Sunday, July 31, 2011

Broken Records

If you listen to the weather forecast in Texas these days, it sounds like a broken record...

"Hot with a chance of hotter"

Change the station and the same ol' song is playing...

Hot Fun in the Summertime

Hurricane Don, a glimmer of hope for rain, turned out to be...

Hurricane Dud!

Triple digits and deficits are the talk of the town  -- and I'm not talking about the economy.

Speaking of broken records, the Dallas/Fort Worth area has just broken a record.   2011 has now moved into the #2 spot for the streak of 100-degree days we've had.   30 days (and counting) with 100 degrees or more.  That's a month of hundreds, folks!    And to top that off, we have had no rain for even longer than that!

The record to beat was 29 consecutive days, which was set in 1998.   That just happens to be the year that we built our house and started establishing our yard.

Here are a few pictures of what we started with...

nothin' but dirt!


I'm getting a little concerned that if we don't get some rain pretty soon and we don't get a break from these temps, nothin' but dirt is about all I'm going to have left!  

In order to break the #1 record, we would need more than 42 consecutive days of 100 degrees.   I did not move here until 1986, but anyone who has lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for any length of time has heard of the infamous Summer of 1980 where we had a grand total of 69 days of 100 degrees or more, 42 of those in a row.

You know...maybe striving to be #1 in everything is not all it's cracked up to be!

On a side note, I know I am dating myself when I talk about "records."  If there are any 20-somethings reading this blog, they probably have no idea what I am talking about when I refer to "vinyl."    To say something sounds like a "broken record" is to say the same thing over and over again...as in when you have a scratch in a phonograph record causing the needle [or stylus] to stay in the same groove and play it over and over.

I went to lunch at the Dream Cafe over in Dallas today, and instead of taking your name or giving you a beeper to notify you when your table is ready, they give you an old vinyl album cover.   Then they call the name of the artist when a table is available.

Today I was Willie Nelson

I don't know about Willie, but if I had my "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," they would be... tears of joy!

Take heart, Texas.   Even though Lynn Anderson could not promise us a rose garden, I think I can safely say...Along with the sunshine, there's GOT to be a little rain sometime...right?   I sure hope so!
Stay cool, Y'all!

Toni :-)

UPDATE:   We finished out the summer finally breaking the 1980 record with a total of 70 days above 100 degrees.

22 comments:

  1. Toni,

    I feel your pain. I'm so glad that we did not put in a summer garden. Don was such disappointment. So glad that August will be here. I'm dreaming of fall... pumpkins and hot apple cider:)

    PS Love the before pics. Dream Cafe is one of my favorite places. The hubby & I have brunch there every time we are in Dallas.

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  2. Feeling your pain here too. I went away for a few days thinking it was to be cooler. Temps stayed up; 102 today, 104 forecast for next two days. Lost 2 roses (sob).

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  3. Our month of no rain ended but the rain did little to help the plants. I was edging the brown grass today thinking it would be easy digging...so wrong...dry as a bone. The storm was so intense it must have all been runoff. It did bring the temps down to 80° though and that has been a relief, even if it is short lived. It starts inching up tomorrow. I never thought I would hear anyone wanting a hurricane. You guys must really be getting desperate. I feel for all you Texans.

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  4. Cute post! I do remember the summer of 1980. I keep remembering that it rains on the just and the unjust! It's got to rain sometime, right?

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  5. OH, my. I really hope that your gardens are able to make it through this test. Gardeners are resilient, but we still have hearts that break for our plants :(

    Thanks for the update
    Julie

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  6. Toni, what a record to break....sigh. And to have no rain along with it! We're having a hot summer (for WI) but ample rainfall this time. Back in 2006 we hit 100 and that was Awful. How terrible it must be to have nothing to look forward to but heat, heat and more heat.

    Your home and garden are so beautiful; I love before and after photos, you've done an amazing transformation. I so hope you have some moderate temps soon with lovely, gentle rainfall.

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  7. @Stephanie: I planted a fall tomato garden, but they were all fried when I got back from vacation :-( I might try some beans a little bit later and see if I can have something of a fall garden.

    @ProfRoush: Yes, I know TX is not the only one in this inferno. Sorry about the roses! I lost my $40 7-gallon Soft Caress Mahonia (I can't believe I spent that much $$ on one plant!!!) I could cry -- I can do that because I'm a girl!

    @GWGT: I certainly did not want Hurricane Don to hit land and cause devastation, but I was just hoping for a few clouds to be stirred and maybe drop a little bit of rain -- well, actually a lot of rain! That's just it, when the rain does come, it will probably be in torrents and just run off because the ground is so hard and dry. At this point we will take what we can get.

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  8. @Holley: Yes, the rains will come sometime, I'm sure (I hope). Just a few short years ago the road behind us was under water until October because we had so much flooding that spring. So go figure. That's Texas for you. Everything is bigger in Texas, even our weather extremes!

    @W,M,G: I have to say, my heart does break when I look at some of my plants. Most of them are hanging in there but some of the plants I added this year were not established enough to make it. I will replant this fall and move on. All in the life of a gardener, right :-)

    @Karen: My sister is visiting from WI, and she thinks our heat actually feels good because it is so much drier than it is in WI. Apparently y'all have had such high humidity along with your heat. See you in a couple weeks! (See if you can do something about the humidity, will ya?)

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  9. We've had a hot, dry summer but yours has been so much worse that I feel bad complaining. When I saw a hurricane headed towards the gulf coast I thought of all my Texas gardening friends. I was hoping it would send you some rain. Hang in there! Six months from now we'll all be freezing.

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  10. I had green fried tomatoes for the first time last week literally! I am still enjoying your blog postings especially the rocks. Liked your "Queens and rain" also..... very clever!
    Thank goodness we have many post oaks and black jack oaks.

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  11. @Casa: I saw your Wayne's World "We're Not Worthy" video -- cracked me up! There's a lot of us in the same boat on dry land, so I shouldn't whine like I'm the only one. You're right, we'll all be digging out the sweaters in no time.

    @Jeanette: We had fried green tomatoes last week on vacation :-) Glad you're enjoying the posts. I'm trying to keep laughing...so I don't cry. Trees are a wonderful thing on a hot day for sure :-)

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  12. Toni - I can relate to the hot temps, we even have them here in So. Indiana. We did, however, have some rain this weekend, what a relief! Still hot, but didn't have to water as much! Thanks for checking out my blog, glad you enjoyed it! I do have lots of great help in the garden, it makes a big difference! Happy Gardening and Keep Cool! Mindy

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  13. Yes, there's got to be some rain heading your way soon! Maybe we should all do a rain dance. It's great that you still have your sense of humor. :)

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  14. I feel your pain,too.
    You did start with a blank slate for your landscaping with both front and back. I looked at the photos on your sidebar and wow! You did a beautiful job!! I started with a blank backyard and I know what you mean....I don't want it to return to those days.
    That's fun that they hand out records for waiting and call out the singer's name. :) Stay cool indoors!

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  15. We got one little rain this summer! I hope you get some soon and the days cool off a little bit!

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  16. Rain, rain, get Toni's way! :) I love your before shot too...maybe I can twist your arm sometime to have you as a Before & After post? You certainly have worked some magic in your yard!

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  17. I am thinking of y'all. Every time I complain about the heat and lack of rain I think of my blogger friends in Texas. I hope one of these days soon you will break a record of cooler temperatures and better yet rain fall. Oh I remember vinyl, even 45's and 8 tracks, LOL! Fingers crossed for y'all!

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  18. Hi Toni, I turned down the humidity a bit and we're a little dryer now, so I sure hope it holds for your visit, lol. Cindy thought it was cold here, so I guess it's better than I thought, though I was still sweating buckets. We're so looking forward to the 13th!!

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  19. OMG...I don't know how you're surviving...eek! I'll cross my fingers for cooler weather to head your way soon!

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  20. Okay Toni, I'll stop complaining about the heat and humidity now. At least we have rain now and then! My hummer photo was done with my zoom lens, of course. I happened to be standing nearby when he landed, so I just stood still and got him!

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  21. Just don't want the heat to break with a flood like it did on us in San Antonio/New Braunfels in '98. Have a great time on your trip - you will love Karen and Carl's Quarry. Can't wait to see what you "see".

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  22. My first child was born July 15, 1980. It was 105 the day he was born. I remember that summer very well!I do hope your drought breaks soon! Your garden is so beautiful. Gardening does teach us to hope, though, for there is always another season with new plants and its own set of problems to deal with. Such is life!

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