Only mad dogs and Englishmen

[Riley Smith]

...will brave the noon-day sun.

I looked for the origin of that quote and it seems to have come from Rudyard Kipling, referencing English activities in India. I used it to rib a couple of the guys that worked on the Labrot House. Lance would brave the August sun, and Tony would help when he could. Tony was getting older though, and the heat was bad for him. And Tony was English, so naturally Lance's nick became Mad Dog. Lance is gone now and I haven't seen Tony in quite a while. They were both great characters. A lot of 'em are gone. Heck, Kenny died last week and he made it through the Skynard crash!

 The saying is appropriate in Mississippi in August though. We don't get many tourists in August, mainly because us locals all quit our jobs and hang out in the water or the air conditioner. There isn't anybody to tend to them. And we figure nobody in their right mind would care to visit at that time anyway. One good way to avoid mental health problems is to stay away from those practicing them!

And usually this time of the year, it's only hot from 11am until 2pm, when the torrential rain (and lightning) pays a visit. (Those old vacuum tube tv guys had a good racket going with the EMPs). Which is definitely not the case presently, as I freaked yesterday heading home when I saw a column of smoke in the sky in that direction. Uh-oh...too many fires, too many fires. Wildfires are a big danger right now, and we haven't had a good one in about twenty years. (Plenty of tinder). It turned out to be a landfill and probably every fire truck in the north of the county was there. I saw one a long time ago come through our neighborhood, devouring the underbrush like a savage. Luckily the Volunteers were able to keep it away from the few homes about then and yesterday too.

And so it goes, indoor is IN, and outdoor is OUT and that's all I'm gonna say about it. I just THOUGHT I was ready to go sailing at a moment's notice. We had TWO days that wouldn't fry your brain right out of your skull, and even made me harbor a notion, until I discovered the 1-7/8" hitch bar has been consumed by the universe. Yer not pulling a boat without a hitch, so off hies me to rectify this emergency. I've got another, and am now waiting for the original to show itself. And I wish he'd hurry up because the safety chains are too short with the new one.
 Harrump!

[Norm L.]

My dogs aren't entirely mad. Our afternoon walk is around 3. I have one short route that is mostly under tree cover but even then we three are glad to be home. Unless there is cloud cover, like maybe two weeks ago, we go into the back yard. I get under the pergola with the fan going and the thermometer located there reading 102.
Five minutes most and we are inside.

Now Bella the rescue spent about 3 years in an illegal puppy mill in very rural MS and lived outside in a shed. She will lay in the sun for about 5 minutes and decide the couch and the A/C is better. We spoiled her and we are both happy about it.
Yearning for burgers I am about to go outside and get charcoal rolling. The nice thing about burgers that you are done in a few minutes, not like doing chicken.

[Riley Smith]

There's some weather in the gulf finally and maybe it will break the drought and temps, but it doesn't look very promising for us to me. Mr. Bean only wants to play really early, and after that, chill inside. My sister's a/c died and she's been pretty miserable for a few days too. I did sort the hitch/ safety chains out and add the trailer sticker, so technically I am ready when conditions don't threaten to render me into a smoking greasy spot.

[Frank B.]

Three or four days in the triple digits with HI's topping 110 this coming week in North Mississippi, depending on what source you look at.  Somehow the use of the descriptor "North" with Mississippi just doesn't seem right. From now on it's going to be upper Mississippi which is just as miserable this time of year as lower Mississippi.

I think I still have a sailboat, haven't been to the Marina this summer. Gotta go up and out to do an in water bottom clean soon, pretty sure the growth is extensive. And chase out all the above waterline critters, wasps, spiders and roaches. Maybe clean it up for the Fall. Sad that it is too hot to get ready for the cool.

[noelH]

Maybe why we don't have any Mad Dogs and Englishmen? Outside tourists. Lake Effect cooling. Before the beginning of this millennium the record high temps was I think 88F in '88 in the city of Bayfield. Couple miles inland and ~20 miles S at the Ashland airport temps have broken 100F numerous times since they started recording.  House is inland 0.5-1 mile and a few hundred feet above Lake level. Usually warmer than Lake level in the summer. Over the past couple decade 90's happen occasionally. But have yet to experience and hope never to experience a 100F or warmer day. With last weeks stronger winds the unusually warm surface water temp has churned back to L. Superior cool.  Reflected in the air temp plus on the cold side of a front keeping the midwest "heat dome" well S of here.  Light onshore breeze right now. 68F.

[Riley Smith]

One hundred degree day is miserable for sure and I'm moving to Minnesota next summer!

[Spot]

One hundred degree day is miserable for sure and I'm moving to Minnesota next summer!

95 and humid here today. Weekend looks outstanding, 75-80 degrees. Wind is only 5 to 10 but picking up next week. Bound and determined to get something with a sail in the water.

[noelH]

Yesterday +100F a couple hundred miles S of here. 90s an hour by auto S of here. High temp struggled to reach 64F at the house. Light onshore breeze.  The heat dome didn't reach this far N. Our natural AC (aka L. Superior) with our abnormally but too common this season E to N breeze keeping things on the too cool side for August.  The good about onshore into the Bay breeze.  Might have blown some of the warmer surface water back.  Last weeks epic L. Superior windsurfing days blew out and churned over the warm surface water.  Went from 3/2 to needing a 4/3 plus full booties.

"Secret".  Cooler summers than the Twin Cities. But also warmer winters.  Lake Effect warmth. Just gotta like a lot of snow. Not really a secret. Based on some immigrants from the SE and SW.

Finally receiving some rainfall on consecutive days.  I think a first for the year.  Last week the drought monitor noted Northern 1/2 of Bayfield Co was either in extreme or severe drought.  In between rainfalls I transplanted some wildflowers.  ~6" deep. Powder dry soil. Luckily another light drizzle, lower than normal temps, and high RH(few hundred foot thick fog layer) today.  Otherwise a sunny, low RH, windy day would suck the moisture out of the soil. 

[noelH]

Yesterday +100F a couple hundred miles S of here. 90s an hour by auto S of here. High temp struggled to reach 64F at the house. Light onshore breeze.  The heat dome didn't reach this far N. Our natural AC (aka L. Superior) with our abnormally but too common this season E to N breeze keeping things on the too cool side for August.  The good about onshore into the Bay breeze.  Might have blown some of the warmer surface water back.  Last weeks epic L. Superior windsurfing days blew out and churned over the warm surface water.  Went from 3/2 to needing a 4/3 plus full booties. Felt more like late September conditions.

"Secret".  Cooler summers than the Twin Cities. But also warmer winters.  Lake Effect warmth. Just gotta like a lot of snow. Not really a secret. Based on some immigrants from the SE and SW.

Finally receiving some rainfall on consecutive days.  I think a first for the year.  Last week the drought monitor noted Northern 1/2 of Bayfield Co was either in extreme or severe drought.  In between rainfalls I transplanted some wildflowers.  ~6" deep. Powder dry soil. Luckily another light drizzle, lower than normal temps, and high RH(few hundred foot thick fog layer) today.  Otherwise a sunny, low RH, windy day would suck the moisture out of the soil.