Heat wave

For a couple of days last week we had comfortable weather with clearer air; we could actually leave our windows open all the time! And then we got hit with another heatwave, and our house has been closed up since Saturday. Yesterday it hit 106, and today it hit 105. PG&E, our electrical utility, has been pleading with people to reduce usage between 9 and 3 to avoid the need to introduce rolling blackouts. And the stagnant air has been trapping smoke from the wildfires, so even when it’s cooled down at night the air quality has been poor enough that we haven’t opened the windows.

As vacation weekends go, this one hasn’t been that relaxing. Can’t go outside because it’s hot as hell. Can’t go anywhere because of Covid 19 restrictions. My wife and I often glance at the “What you get” section in the NY Times, where they show off three homes you could get for a certain dollar amount in different parts of the country. The Bay Area being as expensive as it is, the homes are either invariably much cheaper or much larger. This week, after heat, fire, and smoke, the idea of a lovely home in Maine is downright tempting.