http://www.raisingbakersfield.com/home/Blog/HeatherIjames/29854 Every summer since we first moved here, I tend to follow the same ritual from the fifth of July to Labor Day.&nbsp; I hide.&nbsp; I hide from the heat and&nbsp;those horrible orange and smoke filled skies.&nbsp; I don't even want to go swimming in our pool.&nbsp; But, despite pressure every now and then from friends to get out and mingle, I feel no real condemnation for my hermit behavior.&nbsp; Let's face it, you wouldn't want to be within a hundred feet&nbsp; of me when I'm miserably hot.&nbsp; Have you seen my hair?&nbsp; I have the equivalent of seven black Pomeranians on my head&nbsp;and they&nbsp;reach below the middle of my back.&nbsp; I have to say I wholeheartedly appreciate the people who don't question my commitment to them and our relationships when they haven't heard from me through the entire month of August.&nbsp; It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside that an explanation is never due.&nbsp; A different warm and fuzzy than blistering anywhere other than under my ceiling fan with the air conditioning on.&nbsp; Even my little Ethan gets it.&nbsp; He's resolved to perusing more books, building larger tanks with his Lego's, and wholly ignoring his natural inclination to pester me about swimming when the sky is filled with smoke.&nbsp; So, I say all that to say this: it was mighty hard to even sit down and write this down.&nbsp; I assure you, everything turns off when it gets this hot.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Every summer since we first moved here, I tend to follow the same ritual from the fifth of July to Labor Day.&nbsp; I hide.&nbsp; I hide from the heat and&nbsp;those horrible orange and smoke filled skies.&nbsp; I don't even want to go swimming in our pool.&nbsp; But, despite pressure every now and then from friends to get out and mingle, I feel no real condemnation for my hermit behavior.&nbsp; Let's face it, you wouldn't want to be within a hundred feet&nbsp; of me when I'm miserably hot.&nbsp; Have you seen my hair?&nbsp; I have the equivalent of seven black Pomeranians on my head&nbsp;and they&nbsp;reach below the middle of my back.&nbsp; I have to say I wholeheartedly appreciate the people who don't question my commitment to them and our relationships when they haven't heard from me through the entire month of August.&nbsp; It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside that an explanation is never due.&nbsp; A different warm and fuzzy than blistering anywhere other than under my ceiling fan with the air conditioning on.&nbsp; Even my little Ethan gets it.&nbsp; He's resolved to perusing more books, building larger tanks with his Lego's, and wholly ignoring his natural inclination to pester me about swimming when the sky is filled with smoke.&nbsp; So, I say all that to say this: it was mighty hard to even sit down and write this down.&nbsp; I assure you, everything turns off when it gets this hot.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; en-us <p>No joke!&nbsp; I don't know how many days I've told the kiddo either &quot;It's too hot outside to play&quot; or &quot;The air is too yucky to go out.&quot;&nbsp; Now she asks me if the air is okay, and she asks if the wind is coming to blow the smoke away.&nbsp; Funny, but I'm yearning for 95 degree weather - at least the mornings are decent then.</p> <p>Tomorrow is swim lesson day, and I'm dreading the time I get to sit and watch.&nbsp; I don't even go in the pool, yet after 30 minutes I look like I did.</p> <p>Maybe these are our hibernation months?</p> http://www.raisingbakersfield.com/home/Blog/HeatherIjames/29854/#c_271523 http://www.raisingbakersfield.com/home/Blog/HeatherIjames/29854/#c_271523 <p>No joke!&nbsp; I don't know how many days I've told the kiddo either &quot;It's too hot outside to play&quot; or &quot;The air is too yucky to go out.&quot;&nbsp; Now she asks me if the air is okay, and she asks if the wind is coming to blow the smoke away.&nbsp; Funny, but I'm yearning for 95 degree weather - at least the mornings are decent then.</p> <p>Tomorrow is swim lesson day, and I'm dreading the time I get to sit and watch.&nbsp; I don't even go in the pool, yet after 30 minutes I look like I did.</p> <p>Maybe these are our hibernation months?</p> <p>We had swimming lessons also yesterday - they swam, Mitchell and I just sweat. it was MISERABLE!!! ! It was 101 degrees in the shade at 11 a.m.  But I do have to say.... we went to the L.A. Zoo on the 4th. It was about 95 and Humid...I never believed in that "but it's a dry heat" excuse, until now!</p> <p>At least it's not humid.. that's all I can say.</p> http://www.raisingbakersfield.com/home/Blog/HeatherIjames/29854/#c_271756 http://www.raisingbakersfield.com/home/Blog/HeatherIjames/29854/#c_271756 <p>We had swimming lessons also yesterday - they swam, Mitchell and I just sweat. it was MISERABLE!!! ! It was 101 degrees in the shade at 11 a.m.  But I do have to say.... we went to the L.A. Zoo on the 4th. It was about 95 and Humid...I never believed in that "but it's a dry heat" excuse, until now!</p> <p>At least it's not humid.. that's all I can say.</p> <p>Hermit Time!&nbsp; (to the tune of Hammer Time)</p> http://www.raisingbakersfield.com/home/Blog/HeatherIjames/29854/#c_271775 http://www.raisingbakersfield.com/home/Blog/HeatherIjames/29854/#c_271775 <p>Hermit Time!&nbsp; (to the tune of Hammer Time)</p> <p>I am totally with you on this!</p> <p>My friends and I got a crazy hair up our hiney yesterday and went out to a spray park. O M G it was NASTY!!!! Won't be doing that again! We're going out this evening to run a few errands and I'm absolutely dreading getting in and out of a HOT car :(</p> http://www.raisingbakersfield.com/home/Blog/HeatherIjames/29854/#c_271866 http://www.raisingbakersfield.com/home/Blog/HeatherIjames/29854/#c_271866 <p>I am totally with you on this!</p> <p>My friends and I got a crazy hair up our hiney yesterday and went out to a spray park. O M G it was NASTY!!!! Won't be doing that again! We're going out this evening to run a few errands and I'm absolutely dreading getting in and out of a HOT car :(</p> <p>bushel - Hermit time to hammer time is hilarious.  i'll be singing that one a lot!!!!!</p> http://www.raisingbakersfield.com/home/Blog/HeatherIjames/29854/#c_271886 http://www.raisingbakersfield.com/home/Blog/HeatherIjames/29854/#c_271886 <p>bushel - Hermit time to hammer time is hilarious.  i'll be singing that one a lot!!!!!</p> <p>i work full time&nbsp;so my hibernation is staying in my air-conditioned office until i get off work!!!</p> <p>i hate the HOT cars too!!! i feel so exhausted&nbsp;each time i&nbsp;get off a hot car...</p> <p>and the spray parks?!?! yes, they are NASTY!!! i only took my kids to one of those parks once and never did it again!!! now i let them enjoy the sprinklers&nbsp;in our yard&nbsp;or our spray/water toys&nbsp;instead!!!&nbsp;some people just don't care about their surroundings... i&nbsp;wonder if&nbsp;those people who trash public places trash their own houses!!! i'd hate to see their own homes!!!&nbsp;</p> http://www.raisingbakersfield.com/home/Blog/HeatherIjames/29854/#c_272644 http://www.raisingbakersfield.com/home/Blog/HeatherIjames/29854/#c_272644 <p>i work full time&nbsp;so my hibernation is staying in my air-conditioned office until i get off work!!!</p> <p>i hate the HOT cars too!!! i feel so exhausted&nbsp;each time i&nbsp;get off a hot car...</p> <p>and the spray parks?!?! yes, they are NASTY!!! i only took my kids to one of those parks once and never did it again!!! now i let them enjoy the sprinklers&nbsp;in our yard&nbsp;or our spray/water toys&nbsp;instead!!!&nbsp;some people just don't care about their surroundings... i&nbsp;wonder if&nbsp;those people who trash public places trash their own houses!!! i'd hate to see their own homes!!!&nbsp;</p>