It has been hotter than I can remember for this long of a stretch. I remember the Summer of 1980. I don’t know what the comparison is, but this just seems hotter. I believe I read that during that summer we reached 113 degrees on three different occasions. It hasn’t been that hot officially, but it has been awfully close at my house. The hottest so far at my place has been 109. I’m 60 miles west of the DFW area, so it is usually hotter out this way. Plus figure in the fact that 1980 was thirty-one years ago and I was much younger and much thinner, this one is harder.
Not only is it hot, but it is dry as well. Crops are dying in the field, cattle is being sold off because of the lack of pasture and ponds are drying up. All in all, it so far it has been a long and difficult summer. At the beginning of this streak my favorite comment was “Well it hasn’t been that many weeks since it was freezing cold and we had snow and ice.” This picture was taken in February at the top of my driveway. Now that seems like eons ago and all I can remember is this heat and the dust that kicks up when I drive home.
We haven’t cooked out on the grill in weeks and we rarely cook during the week This has sent us scrambling for quick fixes and stuff in the microwave. By the time we get home in the evenings all we want to do is lay in front of the air conditioning and rest up for the next day.
Here lately, a lot of my conversations with Doug concern where we would like to retire to. Both of us want to head North as soon as possible. That will be in about eight years. My suggestion is always either Northern Arkansas or Wyoming. Doug is stuck on Flagstaff Arizona. I think he has that particular location in mind, because he has this same discussion with they guys he works with.
I finally took the time this weekend to look up Flagstaff and see what the deal was. Their official travel site says that during the summer the average highs are in the 70’s and 80’s and the evening lows are in the 40’s and 50’s. Now I have to say, that doesn’t sound too bad. Plus the site said “expect refreshing summer showers in July and August and soak in the smell of rain, pine forest, and fresh mountain air.” That opened up my eyes a little. I did not realize that Flagstaff was in the mountains. That fact made me look to see what the winters are like. Highs in the 40’s and lows in the teen’s. Plus they receive an average of 99.5 inches of snow.
Now to be honest with you, I’m not a snow and ice person. But I think that is because I live in a state that rarely sees it and when it happens we just are not prepared for it. If I was retired in Flagstaff I wouldn’t worry too much about snow and bad weather. Mainly because I would be retired and I could just stay in my cozy house. So maybe Flagstaff wouldn’t be such a bad spot after all.
I have no idea about the cost of living, healthcare, taxes, or a lot of other things we would need know before relocating. But as I sit in this hot office, with the ceiling fan, portable air conditioner, and desk fan blowing on me I think Flagstaff sounds like the place for us.