When I got into the car after work today, the car thermometer read 107°.  The thermometer in the back yard hit 102°.  (It’s always in the shade – never gets direct sunlight.)  The desktop weather widget read 98°.  And it’s so muggy you can drink the air.

Welcome to mid-August.

Once again, we have gone from winter to summer without ever really seeing spring.  No fair.  Spring is my favorite season.  Gently warming after the freezing winter months – and months – it’s supposed to slowly acclimate us to the unbearableness that is summer.

Except it never seems to happen that way.

I admit to being a weather wuss.  When it gets this hot, I don’t want to do anything.  I turn into a complete slug.  Of course, we still have to eat (it takes a lot of work to maintain these figures!) but I just don’t feel like getting über-creative.

Time for salads.

Salads are great.  They can be clean-out-the-refrigerator or planned in advance.  Or a combination of the two.

Tonight’s was the latter.

Happy Hal’s Black Bean Bruschetta, sliced tomatoes, hard-cooked eggs, avocado, marinated artichoke hearts, and thin slivers of asiago cheese, topped with a grilled chicken breast and a simple red wine vinaigrette.  And croutons.

Possible thunderstorms tonight as it cools down to the mid-70’s.  And only 90° tomorrow.  Downright balmy.

Oh well… There’s nectarine and apricot crisp and vanilla ice cream for dessert later on.

That should make everything better…