Remember when I was whining about the cold and dreary Seattle weather?  Well, I got my comeuppance.  Today it was officially 95 degrees in downtown Seattle.  Give me back my cold and dreary city.  (You were so right, Catherine!)  Seattle has “flipthed” back to the Northern Hemisphere and it’s become summer with a vengeance.

“Big deal!” you say.  The other coast has been suffering under triple digits for days.  They are finally feeling relief.  ”Two days at 90 plus degrees.  What a wuss to whine about that!”

I’m here to tell you that 90 plus degrees in Seattle is living hell.  There is no escape.  Air conditioners are rare in Seattle.  They might be used two weeks out of the year.  Backyard swimming pools?  Not a chance!  The swimming season is too short.  Sleeping in this heat is hopeless.  You can see the lack of sleep on people’s faces as they come to work the next day.  Last year we hit 105º.  I had taken vacation because Bird and his family were visiting.  As we sweltered, I longed for work and my air-conditioned office.  We finally gave up and reserved two rooms at the Residence Inn until it broke 90 and we could stand to go home.  A-h-h-h-h.   The Residence Inn.   Air conditioning and a swimming pool.  It was sublime.

I’m just lying here on the floor panting with my poor, hairy, black dog.  We are both miserable and looking for relief.  We may go in the backyard and hose down.  We are dreaming of the Residence Inn.  AND they take dogs!

How do you escape the summer heat?

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