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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / July 2006How hot was it?
It was so hot last night, that ALL NINE CATS willingly followed me into the only air-conditioned room, promptly flopped down on the bed and floor and napped. And so did I. Ginger-lyn Home Pages: http://www.moonsummer.com http://www.angelfire.com/folk/glsummer (homepage & cats) http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~summer/index.htm (genealogy) http://www.movieanimals.bravehost.com/ (The Violence Against Animals in Movies Website) > It was so hot last night, that ALL NINE CATS willingly followed me > into the only air-conditioned room, promptly flopped down on the bed > and floor and napped. And so did I. > > Ginger-lyn Sounds like a plan for today, too. Yesterday was 109 here and the low temp at 10 p.m. was six degrees above what it was the night before. The weatherman theorized that today's temp, for that reason, would be several degrees higher. It doesn't matter anymore to me. I don't see how you could even tell the difference between 109 and 115. But gosh, I hate it so bad for the elderly and fixed income folks because electric rates are so high this year. There was a woman who died in her home from heat. She had a working A/C. She just didn't think she could afford the bill. That is tragic. Sherry > Sounds like a plan for today, too. Yesterday was 109 here and the low > temp at 10 p.m. was six degrees above what it was the night before. The [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Sherry Even though I have AC at home, I only use it sparingly. Ways I found to stay cool is to go to an AC public place like the mall, public library. or even ride on an AC bus. There are leather couches in some malls. I can spend the whole day there, and eat at the fast food court. Of course if you actually buy stuff at the mall, you may end up spending more money than staying home with the AC turned on. I live in a highrise with AC hallway and lobby. So I can always take a book and go downstairs to read in the lobby. When it is too hot (or too cold in the winter) to go walking, I do my hall walks and up and down the stairs. Winnie > > Sounds like a plan for today, too. Yesterday was 109 here and the low > > temp at 10 p.m. was six degrees above what it was the night before. The > > weatherman theorized that today's temp, for that reason, would be > > several degrees higher. I suddenly feel grateful to live in Halifax. This past week has been the first time all year that I can wear a tank top without freezing to death. Even at that, I have to carry a shirt around to wear over it because it gets cold at night or on the water. I feel bad about FINALLY getting summer and being happy while the rest of the continent boils alive. --Fil (but we have hurricanes) > I feel bad about FINALLY getting summer and being happy while the > rest of the continent boils alive. No feeling guilty. It won't change the weather. Might as well enjoy it while you have it.  Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca >> It was so hot last night, that ALL NINE CATS willingly followed me >> into the only air-conditioned room, promptly flopped down on the bed [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Sherry It is apparently even hotter there than in east Texas, despite the fact you are farther north -- it is 104 here right now. I do keep things cool, though. My office at the University is maintained at about 73 and I stay close to that at home. My evening walks have come to a close, though, until things cool down a bit. Oh, yes, the humidity is also high -- ironic, because we really need rain. MaryL > > It is apparently even hotter there than in east Texas, despite the fact > you are farther north -- it is 104 here right now. I do keep things cool, [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >,asell as stay in the darkest curtained room and lay around like ragdolls! >:-) Liz > glsummer@neptunelink.com wrote: >> It was so hot last night, that ALL NINE CATS willingly followed me [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > died in her home from heat. She had a working A/C. She just didn't > think she could afford the bill. That is tragic. I worry about how high the electric bill will be just from running fans. Heat index here this afternoon was at 108 around 3 p.m. Tomorrow and Thursday are predicted to be a little hotter. I laid around in wet clothes in front of a fan. The cats don't seem to mind the heat. They wanted to go outside, as always. It was too hot for a human to go outside at all. <snip> It doesn't matter anymore to me. I don't see how you could even tell > the difference between 109 and 115. > But gosh, I hate it so bad for the elderly and fixed income folks [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Sherry Hi Sherry, I decided to come back in an piggyback on this part of your message. The level of heat here is not only uncomfortable, it is *dangerously* high (just as you noted). I donate several fans every year. Fans do not serve the same function as air conditioners, but they can be a life saver for those who do not have the resources for A/C. If any of you have some fans that you never use, this would be a good time to do some "decluttering" and at the same time help other people. I did that several years ago, and the following year I started to buy a few and just donate them. One thing I learned for my *own* comfort during Hurricane Rita is that the battery-powered fans helped tremendously. I was without power for 7 days, so I was really grateful to have those fans. I now keep several of them on hand (with a *big* supply of batteries for fans, flashlights, etc.) to use in the event of an emergency. MaryL > <snip> It doesn't matter anymore to me. I don't see how you could > even tell [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > not serve the same function as air conditioners, but they can be a > life saver for those who do not have the resources for A/C. True! And if they are box fans and the person has access to bags of ice, setting a tray of ice in a plastic bin front of the blowing fan increases the cooling factor immensely. If any > of you have some fans that you never use, this would be a good time > to do some "decluttering" and at the same time help other people. I > did that several years ago, and the following year I started to buy a > few and just donate them. I've done the same, although I can't afford to buy extra fans this year. > One thing I learned for my *own* comfort during Hurricane Rita is > that the battery-powered fans helped tremendously. I was without > power for 7 days, so I was really grateful to have those fans. I now > keep several of them on hand (with a *big* supply of batteries for > fans, flashlights, etc.) to use in the event of an emergency. Yep, and store your batteries in the fridge! Makes them last longer. Jill >> <snip> It doesn't matter anymore to me. I don't see how you could >> even tell [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > > Jill Too many batteries to store them in the fridge -- I wouldn't have any room left for food. I always kept what I thought was a "supply," but I learned during Hurricane Rita that I needed *far* more. I had portable fans running 24 hours a day for 7 days plus more batteries for fluorescent "lamps." I also used a portable CD player for many, many hours (to listen to books on audio disk) because I couldn't see to do anything else. Luckily, I have lots of audio CDs that my sister and I listen to when we travel, so I was "all set" for that. Every store in town ran out of batteries of all size. So, now I have a *large* quantity of batteries. I will rotate through them (and continue to replace when a package is used) but realize some may expire. However, they have dates several years in the future, so I'm not worried about that. MaryL > True! And if they are box fans and the person has access to bags of ice, > setting a tray of ice in a plastic bin front of the blowing fan increases > the cooling factor immensely. But then instead of having to pay the A/C bill you end up with exploding cost for operating the freezer or you make the local grocery rich beyond belief... ;-) Squarely Yours Michael SignatureSquare Dance is friendship put to music Andrea and Michael with furballs Blacky and Merlin More detailed info: http://www.curschmann-sachsen.de >> True! And if they are box fans and the person has access to bags of >> ice, setting a tray of ice in a plastic bin front of the blowing fan [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Squarely Yours > Michael Bags of ice keep in an ice chest for quite a while and a big bag of ice costs $1 around here. I hardly think that's making anyone "rich". Better than dying of heatstroke, IMHO. Jill > >> True! And if they are box fans and the person has access to bags of > >> ice, setting a tray of ice in a plastic bin front of the blowing fan [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Jill That's an interesting idea. At the shelter, the do put out pans of cold water so that the big fans blow across them and the air seems a lot cooler. How long does one bag of ice last in this heat though? Block ice would probably last longer than bagged ice. Sherry > That's an interesting idea. At the shelter, the do put out pans of cold > water so that the big fans blow across them and the air seems a lot > cooler. How long does one bag of ice last in this heat though? Block > ice would probably last longer than bagged ice. This is because transferring water from liquid state to vapor state takes up a lot of thermal energy. I have read (don't remember where), that in arabian countries they use huge(1) earthenware jugs, which let water diffuse through their walls. On their large surface the hot air can vaporize the water and so they provide a decent cooling device and moisten the air, too. Squarely Yours Michael (1) IIRC they must have been about almost a man's height and might hold 100 gallons of water or more. Maybe you can get some smaller ones which are more easily to handle. Do you know a potter you can ask? SignatureSquare Dance is friendship put to music Andrea and Michael with furballs Blacky and Merlin More detailed info: http://www.curschmann-sachsen.de >> That's an interesting idea. At the shelter, the do put out pans of cold >> water so that the big fans blow across them and the air seems a lot [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > hold 100 gallons of water or more. Maybe you can get some smaller ones > which are more easily to handle. Do you know a potter you can ask? Here in Arizona many of us use evaporative coolers--a fan drawing air through a wet pad. They work incredibly well when humidity is low (below 15 percent), as it is for several months of our hot season. When the humidity is REALLY low, an evaporative cooler can take air that is over 100 degrees F. and cool our house to about 75 degrees. When the summer rains move in, the air-conditioning comes on, though--significantly more expensive to operate than the cooler. What do the cats think? They still turn into inert blobs during the day.... David >>>> True! And if they are box fans and the person has access to bags >>>> of ice, setting a tray of ice in a plastic bin front of the [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > Sherry True, blocks of ice would last longer but where would one go to buy them? Oh, and sawdust keeps ice from melting rapidly (which is how icehouses maintained it before the days of refrigeration). I wonder if you could use those wood chips used to line hamster/gerbil cages and get the same effect? Jill > Bags of ice keep in an ice chest for quite a while and a big bag of ice > costs $1 around here. I hardly think that's making anyone "rich". Better > than dying of heatstroke, IMHO. > > Jill Yes, of course I fully agree with that. Squarely Yours Michael SignatureSquare Dance is friendship put to music Andrea and Michael with tomcat-cats Blacky and Merlin More detailed info: http://www.curschmann-sachsen.de >But then instead of having to pay the A/C bill you end up with >exploding cost for operating the freezer or you make the local grocery >rich beyond belief... ;-) I agree with the principles behind your reasoning. The ice would have needed to have been refrigerated in the first place in order to become ice, so it's economically unlikely that using ice to cool a room would have a lower incremental per-BTU monetary cost than running an AC unit. It's probably even more inefficient if you use your own refrigerator to make the ice, since refrigerators actually heat the house. :) I've actually used a USB enabled thermometer to record and plot temperature changes in my house, and I've been surprised at how appliance activity in one room can affect another room far away. >>But then instead of having to pay the A/C bill you end up with >>exploding cost for operating the freezer or you make the local grocery [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > changes in my house, and I've been surprised at how appliance activity > in one room can affect another room far away. Or as I try to tell Charlie nicely, in the summer "turn off the damn TV in the bedroom if no one is going to be in there." I'm also more careful not to leave the computer and printers on when its really hot out. Jo > Or as I try to tell Charlie nicely, in the summer "turn off the damn > TV in the bedroom if no one is going to be in there." Having a TV on when no one's paying attention to it is a massive pet peeve of mine. Nothing to do with temperature. In general, I find TV annoying. Some people like to have the TV on most of the time, even if they're only paying marginal attention to it (ie, my husband). Some people like to read and find it incredibly distracting when they can hear the TV, even if it's very quiet (ie, me). We haven't yet figured out a satisfactory compromise. Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca > Having a TV on when no one's paying attention to it is a massive pet > peeve of mine. Mine, too! I do like to watch TV, but when I'm done watching, I turn it off. Unless I'm watching, it's just very annoying noise to me. My sister and her partner keep the TV on all the time, practically. Drives me nuts when I visit them, but what can I say? It's their house. > Some people like to have the TV on most of the time, even if they're > only paying marginal attention to it (ie, my husband). Some people > like to read and find it incredibly distracting when they can hear > the TV, even if it's very quiet (ie, me). We haven't yet figured > out a satisfactory compromise. Headphones? Or: sound off, closed-captioning on (unless you're both watching)? Joyce > My sister and her partner keep the TV on all the time, practically. > Drives me nuts when I visit them, but what can I say? It's their house. I find the TV to be an annoyance, unless there's something I'm specifically watching and luckily, my husband agrees with me. Even better, we have similar taste in programs. My husband and I have *one* smallish TV in the living room. My sister, on the other hand, has a TV in literally every room (yes, that includes not only the kitchen, but the *bathroom*). Even more annoying to us when we visit is that the various TVs are seldom on the same channel, but are usually all on. The cacophany is amazing. Katrina SignatureHistory: special people in special places at special times Anthropology: everyone else the rest of the time -KWorley, 1997 > Headphones? Or: sound off, closed-captioning on (unless you're both > watching)? DH does use headphones if it's late and he's really watching something, but the whole problem originates with him wanting to "watch" while doing other things. Like, having a game on and ignoring it until he hears the commentators go nuts, and then running over to see the replay. So headphones and captions don't really work. I guess we could buy TVs for all the rooms ... *groan*. The real problem is that we have this great living room perfectly set up for TV entertainment ... but with our incredibly open floor plan, you can hear sounds from that room anywhere in the house. You'd think you could just close the bedroom door to get some quiet, but of course Oscar won't allow that. Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca >> Headphones? Or: sound off, closed-captioning on (unless you're both >> watching)? > > DH does use headphones if it's late and he's really watching something, > but the whole problem originates with him wanting to "watch" while doing > other things. I'm pretty sure you can get wireless headphones for the TV now.... >> DH does use headphones if it's late and he's really watching >> something, but the whole problem originates with him wanting to >> "watch" while doing other things. > > I'm pretty sure you can get wireless headphones for the TV now.... Yeah. That may be an option. Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca >> Or as I try to tell Charlie nicely, in the summer "turn off the damn >> TV in the bedroom if no one is going to be in there." [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > distracting when they can hear the TV, even if it's very quiet (ie, > me). We haven't yet figured out a satisfactory compromise. We did. I went deaf. I don't recommend it. ;~> Jo >> In general, I find TV annoying. Some people like to have the TV on >> most of the time, even if they're only paying marginal attention to [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >> > We did. I went deaf. I don't recommend it. ;~> Hah. Yeah, no offense, but I'd like to try other approaches first =P Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca > Having a TV on when no one's paying attention to it is a massive pet > peeve of mine. Nothing to do with temperature. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > distracting when they can hear the TV, even if it's very quiet (ie, > me). We haven't yet figured out a satisfactory compromise. What about using a wireless headphone set for the one who is going to watch TV? Then only the one wearing the headphone would hear the TV-sound. Squarely Yours Michael SignatureSquare Dance is friendship put to music Andrea and Michael with tomcat-cats Blacky and Merlin More detailed info: http://www.curschmann-sachsen.de > What about using a wireless headphone set for the one who is going > to watch TV? Then only the one wearing the headphone would hear the > TV-sound. That's not a bad idea. Do you know what the range might be for them, and how badly they're affected by walls? Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca >> But then instead of having to pay the A/C bill you end up with >> exploding cost for operating the freezer or you make the local [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > have a lower incremental per-BTU monetary cost than running an AC > unit. My suggestion was not for people who have A/C but for people who have to rely strictly on fans to move air around, hot air. And as I already stated, a buck a bag for ice isn't going to make anyone rich. Sherry suggested blocks of ice, but I wouldn't know where someone could purchase them. However, sawdust keeps ice from melting as fast as it normally would so it might help with the ice-in-a-tray-in-front-of-a-fan issue, too. I further speculated, since sawdust isn't commonly found unless you live near a lumbermill or know a cabinet-maker, whether those wood chips for hamsters, gerbils, et. al. might substitute for sawdust? Jill > >> But then instead of having to pay the A/C bill you end up with > >> exploding cost for operating the freezer or you make the local [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Jill A bag of ice probably wouldn't last 30 minutes in a hot house. That's about 25 dollars a day, hauling ice in and dumping water out, and wet sawdust blowing all over the house. Hmmm ... not feasible for long-term cooling. But a good thought for a quick-cool-off. Kind of like when I used to stick my head in freezer for hot flashes. Sherry >>>> But then instead of having to pay the A/C bill you end up with >>>> exploding cost for operating the freezer or you make the local [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > > Sherry I don't think wet sawdust would "blow" anywhere LOL Before modern refrigeration, blocks of ice were packed in sawdust and they really didn't melt much even in the deep south. It was just a thought :) Jill >> >> But then instead of having to pay the A/C bill you end up with >> >> exploding cost for operating the freezer or you make the local [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > > Sherry How about those bags of "artificial ice" (encased in plastic) that are often kept in the freezer to transport cold items? I have never tried it, but I suspect they would not melt as fast as real ice. They are often very cheap, and sometime they are free (such as when medications are shipped packed in the stuff). MaryL >>> But then instead of having to pay the A/C bill you end up with >>> exploding cost for operating the freezer or you make the local [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] >lumbermill or know a cabinet-maker, whether those wood chips for hamsters, >gerbils, et. al. might substitute for sawdust? The sawdust acts as insulation. So, you can have the ice last a longer period of time, or you can cool the house more quickly. Since the ice's melting provides most of the cooling, you can't really have both slow melting and rapid cooling. SignatureJohn F. Eldredge -- john@jfeldredge.com PGP key available from http://pgp.mit.edu "Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all." -- Hypatia of Alexandria >>> But then instead of having to pay the A/C bill you end up with >>> exploding cost for operating the freezer or you make the local [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > Jill I would think someone selling hundreds, or maybe thousands of bags of ice per day probably would get rich, the raw materials cost very little. I agree your suggestion is a good one. SignatureAdrian (Owned by Snoopy and Bagheera) Cats leave pawprints on your heart. http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk > <snip> It doesn't matter anymore to me. I don't see how you could > even tell [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > > MaryL So know we're wondering what the etc. is. ;-) SignatureAdrian (Owned by Snoopy and Bagheera) Cats leave pawprints on your heart. http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk >> <snip> It doesn't matter anymore to me. I don't see how you could >> even tell [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > > So know we're wondering what the etc. is. ;-) ...Not much to the "etc." -- a portable radio (seldom used) but also some fairly large fluorescent lanterns, which sit upright light a lamp and provide a lot more light than flashlights. They were really helpful when I had to be without power for so long. > So know we're wondering what the etc. is. ;-) Oh, yes, in addition to the items I listed in my first reply, I also used a portable CD player to listen to books on audio disk. I already had lots of audio CDs because my sister and I listen to them when we travel. They were *great* to have during the extended power outage because I couldn't see to do anything else. MaryL >> So know we're wondering what the etc. is. ;-) > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > MaryL My nieces neighborhood took up cards and board games big time after Rita. They turned the whole thing into one very long extended block party. Jo MaryL wrote: >> One thing I learned for my *own* comfort during Hurricane Rita is >> that the battery-powered fans helped tremendously. I was without [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > So know we're wondering what the etc. is. ;-) I think we might have another Dave on our hands. :) Joyce > MaryL wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Joyce Meaning??? MaryL > > MaryL wrote: > > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > > > Joyce > Meaning??? Dave - I mean, Adrian - want to explain? :) Joyce > > <jXwXeXrXmXoXnXt@sonic.net> wrote in message > > news:44be994d$0$34528$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net... [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Joyce Me? I can't think what you mean. ;o) SignatureAdrian (Owned by Snoopy and Bagheera) Cats leave pawprints on your heart. http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk > It was so hot last night, that ALL NINE CATS willingly followed me > into the only air-conditioned room, promptly flopped down on the bed [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > http://www.movieanimals.bravehost.com/ (The Violence Against > Animals in Movies Website) Serious Flat Cat Syndrome has broken out where I am, too. I gave up and just had a nap on my bed in the air path of my bedroom fan. Nina and Francesca flopped down on the floor and haven't been doing much. Melissa boy,i bet THAT was a picture !!! > It was so hot last night, that ALL NINE CATS willingly followed me > into the only air-conditioned room, promptly flopped down on the bed [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > http://www.movieanimals.bravehost.com/ (The Violence Against > Animals in Movies Website) |
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