Hot-- Near Record Heat

 It's unusual to have such a string of high temps so early in the season. Makes me wonder what August will be like. My electricity provider isn't part of ERCOT, so I think I'll be OK, but who knows? 

I tend to believe that the best part of life is that it ends. The worst part of life is the stuff you might have to endure before it ends. I'm only half-serious about that. Life is chock-a-block with all manner of good thing! And I'm only half-serious about that, too. But one of those "good things" is the mystery. And some of the bad things are the silly and half-assed things offered to dispel mystery, like conspiracy theories. Science has done a great job of clearing up many old mysteries. Science is our friend. And I'm confident that mystery isn't going away, at least, not any time soon. 

It's Official

 Over 1,000,000 Covid deaths in the USA is the "official" tally but the actual number is probably higher, with over 80,000,000 known infections-- so far. Grim news. And a lot of those deaths were certainly preventable. Hot here. Record highs. Deep drought. Humanity shits in its own nest and pays the price. Increase and multiply? That's a prescription for species suicide. 

Nice to see that Madison "Mad Dog" Cawthorn lost his primary. Good riddance to right-wing trash. He'll probably get a job spewing white-supremacist and Russian propaganda filth on FOX.  FOX: where the mentally and morally deficient find the "news" that pleases them. Of course, if they don't get enough there, they can always get their fix in the churches they attend.

It Actually Rained Again

 It was very humid yesterday and after sunset it got very cloudy and dark and eventually I heard thunder and then there was thunder and flashes of lightening. Wow. And it rained. A little. Not a lot where I am but maybe, I hope, other areas got more. And now it is back to extreme heat. Maybe by Saturday it will cool down a lot. It might actually be a nice weekend!

In the picture above, see the result of a heavy rain YEARS ago. Eight or nine YEARS ago, there was significant rainfall. Nothing like that since then. Welcome to the desert, or what WILL be a desert.

Everything's ephemeral. Remember that. 

Cool, Cloudy, And Windy

 Humid as well! Feels great but it's only for one day and rain chances are minute. But at least it's a break in the hot and dry cycle. It won't last long. Watched the lunar eclipse with powerful binoculars and did some other star-gazing as well. Lubbock has severe light pollution, unfortunately. I felt sorry for all the numbskulls, like the flat-earthers. There are so many different varieties of numbskulls running around it's hard to keep track! 

At the moment, I enjoy cool breezes. 

Hot And Dry!

 Very hot and very dry but maybe a break in the heat late in the week. And some slight rain chances. It cools off nicely at night, though, with morning lows near sixty. It's a true desert climate. In another generation I expect to see this part of Texas covered in drifting sand and dead for all practical purposes. I'm inclined to say "good riddance" but in any case I won't be here and it won't be my problem. 

It looks like we are back to sunflowers and finches. These pics are all mixed up.