I am wondering what it would cost to build a finished room in my basement, where it is much much cooler but not really fun to live in because . . . basement.

It's been 32 or 33 (about 90F) and it looks like it is set to stay that way for a bit so not nice but not as bad as some places are getting. Possum who looks like the tiniest muskox with his thick long hair has been spending all his days out in the porch soaking up that heat.

On a day when it was 28 outside and a bit hotter in the porch Caspar was stretched on his back dozing and Nora hopped up and flopped over and snuggled right in to him. Cat's desert roots are not that far away.

Up until this week we had hot days but at night it would drop down and I could open all the windows for nice sleeping but I noticed 18 seems to be the tipping point. That is when all the cats come and press into me 'we're so cold!'

JanetLand I have a finished basement and it is lovely in summer.

We have had brutal weather in the UK this week. It hit 102F on Tuesday, with 88F at night. We have no air conditioning, so in the early part of the week I felt as if I was living in a cave, with curtains drawn and windows closed (as the air outside was much hotter than it was inside).

I made sure all the water bowls in the garden were topped up - some have pebbles in to give birds and insects something to perch on. Also extra water for the foxes, and I made sure I topped up my 'pond' - a big wide 8" deep container that has pond plants in it - because a toad lives in it.

Our local 'street cat', Hunter, came and drank a few times. He has a home, but prefers to be outside and will often be found asleep on people's beds if they leave a door open. His owners have put a kennel in a covered spot for him, and they would love him to stay home but he just doesn't like to.

Rudi has been miserable in the heat, and of course blames me. I, too, hate it, and prefer just to hunker down. I am not a beach person, never have been, and lying in the sun is my idea of hell. I even wear SPF50 in the winter!

But today has been much cooler, around 75F, and it's a lovely 63F now. Next week will be warm-hot, between 75F-85F. Anything over 75F is uncomfortable for me, but at least when it's in the 80s I can go outside, whereas Monday-Tuesday of this week it wasn't possible after 8am.

I am so lucky and privileged that I can work from home. I admire so much the refuse collectors, postal workers, service people of all kinds, who don't have that option.

I need to get used to this, though, as it's not an aberration, it's how things are now, and it'll only get worse.

Blessed be A/C, central air, in particular. Temps in the 90s, with feel like temps over 100, are the norm around here in the summer (St Pete Beach, FL). It's cooler by the shore, though, often with a nice balmy sea breeze. I love being by the water, in this case, the Gulf, which is a pretty caribbean blue (the water was pink at sunset last night). I could stare at it all day, especially from the couch in our air conditioned living room. We have this beautiful Airbnb beach condo (utilities included, luckily) until the end of the year, and I can't wait for Jon to be back here with me to once again enjoy it. (He's been at the rehab hospital the last two weeks and, knock on wood, continues to improve). This place was supposed to kick off our semi-retirement/relocation from nyc with a relaxing extended vacation while we looked for a more permanent place in central Florida. But as my mom liked to say, Mann placht und Gott lacht (yiddish for Man plans, and God laughs), which weirdly sounds like Klingon.

My mother always insisted that the Gulf has the prettiest beaches of anywhere (she came from the panhandle). Glad to hear that Jon is getting better!

The picture on the National Weather Service website is this for today, but this for tomorrow. Oh dear. What a difference 2 degrees makes.

Now I am picturing Klingons doing borsch-belt stand up.

Yes it's been hot outside.

I am glad that I work only Saturday and Sunday at the garden center because being out for hours in the sun at 100+ heat index is not optimal for someone over 60. I really feel the exhaustion this year.

I'd see that show, arse hat. ; )

(and thanks, JanetLand -- he had his trach closed up today, big step)

Thanks for the update Pips that is good to hear.

Very glad to hear Jon is on the mend.

I've been away visiting friends in Suffolk this week - picture postcard cottages in gorgeous little villages, beautiful countryside, perfect weather, around 75-80F. It was lovely to visit, but it would drive me stupid to live there. My friends moved about 18 months ago from a gritty London neighbourhood, and don't miss it one bit. But it takes planning to live somewhere with one tiny supermarket and one hardware store, the rest of the little shops are either closed or sell expensive ceramics, gifts and jewellery to tourists, there's very limited bus service, and, as pretty as 500-year-old cottages might be, they're often not very practical to live in and if they're 'listed' by English Heritage, it's really difficult to add modern conveniences without spending a ton of money appeasing the conservationists. It's such a small village that there's a ton of gossip and people can easily be offended. Also generally a Tory/Brexit population, which my friends are most definitely not. They love it though and do not miss anything at all about London.

Jan, some friends of mine have recently opened a general store in one of those very same picture-postcard Suffolk villages. (Technically I think half the village is in Essex, but it's exactly the kind of place you're talking about.)This means, basically, that they'll never leave home again. Hard to imagine--they're cosmopolitan people with family and friends everywhere--but I guess the flip side of that is that they'll reliably be there whenever we get the urge to visit them.