THE HEAT... IT'S ABOUT TO KILL US!!!

I know Utah is supposed to be a friendly and inviting place to come, but who invited the 104 degree temperatures?  Please, please, please ask them to leave!!!  On top of that, we have this smoke that is hovering over the tops of the mountains and it makes the air quality terrible.  I read that it's because of the fires in California and Oregon...  we aren't getting any of the fire smell, but we are apparently getting all the smoke - it doesn't come to the floor of the valley, but it makes breathing really uncomfortable...  So, heat and smoke - please go home!!!

Jim spent the weekend working at the cabin - I feel so bad that he goes down on his own, but without running water, there is still no bathrooms (running water), and it makes it a little uncomfortable for me to spend the weekend....  He works all weekend, and I go shopping - makes me feel terrible.

In order to dig the trenches to bring the water from the street we had to have Blue Stakes identify everything underground so we didn't dig up something we didn't want to.  Here's the electric power line that goes to the temporary power pole. 

And here's the markings for the telephone/Internet wires.  They run away from our lot across the street, so we can't get too close to them.

The water company has installed 4 inch pipe for water delivery on the road, but it's across the street so we'll have to trench through the road to get hooked up.

As Jim mentioned above, the big move forward this week was having Blue Stakes come out and mark the road and the space in front of our house for cable TV, Internet and water.  And, after they marked the ground, they sent messages to the subdivision we are in, and to the cable TV/Internet company - so, everyone is aware what we are about to do!  Jim talked to the cable people on Friday, and they are just waiting for the call telling them that the ground has been opened up, and they will run the line... That means, we can have cable tv, and our own security system installed, and WIFI and all that good stuff... I am so stoked...  Jim also talked to the water guy for the subdivision and, even though he still says he is busy, he asked Jim to send pictures of the Blue Stakes markings and where Jim had dug, so he knows what has been completed and when he can come and hot tap into the water lines...  So stoked.

In the scorching heat, Jim braved the triple digits and started digging the trench for the water and the cable.  He said that he was only able to work outside for an hour at a time, and then came into the cabin, and laid down in the bedroom or the living room, with the portable air conditioner blasting on him...  He said it works amazingly well - I guess I made a decent purchase - just made sense to me.  Jim said that he turned it on last night (Saturday) about 11 or so in the bedroom, and even thought it didn't have enough power to cool the whole cabin down, it was beautiful in cooling that bedroom down and made sleeping so much better.  Jim said that he woke up about 7:00 in the morning, and turned it off because it got kinda frosty...  I have always said that I thought Jim was totally "hot", I guess this proves it...

Jim thought that digging the trench was going to be a quick, straightforward job... however, as with every project that is undertaken, there seems to be a lesson to learn... this is the continuing story of..... rocks.  He said that in trying to trench, he kept digging up big chunks of rock the size of footballs and bigger... just like in digging the hole for the septic tank, we came across rock - big rocks.  It's either the stupid manzanita, or the rocks that are driving us crazy.  (Actually, I have really come to appreciate the manzanita... as long as we don't have to dig up any of those roots.. those are evil.)

We're headed for the street!

And, with the heat, I keep calling Jim and telling him to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.. So, he sent me this picture.  This was day one...

And this was day two!  Increasing the dosage with ice cubes!

He says that he drank 1 liter yesterday, and two liters today... I don't know if that is enough, but at least he's getting a little more fluids than nothing at all... So, I am pleased.  And he's using his cup holder!  The one I had to drive into town to get clamps to hold it on with!

Over the weekend, I found these juice glasses... I was looking for glasses that match the tall beverage glasses with the wheat pattern that I previously bought.  I found these three, and they don't have the wheat pattern, BUT, they match the larger set.  I think they fit in beautifully...

We picked up a load of bricks a couple of weeks ago, and Jim took them down to the cabin.  He was going to stack them with the other bricks, but it was too freakin' hot... I told him to just pitch them on the ground and we'll stack them at a later date...  So, he took my advice!!! We still have a pallet or two of bricks here at the house that need to be transported down...  The jacuzzi is supposed to be delivered in September, so, we need to get on the program with the jacuzzi area!

And, in my travels this weekend, I found this picture, and I immediately fell in love with it.  It's about 3 feet tall and I want to put it in the main floor bedroom.  When I showed it to Jim, he agreed with me - we love it! I think Jim likes the saying, but likes the airplane at the bottom of it also.  So, here's your inspiration for the day, "How great would life be, if we lived a little of it everyday".

On that note, remember, it's hot but the adventure continues!

Cheri & Jim