You read that right. All three of my outdoor thermometers were reading 111 degrees at 1430 today. Down South we used to call even that ‘Fookin’ Hot!” Been hearing heat-related calls on the emergency channels all day. People just won’t learn to stay their asses indoors if possible.

Watered my garden 3 times and it still didn’t really help. Picked most of my peas cause the pods were getting soft; like being cooked on the vines. Really limp when being shelled. But, now I have a meals worth to prepare and put in the freezer.

I know: why? Why go through all the trouble, time, and expense, to grow about the same amount of peas that I can buy in a bag at Safeway for a buck or two?

Because. Just because. It’s fun. It’s knowing that I can grow my own food. Sure, I’d have to cultivate most of my property to grow enough for the two of us to eat throughout the year, but, at least I keep the knowledge alive in my mind. And in my hands.

And I like growing things anyway. It’s relaxing. For some strange reason, I actually do have a “green thumb.” Didn’t ask for it. Not sure I want it. Not sure what good it is. But I have one. Especially when people tell me “Oh, you can’t grow that.”

Hold my beer.

Speaking of which: I had two this past weekend. Beers. Even worse: foo-foo beers. “California Ale.” I quit drinking way back in the late 70’s but have ONE beer every summer (usually during Field Day). And this year I even had a sip of some “malted whiskey” (I think) one of the guys was braggin’ on. Tasted okay (just okay) and for sure didn’t make me want to go buy a bottle. Used to drink a lot of whiskey & coke. Don’t know how Whiskey & Dr. Pepper would go over. Probably get me beat up if I walked into a bar and ordered a Whiskey & Dr. Pepper. (Hey, Barkeep! Whiskey & Dr. Pepper! And while you’re at it give me a big ol’ glass of buttermilk to chase it with.)

This winter I’m going to build a hydroponics “tower” and try growing stuff in my basement. Just to try it.

SWMBO and I went shopping today cause we didn’t get to last Friday. WinCo. While walking around she asked me if I needed to sit down or anything cause “You ARE almost 70 now.” Bitch. I may have a SBD waiting for you tonight. 😂 (Old guys are good at SBD’s.)

Y’all have a great night! Be safe.

So hot.

Q13 in Seattle says: Our “Excessive Heat Warning” is being extended through Tuesday at 11 pm. Monday will be dangerously hot with highs around 101 in the North Sound, 110+ in the Central Sound, and 114 in the South Sound. Downslope winds will make Eastside areas like Issaquah, Bellevue and Sammamish even hotter around 115+!

WE fall in the between the Central & South Sound area Wx wise. We can usually count on being 5 degrees warmer on a hot day and 5 degrees cooler on a cold day than Seattle. We seem to get more rain/snow too.

Field Day! Field Day was this past weekend (26-27 June) and it was a lot of fun again. We had it at W7LDE’s. That guy deserves an award for all the “stuff” he does for Field Day. This time the power went out and he rigged a generator to run his barn and all our power needs. And the guy loves to make and try antennas!

Saturday, I used an antenna W7LDE had put up only to find that, even though everything seemed to be working, it wasn’t really transmitting. At all. Yet the MFJ testing thingie indicated it was working fine. Nope. Checked pskreporter about 5 hours into it cause I just wasn’t contacting anyone and they (pskreporter) said it hadn’t heard KF7LTT ever. Hmmm… Switched to my Alpha Antenna and almost immediately made a contact.

Got miserable hot for everyone. We think it was actually hotter than the 98 degrees my phone said it was. Evening did not come soon enough! We, as a group, made a lot more contacts after it cooled down some.

Tried making a few contacts Sunday morning but had breakfast to make. Which I do on the Sunday morning of Field Day. Just my thing. Everyone seems to enjoy it though. Even though it was my birthday I made breakfast anyway.

We closed down early cause it just got too hot. 102 degrees according to our barn thermometer by about 1000. And we were on the waterfront! I’m thinking it was 105 at our house when we got home and started unloading. Stopped that unloading pretty quick. That shit could wait until sundown.

Think we’ll turn the ac up a bit and hunker down in the basement today. It always feels goosebump cool when one walks into the basement on a hot day.

And WHY the RV folks made that awning almost black in color I’ll never understand! You could bake an egg under that thing.

Did y’all participate? I did. I didn’t wear panties all day. Felt so good I probably will continue not to wear them tomorrow. Maybe for the rest of my life.

AND, yesterday was the first day of summer. Or, the summer equinox. Around here it got upwards of 90 degrees and was really nice out. Today it started out 54 degrees and cloudy. Surprised it cleared up and got kinda warm this afternoon.

Made a run to Lowe’s for lag bolts and nuts. $64 later … Part of that was $12 for a 1.5 ft long 3/8″ drill bit to go all the way through the wood braces I put on the trellis(?) over the garden so I can bolt them. Doing all this cause I got to thinking about putting my solar panels up there and then the wind coming along and blowing everything apart. So I’m going to over-engineer it a bit. Still thinking of setting the solar panels up way back by my neighbors. Would keep them from parking on my property “cause you’re not using it.” Which they’re done. Several times.

And then, was drilling a hole and hit a screw. Dulled the drill bit so much it won’t. So now I gotta check in to how to sharpen a drill bit. Without spending a butt-ton of money for a “drill bit sharpener.” Or spend another $12 for a new one. Which I don’t want to do. But I will.

Ah, well. At least SWMBO took me to Taco Bell for dinner so I didn’t have to cook.

Started tearing out the counter-top in the MILA kitchen. Was trying to do it neatly; but that ain’t gonna work. So tomorrow I’ll probably get down there with the sledge hammer. And ear plugs. And safety glasses. And a beer. (I quit drinking in 1977 or so, but, this “project” could drive me back to it. But, hey, Pot is legal in this State too …)

At least it’s 15 degrees cooler down there.

Completely set up my Field Day outfit to make sure all that works. It does. Now I’m looking at a 15″ monitor (Geoyeao 15.6” 1080P Portable Monitor for Laptop VESA Supported 60Hz IPS Screen USB Type-C/Mini HDMI Connection $140) on Amazon that I’d be able to run off battery (12v @ 2.5a) so, potentially, I could run radio (857d), pi3, and monitor all off the same battery. Being recharged by the portable solar panel I bought. Now I’m wondering if I should take the 45″ tv/monitor I have along with a Pi3 running Kodi and my “extra” movie drive just for entertainment Friday evening.

Been thinking of making one of those “info” centers that uses a monitor in portrait mode and a raspberry pi to display a calendar (editable), time, Wx, and whatever else you wanted to display info about. I already have all the parts. I think I could get it to rotate the views from my security cams too. (Send the feed through VLC media player or whatever.) Maybe a slideshow of all our pictures. Hmmm… Another project!

The two most important things for this week: It could get to 100 degrees Saturday and, if I survive then Sunday I turn sixty-fookin-nine.