07-01-2026 — 1st day of 2nd half
Howdy all. Another scorcher of a day here. Highs above 90, and real-feel in the 100s. That’s hot, hot, hot.
Yesterday morning I went outside and picked some cherry tomatoes (about 10) and checked out my gardens.
Lots of flowers are blooming in the beds back by the fence.
Look! Real tomatoes are coming soon.
Oh, I was out there to water the beds since rain will not be back for a few days.
This is from those many bulbs I planted a month or so ago. Perty for sure.
And more bulb flowers.
Look at these. I am hoping these are Big Boy tomatoes.
The tom-tom cherry tomatoes are producing rapidly.
While many of the sunflower plants out back, were topped by critters, a few have survived out front.
This was the first that popped up. And is now 3-4 foot high.
Complete with a soon to open flower. I hope it is one of the massive flower heads.
Later, I went back outside in the 93 temp and 106 real feel. I had to put clean water in bird bath. Poor birds kept stopping for a drink and got gunk instead.
And I then proceeded to clear weeds from front beds and then blow the mulch back in the beds since critters keep digging it into the yard. And then grabbed spray weed killer and did perimeter of house and driveway and backyard garden beds and fence.
After like 10 minutes was saying to myself how great this warmth felt. After 20 minutes I was having a tad trouble breathing in the freaking hot air. Turns out the air quality was well over 50, which is the limit for my “sensitive” lungs. It went well over 100 yesterday, and will again today and tomorrow. That’s bad enough to bother almost everyone.
But, at least now, when I look out front window where Kitty likes to watch, it doesn’t look messy.
Oh, and heart rate only got to 155. Oops!!!
Then the day got interesting.
Those blue dots in the upper right, are this neighborhood. Not sure if the power company was showing multiple issues causing outages here, or if it was just one.
Power dropped around 3:45, and then as I was about to go switch to batteries, came back. And proceeded to bounce for like 15 minutes. I finally decided to switch to batteries. And it did drop solid. No power for an hour and a half on the hottest day in years. UGH.
When I designed my system, I was thinking that the AC would be running off and on, like a normal thing. Maybe on ¼ of the time. I had no thoughts of it being on 100% of the time. Well, with it on full, my present 3 batteries will last about 4 ½ hours. Adding the 4th battery would get another 1 ½ hours obviously. Not great, but better. The inverter/charger can handle 10 batteries. But at $2k each, I’d be spending a heck of a lot of $$$. Glad I have the generator to recharge the batteries if needed.
When power was restored, it took about 45 minutes at 6000 watts to get batteries back to 95% full. Not too bad.
Oh, another thing about my sensitive lungs. Some have questioned if having taken T.B. medication 50 years ago, really is the culprit, and not just some B.S. Well, here is what AI says about it.
AI Overview
Yes, taking tuberculosis (TB) medications for 9 months 50 years ago can absolutely affect lung health at age 71 . While the TB infection is cured, the structural scarring it caused and the side effects from older, more toxic drug regimens can create long-term respiratory issues.
Key Ways Your Lungs Might Be Affected
Post-TB Lung Disease (PTLD): Researchers classify long-term lung complications from healed TB as PTLD. Even decades later, this can result in permanent scarring (fibrosis), narrowed airways, and smaller lung capacity.
Increased Vulnerability: The structural damage (such as bronchiectasis or scarred cavities) can make the lungs more susceptible to secondary respiratory infections like pneumonia or non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections.
Decreased Lung Function: As people age, lung capacity naturally declines. If you lost some lung function 50 years ago, that prior impairment, combined with normal aging, can lead to symptoms like shortness of breath, a chronic cough, or wheezing.
Medication Side Effects: Some of the antibiotics used 50 years ago were harsher than modern ones, which can cause long-term side effects including mild lung dysfunction or digestive issues.
So, I may be full of B.S., but I am also “sensitive” to the crappy air quality. Don’t judge me until you’ve walked a few feet in my shoes, with my lungs… But, do find a way to Enjoy Life