It's Hot and I Can't Even Think - Hot & Tired

We were promised a heat wave, and Mother Nature came through on her promise. It was 99 F (hotter with the heat index) when I left work yesterday afternoon, and here it is, 4:45 am, and it's still 84 F. We're living and sleeping through the use of our fans. Moving air can do a lot to cool a person down, but the swimming pool I'll be in within 90 minutes will go even further. 

This is my local YMCA in Shoreview. The entryway is directly
in front of you, the gym with treadmills, elliptical machines, and
various weights is on the left, rooms for smaller fitness classes
are on the right, and in the back is the indoor pool. The outdoor
pool is to the far right, also toward the back. 

The July 4th holiday is coming up, the middle of next week to be precise. A lot of people are taking time off and going to the "lake" or taking family vacations to places near or far. It's made the YMCA emptier than usual over the past few mornings, and it's been rather nice. We're a smaller facility - our one claim to fame is our outdoor pool during the summer months. The pool was crowded yesterday, and I'm hoping it will be a little less crowded today - at least first thing in the morning when I'm there to swim. 

My ideal pool would be like this YMCA in Ventura - six lanes, 50 meters
long, covered, and with good light. I like the longer length, we're busy
enough to easily support six lanes, the problem with a set-up like
this is we would probably lose our outdoor pool, and swimming outdoors
is a real treat in the summertime. 

It's been too hot to shop - groceries are essential (and have frozen food departments and chillers to huddle near), but craft supply stores aren't as high on the "I must get there TODAY" list. We've been slow over the past few days and that's something I really haven't needed. We might be slow, but we still have to pay the bills. The only good thing about going to work on super hot days is that I do have air conditioning at the shop, so it's a comfortable environment. 

Raccoons are cute, but I don't exactly want one living near
my front door. We're right next to the creek, though, so
we get a lot of wildlife. 

I think I might have a raccoon living under my poured cement slab front stoop. I'm not really sure how to figure out if I have something living there, though. There is a good sized space between the level of the soil and the cement slab of the walkway, quite large enough of a gap for rabbits or raccoons. We've found raccoon scat in the backyard, so we know there are some around. Of course, raccoons are so very adaptable - great urban dwellers. I like the wildlife around my home, but would prefer to not have them quite this close. 

It's too hot to think, so I'm going to wrap this up here. I'll be back on Monday. Stay cool, stay safe, and enjoy your weekend.