I just took the mail out, and man, is it hot! Weatherbug says it's 95 degrees, but it feels hotter. As soon as I went out the door, it hit me like a wall. Then I got to the blacktop of the parking lot, and it got even worse. It was exactly like opening the oven door, except there was no yummy food.

Fortunately, it's supposed to break tonight. We should have some spectacular thunderstorms this evening! There is, I hear, a tornado warning in the Berkshires.

Just the right weather, I think, for reading The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. Since I've been moved lately to write ghost stories, I thought I'd read a classic in the genre that I hadn't gotten around to reading yet.

You know, I have never considered myself much of a horror fan, and I never thought I'd be writing it myself, but for some reason this is what I've been drawn to lately. It must be all those ghost stories I read as a kid, percolating away in my subconscious. Or perhaps it's just all the stress. *g*

Even though I had my camera in my pocket all day yesterday, I took surprisingly few photos. Just a couple of shots of some lovely columbine in the front yard, and some of this classic Corvette, owned by a friend of L&T's family. I had to giggle at all the car guys crowded around it (and L's mum), so I captured the moment.

Oh, and I took this one of T's brother's dogs. The one on the left is a Great Dane, and the one on the right is his son, whose mother was an English Mastiff. Those are two *really big* doggies. The pup weighed 100 pounds at 3 months old. He now probably weighs more than I do, and that's no mean feat!



I was going to go out walking this morning, but it was already 80 degrees and humid, so I think not. I do have to do laundry today, but it's a short walk to the laundry room, and the batcave is nice & cool. Hopefully I can make some progress on my new ghost story this afternoon.

How are you all coping with the heat?

The barn party was a lot of fun, and there was great food & drink, but it was stinking hot and muggy, so I petered out around ten and headed home. I never do well in the heat, and this came upon us quite suddenly (yesterday it was 60, today it was 95), so I was feeling a little bleah. The AC in the car helped, and there was some fantastic lighting for a lot of the trip (and even a little rain, around Sturbridge). I took another shower to wash off all the stickiness, and now I am quite comfortable. And wide awake, natch. I'm sure the party is still going strong; they were talking about pole dancing when I left. *g*

It was lovely to see everyone, and I even got a chance to catch up with a few folks I don't get to see very often. I found out that a friend works in the next town over from where I work; I am sure there will be lunch together sometime soon.

Gonna try to sleep now. I hope you're all staying cool!