It is so hot here that our low last night was in the high 70s.  Ugh.  I’m sitting here in my living room this early in the morning and I’m feeling sweaty already.  The humidity — already at 86% and climbing this morning — coupled with the heat is killing me. 

It’s so hot that I’m starting my day with my coffee…over ice. 

Our poor air conditioner is unhappy and overwhelmed, and at the moment, I’m just thankful for the miracle of the ice maker in our refrigerator door.  All those years of reading the Little House books as a kid and longing to be a pioneer woman?  This morning I have realized that I have grown far too accustomed to the luxury of cooled air and ice on demand.  Oh well, the sunbonnet wouldn’t have looked good on me, anyway.

I thought about getting a couple of bushels of tomatoes and doing some canning this weekend, but that is not going to happen today, let me tell you.  I found this adorable picture of a girl doing some lawn sprinkler ballet, and got such a giggle out of it, fondly remembering when the kids from my neighborhood used to do that in our backyard when my dad hauled out the hose and sprinkler for us on hot days. 

The heat is getting to me, this morning, and I’d love some tips on how you cope with hot weather when it hits at your house.  Anyone who has doubts about global warming, just come to my neighborhood.  Whew!  (And yes, I know you folks in Arizona have us beat on temperature, but even your monsoon season humidity can’t touch this sticky weather, let me tell you.)

So, anyone have a fullproof, cooling off on the hottest days homemade lemonade recipe to share?  Or perhaps some funny story involving a wading pool?  How are you keeping your cool these days?  Or, better yet, how are you passing these last few lazy, hazy days of summer?  While we’re at it, who has a tomato recipe to share for Lindy — I hear she has a bumper crop this year.  I did find this great compendium of recipes from the Food Network website for farmstand produce.  Some good stuff here.

Get yourself an iced coffee and pull up a chair…

(Speaking of global warming, this article on China’s grain crop being impacted substantially by rising temperatures is quite an eye-popper.  Take a read, and then contemplate the implications on a global scale let alone a local one.)

Photo of lawn sprinkler ballet via Rick Takagi.  Fantastic shot that really captures the essance of summer as a kid.  Love it.