How do you beat the heat? Lenora Worth

The temperature is supposed to hit 106 today. I live in the South, so I'm used to hot weather. But this summer has been brutal. There are many ways to stay out of the sun when it gets this hot. I wondered what everyone out there is doing to keep cool.

Personally, I'm staying inside a lot. We do have a pool, so it's nice to get wet but even the pool water is warm these days. And the sun is really bright on the white decking around the pool. So I get a kick out sitting in my comfy chair by the bay window and watching the birds take turns in their own little bird bath. The red birds are so pretty. The bluejays get in and wallow around then shake their feathers in glee. We had a blue heron visit earlier this year, but she was too big for the bird bath! The squirrels practically stand on their heads to get water from the pool. We even have night vistors-the occasional possum, racoon or armadillo strolls through to get a drink and maybe catch a few tasty treats. Sometimes, I imagine them having a little party out there late in the wee hours. Floating around on my float, tossing a beach ball back and forth, tall glasses of bright drinks in their paws. I can't blame them for wanting to stay cool.

Let's hope this hot spell breaks soon and we all get a nice rain to refresh us. In the meantime, I'll stick to reading good books, doing my work by the window and enjoying the blessed air conditioning. So what are you doing this summer to beat the heat?

Don’t Rain on My Parade

Camy here, and I have to whine just a little. It’s been raining a lot the past week and of course this is the week I start training for my next marathon.

I mean, God seriously has a warped sense of humor. The weather report said rainy today, but I looked outside this morning and it was sunny. I dressed in shorts and a long sleeved top. I got distracted for about 20 minutes, and it started pouring.

Okay, so I changed to my waterproof running pants and a rainjacket, and I headed out.

I kid you not, barely a minute into my run, the sun came out. And stayed out for my entire one hour run! It was blazing hot! What happened to the rain???

I don’t mind running in the rain as long as I’m not too cold, which is why I have running gloves and a running cap. But I had to stuff those in my jacket pocket halfway through the run because I was seriously overheating.

And before you start into the “hot stuff” jokes, I was so uncomfortable that I had to tie my jacket around my waist, but I hate to do that because it flops around and the zipper whacks me in the elbow. And I was sweating so much in my pants that they were sticking to my butt. Yuck!

And as soon as I came home? IT STARTED RAINING AGAIN!!! AAARGGGHHH!!!!

I cannot win. God is snickering up there somewhere. I think He’s a practical joker like Cheryl Wyatt. This sounds like something she’d do if she were God.

Camy Tang writes romance with a kick of wasabi. Out now is her humorous contemporary romance Sushi series and her romantic suspense, Formula for Danger. In her spare time, she is a staff worker for her church youth group, and she leads one of the worship teams for Sunday service. On her blog, she ponders dogs, knitting and spinning wool, running, Asiana, and other frivolous things. Sign up for her quarterly newsletter for giveaways!

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Weather

Merrillee here, who is consumed with thinking about the weather. I live in "sunny" Florida, and so far our winter has been anything but sunny. Today I'm looking at another cloudy, gloomy day. I will have to admit that most of yesterday was sunny--one of the few I've seen this year.

When I was a kid we always used to say if March came in like a lamb, it would go out like a lion. Well, it came in like a lamb, so I'm wondering whether the end of March will go out like a lion with some not-so-nice weather. This time of year our temperatures should be near 70 degrees for a high, but we are hovering in the 50's. I like to walk outside, but I'm a fair weather walker. I hate to be cold on the outside and too hot underneath all my clothes.

We recently took a vacation to Arizona to see our daughter and her family. We thought we were going to enjoy some warm Arizona sun. NOT. Instead, we took our cloudy, gloomy Florida weather with us. We went to visit the Sonora Desert Museum, and I was almost too cold to enjoy it. Here are a few photos that I took.

Notice those big, black rain clouds in the background.


I wonder whether the mountain lion is wishing for a more sunny day. He has great camouflage, doesn't he?


Here are a couple of coyotes. I wonder what they do when it rains. At least the mountain lion has a cave for cover.

Despite the cold weather and the rain, I also saw this bright sign.


I hope, despite the dark clouds, that you can see the rainbow. It reminded me that God keeps his promises. No matter what is going on around us God is in charge. He brings the rain even to the desert. He also gave me a granddaughter who brings a smile to my face. Looking at her makes me forget all about the cloudy weather.


Despite bad weather, what makes you smile?