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Friday, August 21, 2020

The backside of summer

So many ways we add up the coming of the end of summer. It gets warmer and warmer. The children go back to school, often in the thickest heat. 

And of course, nothing is what it was. I've lived through several tornadoes. They're what happen here. A derecho? I never heard the word, until this year. A line of intense and fast moving windstorms. It carries on for a great distance and is characterized by damaging winds.

Cedar Rapids, a little town in Iowa dear to me, was devastated recently by an eight hundred mile derecho. Coming now on another part of the country, in my mind's eye, a hurricane derecho. Two systems may touch down fairly simultaneously, in Texas and Louisiana. Too much summer.

Back in NE Ohio, I'm just looking at the usual indicators of fall. Yellow leaves.

After three months of solid blooms, the yellow leaves begin.

 And the solid blooms continue. The weather isn't mid nineties anymore, but ninety is hot. Temperature, they say, is proportional to the length of the cat:

Poor fellow. Bad angle; makes him look chubby. I think he's lost a pound. If nothing else, half a pound of hair.

I had another haircut last night. I should stop complaining about going nowhere, doing nothing. This is my fourth haircut since lock down ended, and I know a lot of you sport pony tails.

Melanie, my hair cutter, is getting married in September. I realized last night, September is mighty near and asked her when. "September 12th," she said. "My sister's birthday," I responded.

I've known Melanie for years, since before she and Lindsey opened this shop, but both worked for a major chain. One day I went in with all three grands for haircuts, and wondered if I were in the right store. Every station had a new face, and no one was talking.

Apparently the old lot walked out en mass. Perhaps two months later, whatever time they had to let pass to avoid legal problems, one of the operators called me. Never knew how she got my number, but it was good to have them back. That's where Laura got her hair dyed deep red and Emily had hers done teal blue.

I've spent a pleasant half hour looking back for a picture of Melanie. No luck. I don't see the post with magenta and teal hair, and that's probably where I had Mel, too. I'm glad to have a real date to pin her wedding to. Not long now.

Thanks to Yael, I found the post about the red and blue hair, with pictures of Melanie, Lindsey, and Beth, who called me with the new location.

32 comments:

  1. Never heard of derecho either before this year but it is 2020. Fall isn't too far away. Another month I think. We are choking on smoke from the California wildfires so it feels like we are on another lockdown since it's no fun being outside. Glad the cut went well. Take care.

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  2. I also just recently heard about derechos.
    But yes, summer is waning. We’ve had some pretty cool nights.

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  3. We went up to the mountains yesterday. The leaves are changing up there.

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  4. Derecho is a word I learned this week. And am glad not to experience.
    As your summer wanes we have flurries of snow this morning. It isn't sticking but is definitely falling - and has iced the nearby hills.

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  5. I'd never heard of a "Haboob" until we owned property in AZ. And then I happened to learn it from the older son, who with a co-worker, saw one coming right at them as they were leaving the job site near Phoenix. Bizarre... Apparently, they're very common--but I'd never seen/heard of them. Same with this new word, "Derechos."

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  6. Derecho is not as infrequent here as I'd like. They've been showing up here for decades, known then as straight line winds. Equally destructive whatever they're called!

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  7. I notice the days getting shorter here. shorter days change many things that bring us fall.

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  8. The only derecho I know is the word in the Spanish language. Here we have seasonal hurricanes in the north of the country which come off the oceans.
    Love the photo of Toby.
    Alphie

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  9. I had never heard of a derecho until I witnessed one a couple of months ago and my backyard view changed. The sound of chainsaws was heard for weeks later. We are still dealing with some of the aftermath. It was frightening to watch and I hope to never see one again. However, they seem to be a thing this year.

    I made an appointment to get my first haircut since March next week. You are a much braver person than I and if my hairdresser had not texted me, I wouldn’t be going now. She was so thankful when I said yes and I hope that I will be able to go through with it.

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  10. curious, never heard the word but reading it here makes me hungry for corn chips, not sure why. Weather change up here, there is a shift , the trees are acting differently , too. a sure sign.

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  11. I've grown up with tornados and seen quite a few but I had never heard of a derecho until recently. In the past few years I have heard of "straight line winds" that do tornado type damage and I wonder if they are the same thing? Or maybe a different name for a different part of the country? I love the picture of Toby! He looks like he has been playing hard and is getting a bit of rest.

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  12. Four haircuts since lockdown?
    We don't usually get tornados here in Australia, certainly not in my city, but just last week there was a freak tornado that razed a dozen houses in just one street of one suburb. That's pretty weird. I saw the damage on TV.

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  13. Quite often whatever weather you get we seem to get the tail end of it here shortly afterwards.

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  14. Derecho is the Spanish word for right, and I have never heard it used to describe weather. I hope if it threatens these parts it makes a left and heads away from us.

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  15. Joanne, If you write "Laura blue hair" on the right box on the top of the blog you can find the post about Emily and Laura's hair dyed.

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  16. Hari OM
    Yeah, that's just the weather bureau finding a word to fit a longer description. David is not quite correct. Derecho is actually Spanish for "straight" (as in direction) and this weather phenomenon has been known till now as 'straight-line winds'... so derecho is shorter and easier. YAM xx

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  17. I watched a tornado snake its way toward my flimsy motel in Florida once. It went back up about a quarter of a mile away.

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  18. This is my least famous time of the year. I am not good in heat. I have yet to get a haircut, but am doing so for a reason. I want to try something new. I've always had it layered and very short, but now I want it layered but I want the ends a bit longer. Sort of like the old shags.

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  19. And was it a "firenado" I heard about too. Which sounded horrific. Fire spinning at an unbelievable speed. New weather conditions. We will see more of them. We have a late fall corresponding with late springs. Still growing season here.

    XO
    WWW

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  20. I'm glad you got to go get your haircut. I miss Melissa who cuts our hair and is a good friend to my entire family.

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  21. This year just keeps on...there is always some new thing to be wary of. The two hurricanes are unbelievable until you think it’s still 2020.

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  22. I didn't know of derecho either; wow what destruction it can cause! We have haboobs here which are dust storms that can be a big wall of dust moving through an area. Can cause damage but usually a hindrance to drivers who are advised to pull off the road and wait them out. I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow. First time since this mess all started. Saloons have been opened since May. Just didn't have time to get it done until now even though its about 2 months overdue with the length.

    betty

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  23. it will still be hot here for another two or three weeks but today is actually not that bad outside. storms in the Gulf. even so the tallow trees started dropping their leaves all mottled red yellow and orange about two weeks ago. just a few, the trees are still solid green but that is how it starts in August.

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  24. Same thing happens here with schools opening after the long break - End of January beginning of February is usually our hottest time during summer.
    We have ‘Firestorms’ although I did hear the word ‘Firenado’ used last summer during the terrible fire season we had.

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  25. My daughter's in-laws live in Iowa, and many of them live in Cedar Rapids, which has been decimated. I donated some money to a local charity that helps with food and supplies, recommended by Ashley's mother-in-law. Nothing is much as it was, but I'm hoping that we can make the best of our 2020 lives. Oh, how I'm starting to hate that expression!

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  26. I remember that post, those photos.

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  27. The derecho sounds intimidating! I only once in my life saw a little tornado, in England!
    Here in Germany you see the first signs of autumn too - but it is still hot.
    Haircuts are good for the soul - especially if the hairstylist is a nice person that knows you well (and vice versa).

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  28. That was a fun post to go back and revisit.
    Yes, my ponytail gets longer and longer even though I did fit in one trim in June. Oddly, it's easier for me to deal with long since I just clip it up.
    Hopefully the derecho is the forerunner of the broom that will sweep everything clean in November.

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  29. Purple for Joanne, next time?

    LX

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  30. In Spain , derecha means right (as opposed to left) or, in politics, right-wing. The thought of a right-wing wind rushing at us would definitely scare me!
    The weather certainly does seem to be becoming more extreme these days though. Fortunately, modern buildings are better protected... no more rattling windows on stormy nights.

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  31. Made me laugh. I like it all but have to add that I have one granddaughter with a cut like the shorter one....died grey tho. lOL

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