Western US WeatherCatters - warm enough for you?

[Steve]

Here in Ohio, most of our high temps have been in the upper 80s to low 90s range, with overnight lows in the high 70s and low 80s. As you know, our problem is humidity. Even though it has been extremely dry this summer, we're still seeing humidity in the 60-80% range during the day and 90%+ overnight. Walking to the mailbox in 85? and 85% leaves you soaking by the time you get back inside.

We keep our AC set at 78?, which is comfortable with the drier air, and not so cold that going outside is a shock.

[xairbusdriver]

Stop going to the mailbox! Nothing of importance comes that way.

[Randall75]

Well here in central Ohio my problem is when it gets as hot as Steve said then we have no air moving 1 maybe 2 MPH when I lived in Oklahoma we had wind 10 to 20 MPH which help 

cheers

 

[xairbusdriver]

People think I'm crazy when I tell them that many trees in OK actually point north! It's simply because the wind is so constant and usually from the south during the growing season! 8-|

Of course, some people think I'm crazy, no mater what I say ... 

[elagache]

Dear Steve, X-Air, Randall, and WeatherCat heat and drought sufferers,

It has been unusually hot and dry across large swaths of the country.  There are parts of the Midwest, South and Eastern seaboard that are now listed as suffering from a rain shortage according to the United States Drought Monitor:

http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/

I understand how the humidity could really be a burden and effectively force you inside beyond short periods.  Alas even with an afternoon humidity of around 35% at about 90˚ F (32˚ C), you cannot be working outside for very long before you are hot and sweaty.  Instead of a few minutes it is 30 minutes.  Definitely limits your outdoor maintenance options!

Stop going to the mailbox! Nothing of importance comes that way.

I strongly disagree!  Going to the mailbox at least allows to see if they finally got around to repaving your street.  Our street was supposed have been repaved in the "Spring" of 2016 . . . . 

Nonetheless, there appears to be a slow accumulation of equipment and machinery suggesting that perhaps they will repave our street in the not too distant future - say the week of the Orinda Classic Car Show in September . . . . . 

If I didn't have bad luck . . . . .

Grumble, grumble, grumble, . . . . Edouard

[xairbusdriver]

Going to the mailbox at least allows to see if they finally got around to repaving your street.

Uhmn ... we use windows (the kind with glass in them) to determine that kind of info.

I do hope they will wait until after that show or do it tomorrow!

[elagache]

Dear X-Air and WeatherCat observers of governmental werk in action (or lack their of . . . . )

Going to the mailbox at least allows to see if they finally got around to repaving your street.

Uhmn ... we use windows (the kind with glass in them) to determine that kind of info.

True, the windows are sufficient to see if the road is finally repaved, but you would be naive to supposed repaving a road is simply about pavement.  There is this very strange game of "fix all the utilities" before the road is paved.  It started with confirming the power poles were in good order.  Then the water utility went through to check for leaks.  Next the natural gas pipes got the once over.  Every time, there would be guys painting the road with neon paint scribbling cryptic messages to one another.  Somehow it is deeply troubling in the information age and with the proliferation of smart devices that construction people still communicate by putting "technical graffiti" on both public and private property.

Therefore the daily visit to the mailbox allows one to keep tabs on all these construction types who are at the moment swarming all over the neighborhood like locusts!

I do hope they will wait until after that show or do it tomorrow!

Unfortunately a neighbor made the mistake of calling the city and actually talking to the city engineer.  Of course the city hadn't made any attempt to contact the residents directly about a small matter like losing access to your street for a period that has turned into weeks for some neighborhoods.  According to the city engineer, our street is stated to repaving at the end of August.  Given that this project is already only 2 months late at the most optimistic, so what is the likelihood that this estimate is any better than earlier ones ?!??? . . . .   The fly in the ointment is that the show is only about one week after the work is supposed to start.  So if these yokos actually manage to get started close to the current estimate . . . .

Thus the current feelings of concern . . . . .

Edouard

[xairbusdriver]

There is obviously some miscommunications between the various utility agencies!!!! Ours never check the need, and certainly never make any repairs before repaying!!! That is always done about two months afterward. I think the paving contractor pays the underground utilities a small fee for helping to create another job ... 

[elagache]

Dear X-Air and WeatherCat government observers,

There is obviously some miscommunications between the various utility agencies!!!! Ours never check the need, and certainly never make any repairs before repaying!!!

Yes I must confess no small amount of amazement that any attempt has been made to coordinate.  However, in this case there does appear to be a legitimate excuse.  They are using a new paving technique that involved removing essentially all of the old road surface and some of the dirt underneath.  If their happened to be a natural gas line too close to the old road . . . . . *BOOM!*

Our gas utility Pacific Gas and Electric is already in hot water because an natural gas explosion that killed a few people a few years ago.  So these days they are very careful!

That doesn't mean all sort of other utilities might fail just after they repave.  After all Murphy's law does apply! 

Cheers, Edouard 

[xairbusdriver]

I'm seeing more of that kind of re-paving, also. Not sure if it is to save the expense of raising all the man hole covers or if they are actually re-using the macadam. If not done this way occasionally, the part of the curb that is in the 'street' can get covered or there starts to be a drop down from the pavement to the curb. Either way, problems/breakups can occur when the edge starts to break at driveways or the thin layer of asphalt doesn't stick well to the concrete curb.

Cooperation seems to be an afterthought, at least when my street was built ~20 years ago. Recently had a double sized 'storm drain' collapse at one edge of my property. The city got to within 24 hours after my report. But in digging out the broken curbing, they found that the concrete had been poured partially on top of the gas line. Can't blame the city, we were even in their area when we built the house and who knows who the county hired to pour the curbs back then. Oh well, the city did a great job of restoring the operation of the double wide drain.

They also poured some concrete in a hole near the driveway on the other side of our lot. There was a hole, under the concrete curb where water drained off my property. I could reach almost an arms length into the hole and feel under the 12 inch+ thick curb. I don't think they ever figured out the water was going, using some dye-colored water. I may find out one day when I drive in/out and the pavement collapses!!!