got to taste some mango salsa and avocado on chips, some tropical fruit shandys, fruit juices, sangria, and a bunch of cut up fruits. Probably 12 different types of mango, and so many different types of tropical fruit deliciousness. Jack fruit, lychee, longan, sapote, etc. Can’t even remember them all.
Too bad the thermostat says 98° in the shade. I was dripping sweat within ten minutes.
@RiotDemon I love Lychee… can you grow that locally? What about pitanga (aka Suriname cherries). We ate some in Portugal and when we came back I found that they are grown in FL in some areas… Keep meaning to try some locally but not sure we have had enough global warming for them to be survivable yet.
@chienfou yeah, lychee can grow here. I’m borderline zone 9b/10a. Lychee grows in 10/11. Never seen the Surinam cherry. It says it grows here. Usually only see the Barbados cherry plants for sale.
For the second day I went to a Chinese Lantern Festival in Philly.