SUNDAY FUNDAY, JULY 23, 2023

 SUNDAY FUNDAY

  SUNDAY, JULY 23RD, 2023

HERE WE ARE:

We are 155 days until Christmas!!! Considering all of June, July, and August as "Summer Months," we are halfway through the summer.

Yes, it is hot; yes, in Georgetown, we can't water our lawns; yes, keeping our air conditioning going!!!

One of my friends lost her electricity last Friday - OUCH. That means losing your air conditioning when it is over 100 degrees. But, fortunately, the electrician got it fixed on Saturday (and she spent one night in the "White House Apartment"!!! 

SAVING ON ELECTRICITY;

Give your air conditioner a checkup – or a replacement. …
(seemingly, that can keep expensive replacement on hold)

Adjust your thermostat. …
(One study found that each degree a thermostat is set above 75⁰F could save 10-15 percent in energy used!)

Spend time outdoors. …
(Or … maybe not. I've been using the Georgetown Recreation Center, and I can raise my thermostat a few degrees while I'm out of the apartment)

Unplug devices. ...

Use fans instead of A/C. …
(I use my ceiling fan and a portable fan - check your ceiling fan's setting - make sure it is set to summer)

Plants can provide much-needed shade. …
(You can't grow a shade tree in a year, but planting now can help down the line)

Lower your water heating costs. …

(Water heating accounts for about 18 percent of the energy consumed in your home. Use cold water for laundry)

Use electricity during off-peak hours.

(On scorching days (over 90 degrees Fahrenheit), you should wait until after 6:00 p.m. to cook, do laundry, or wash dishes.)

And, of course, you've heard of less severe water-saving suggestions - shower with a friend; don't drink water; instead, drink beer.  

And, of course, you can xeriscape your yard - use less (or no) grass and put in desert plants, decorative rocks, and items that don't need water.

*****

TWO SUMMER SONGS

SUMMER IN THE CITY (Loving Spoonfuls song)

Hot town, summer in the city

Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty

Been down, isn't it a pity?

Doesn't seem to be a shadow in the city

All around, people looking half dead

Walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a matchhead

Good Old Summertime (Nat King Cole)

In the good old summertime

In the good old summertime

Strollin' through the sha-ady lanes

With my baby, mine

I hold her hand, and she-ee holds mine

And that's a very good sign

That she's my tootsy-wootsy in

A good old summertime

(I don't exactly know what a tootsy-wootsy is, but it sounds fantastic!!)

*****

ZOOS

I remember the Beaver Park Zoo in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the other day. Even though Cedar Rapids was (and still is) the second largest city in Iowa, the zoo was more of a small-town zoo.

There were smaller cages - monkeys, skunks, raccoons, and kangaroos. There were two larger concrete cages - one had two black bears, and the other had an old male lion.

Growing up, you'd have to travel to Chicago or St. Louis to see a giant zoo. My parents would pack a picnic lunch, and on Sunday after church, we'd go to the zoo a few times a year. Modern zoos have more natural habitats, but this was the old zoo - just enough to let people see the animals.  

Leo, the lion, seemed to laze around most of the day. When I went with the sixth-grade crossing guards to the zoo, the kids tried to make Leo roar, but he wasn't in a roaring mood that day.

Since then, the zoo has been replaced by a petting zoo. (Probably cheaper to maintain).

I went to the Waco Zoo a year ago, which was nice.  

Have you been to zoos?  

(I was always worried they'd want to put me in a cage!!! <grin>)

*****

National Moon Day - July 20 

Last week was the 54th anniversary of the first man on the moon. Do you remember what you were doing on July 20, 1969? I was visiting my cousin Steve in Iowa City and watching the moon landing.

(I also remember my cousin had an Irish Setter that ran away that evening, and we spent hours finding the dog!!!)

Moon Landing Trivia (answers at bottom)

Who were the three men on that mission?

What was the mission's name and number?

What were the first words spoken from the moon?

*****

WRAP-UP

Nationally June and July so far have broken almost every high-temperature record. Other places have gotten rainfall close to a foot in one day. Shark bites are more frequent.  

Karen says, "Interesting."

*****

Moon Landing Trivia:

Neil Armstrong

Buzz Aldrin

Michael Collins

Apollo 11

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."