July 13, 2023: In the Heat Wave.

There’s no doubt that we are 2 of the 50 million people struggling with the prolonged heat wave hitting the Southwest. Temps in the low 90s are not unusual for northern New Mexico in July, but seeing those temps for many days in a row is. Until a couple days ago, it was still cooling down into the high 30s at night, which was a pleasure, but now the night temperatures are only dropping to about 50. That is also unusual.

Luckily, our crazy little adobe/strawbale house manages the heat well. Running a couple of fans we are able to keep it very comfortable, never going above 74 inside. I can’t help but believe that what Alan and I are doing here is what everyone will need to adopt if they want to live in the Southwest. The decades of cheap, profiteering building practices which emphasized air conditioning over good insulation are a thing of the past. Especially as great alternatives already exist.

In addition, I’ve been reading the horror stories about the thousands of homes in the Phoenix suburbs that have been cut off from water. If you want to move to the Phoenix area to get out of the snow, read the fine print on your home contract! (1, 2). And Chama, the town nearest to us, has not had drinkable water for much of the past year (3, 4). I really think that many homeowners will not be able to rely on their towns to provide good water in the future. Rainwater capture and improved water management might become mandatory. We need to learn from the trees! They seem to be able to suck water from bare rock. These cedar/junipers use up to 50 gallons/day. Where does it all come from?

**Cedar/Juniper tree on Monero Man Ridge**

Our own water situation has been great so far. After 2 months without rain, we still have about 600 gallons of filtered rainwater for drinking, and the well is producing 5 gallons/minute. We are still waiting for the water testing report that will tell us how successful we’ve been in our filtration. Will it be drinkable? Will I be able to water a garden with it? We think so, as it looks and tastes great. I know this may be difficult to relate to for those of you dealing with constant rain and flood……the amount of energy you may be spending on keeping things dry, we spend on keeping things wet!

I’ve been working on small projects around the house that don’t require being out in the sun. I repaired the wood stove hearth, which is made of local rocks, but which were impossible to clean because of the rough surface. I covered it with a layer of epoxy, which is easy to wipe down and looks shiny and clean. Continuing in that vein, I’m now repairing the front door area, putting in some tiles and a screen door. I’m waiting for grout to finish it, and then will start on the trim work.

**Current project: repairing the entry using tiles. Waiting on grout to finish.**

Alan is now working on the hot water heater, which has been a long slog. Getting the vent parts took ages, and then he had to cut a hole in the roof to install it. That’s all done, so “all” that’s left is hooking it up to propane. I look forward to our first hot shower inside the house (i.e., not in Pippin!)

**Alan installing the vent for the hot water heater**

In the meantime, he has had fun relaxing with old friends and playing with the pups.

**Relaxing with friends in the shade in 95 degrees**

Today, I took a hike up the mountain behind the house. It’s a beautiful steep area covered with huge boulders. I found this cave halfway up, flat, sandy, and big enough to sleep in! I guess we have an emergency hiding spot if the s**t hits the fan!

**Quite a scramble**; **the cave is just in those boulders**

During the evenings, we relax where the shade is best, the back porch, usually. It still often turns into a construction work area, but is a great spot to throw frisbees to the dogs. And, of course, July is time for the Tour de France, our favorite (actually the only) sport we follow. Always a joy to watch the stunning scenery of France, and, this year, the Basque area of Spain. Go Sepp Kuss!