Wow! It's hot!! This prolonged heat is darned intense. I fairly sizzle just going onto our deck to read the rain gauge. The rain gauge that has precious little precipitation in it. I count seven days without any rain at all, one day when there was a trace and then .33 in. on Saturday and .68 in. on Sunday. There was no measurable precipitation in the measuring tube this morning. We had sprinkles for a brief moment this evening, but it didn't amount to anything at all.

All this hot weather may bring on a blue-green algae bloom. You will find out more about it on the website. Here is a link to an article.

Everyone needs to remember to pay attention to staying hydrated during weather like this, so drink extra water, especially if you are working outside; try not to overdo to put extra stress on your body; and keep out of the sun, if possible. Wear sunscreen if you have to be outside. To keep the house cooler, let the night air in by opening windows, but close them up when the sun comes up in the morning and lower the blinds. Insulated blinds help a lot, but if you don't have them, bamboo shades or heavy curtains will work. Open everything up again when the sun goes down to let the cooler evening air inside.  Fans work pretty well if you don't have air conditioning. Plan meals that don't require a lot of cooking, especially baking in the oven. This is when a microwave comes in really handy. And be sure to check on elderly family members or neighbors to be sure they are ok.

I made ice cream today. We've been going to Tootsie's for creemees recently, but I got inspired to make some real ice cream instead. Fred can use the calories - and I don't have a big desire for ice cream. Or anything sweet, really. My weakness is for things like home-made bread (with butter, of course!), potato, macaroni and cheese - it's the farmer in me. However, in this kind of weather, even I don't have much of an appetite.

Take care, everyone - best not to relax about social distancing, frequent had washing and wearing face masks. Even though Vermont is doing very well keeping the number of Covid-19 cases in check, other states are getting in trouble by being too complacent and careless. With things opening back up it's easy to go too far in the direction of "normal," but that could lead to having to go back to being closed up again if the number of cases increases too much. That would be sad. So protect yourselves and others by doing the right things. It's a small price to pay to be able to have businesses opening again.