It's Hot!! So, I'm Joining a Mystery SAL!

We've now had 37 straight days of 100º+ temps and 6 straight days of temps 105º or higher. Granted, we Texans are a strong lot and we're used to hot weather, but this is ridiculous! We are now officially in a drought. I don't remember when we last had rain. Work isn't much better as it's 80-something degrees in the store. The air conditioning just can't keep up and we don't really have enough tonnage to compete with this heat. Our corporate office is "working on it fast and hard" which means we'll probably get a new AC unit in January! Bless our customers who have filled out comment cards expressing their displeasure over the temperature in our store. To help our customers and our staff, we've set out a 5 gallon cooler of cold water with cups for them to drink while in the store. It's been very well received and many have thanked us for it.

Lest you think everything is fried down here, which it pretty much is if it's not watered regularly, here are a few things that have survived in this heat.

This is West Texas Mistflower (or Blue Mistflower) and Strawberry Fields Gomphrena. Both love this weather and do well with little watering. Once you plant either one, you never have to plant again. The West TX mistflower grows from underground runners and the gomphrena reseeds like crazy.

These are Cowpen Daisies. (Nice name, huh?) I love them!! They have been blooming continuously for 3 months. They also do well with little supplemental watering. This is one of the few native annuals that I have in my garden. They reseed well, though, and it's easy to collect seeds if needed.

This little lovely is a Scarlet Fruited Passion Flower. It's another Texas native and it's the first year in my garden. I planted it at the beginning of June just before all this hot, dry weather started. Thought I was going to lose it, but with 2 weeks of daily watering, the roots were able to get established and it's taken off. This little bee was enamored with the blooms this morning while I was snapping pics, too.

Since my outdoor activity is limited to brief periods of time and only in the mornings when it's "cooler" and there's a slight breeze, I've decided to join the Mystery SAL on Carol's blog, iStitch. I will not be stitching on 40 count linen, though. Thirty-two count is the smallest my eyes can handle! I've not decided on what color combination I'm going to use. Will need to spend some time in my stash (what a drag!) to find something that will work for me. I might use a Belle Soie silk or one of the HDF silks my friend Robin has sent me. Decisions, decisions, decisions!!

On the husband front, Mark had an echocardiogram and stress test on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the results weren't what we were hoping for, so now he has to have an angiogram. This will be done this coming Thursday afternoon. Not sure what they'll find, so I'm a bit apprehensive. I know that God is in control and I have nothing to fear, but I'm still concerned and praying it's a relatively easy fix. I'm ready for Mark to start feeling better!