Summer. At long last it has arrived—and she’s packing some serious heat. When I left the office yesterday and got into my car, the temperature hit 104. Naturally, it’s because the car was parked out on tar parking lot, but as I basked in the comfort of my whip’s air-conditioning, the outside temperature held steady at 99 degrees.
I don’t know what was more upsetting to me–the fact that the outside temperature was 104 degrees or the fact that I’ve managed to put 575.6 miles on my new car in three weeks!
It still wasn’t hot enough to keep me and the Frenchman from enjoying dinner outside, but today, my heat-adoring devil of a husband said it was just too hot outside for even him to sit out on our deck and sunbathe. Let’s face it, when the heat index climbs upwards of 100 and is married to humidity, it can be dangerous. Heat stroke, sun poisoning and the like can affect us.
And sometimes when it’s too hot to cook–there’s always sushi!
And it is hot. And when it’s this hot, the only place I want to be outdoors is at the beach, on a chair down by the ocean, reading a book.
Actually IN the water is better!
But most of us can’t be at the beach every day—especially for those of us who work 9 to 5! So how can we beat the heat?
Fear not. I came up with some ways that I beat the heat when I’m home on a summer’s day! And none of them involve me running around buck naked either!
Although it would be rather nice to recline naked in a bed of roses….
Wear as little as possible. Seriously. When I’m home in the house, the bra is not an option. The girls need some serious time to relax. And even when going out, there are bra-free friendly clothes that will manage to work. The off-the-shoulder dress and the off-the-shoulder top. Granted, not every woman is comfortable going braless—and if you need to wear a bra, wear a lighter one with little to no padding.
No bra needed! This off-the-shoulder shirt is one of my favorite’s for intense heat. Here, I’m wearing it in Theoule last summer and I may wear it to work tomorrow if it’s as hot as today…
Perhaps I’ll just wear this off-the-shoulder dress to work instead. It needs to be ironed and right now, I’m too lazy!
As I sit here writing this blog post, I’m dressed in a pareo that my son Jake brought back from Bali for me. It makes a great dress. I had a bathing suit on earlier but decided to wear pareo-as-halter-dress and it doesn’t get much cooler than this!
Shorts. Yes. Now is not the time to say you are too old or the thighs are too flabby or crepey. My thighs, close up look like crepe paper, and I don’t care because wearing jeans or long pants in this weather can make you feel so hot that you’re almost feverish. Yeah. I know loose-fitting linen pants can be cool but the wrinkle factor bothers me to no end.
This was my first outfit of the day. I wore this when we ran errands early this morning. I breathable shirt from Lilly Pulitzer, short-shorts from Old Navy and sandals. Notice I’m all decked out in red, white and blue for July 4th!
I couldn’t resist these Lilly Pulitzer Buttercup Shorts. The slight bit of stret
Put the shoes away. Give the feet a break. Treat your feet to sandals or flip flops. Feet expand in the heat and shoes can feel tighter. Sandals are such a necessary option. But first—treat yourself to a pedicure! Summer is the time to make your feet know how much you love them!
Barely-there sandals! My feet love the newest pair of Rondini’s that I purchased last year!
They also love these Tory Burch flip-flops too! Give you feet the freedom they deserve!
Makeup-free face! Oh–the eye makeup is still on but with a sun-kissed glow (and plenty of sunscreen), no foundation, highlighter, concealer, or contour needed!
I love the summer face! Competely natural and it pays to give your face a break from all those products!
Prepare the dinner early. This is if you have the time. Today is July Fourth! A mid-week holiday. And we’re spending it quietly. Bonaparte went to play tennis and I’m working on the blog and other writings. We went out earlier this morning to do some grocery shopping. And I’ve already cooked the lobster!
It’s also a good thing to cook the lobster in advance because I don’t like the idea of this little guy waiting around for his final moments…
I’ll serve it cold—maybe with a bit of mayo. Maybe just plain. I boiled it and now it’s done. And it’ll be so refreshing to have this cold!! A dish to beat the heat!
Egg salad has been prepared too! All on the stovetop because it’s just too hot to use the oven.
There’s absolutely nothing fancy about my egg salad. At all. And the whole family craves it! I chop hard boiled eggs, add salt and pepper and mayo. That’s it. Bonaparte just ate a sandwich on rye!
A Caprese salad of sliced tomato, sliced egg, mozzarella cheese and fresh basil will be the starter and all will add to a delightful dinner!
No hot foods on a heat-infested day! And let me tell you something…
….2018 is a STELLAR crop year for tomatoes. We haven’t had tomatoes this tasty in a few years!
If we feel like a sweet treat later on, there’s always cherries, bananas or fruit!
No booze till after five! I don’t know about you, but wine or any mixed drink just isn’t my thing during the hot days. The alcohol hits way too fast in the heat and is incredibly dehydrating. Instead, opt for water, flavored water, sweet tea or lemonade! Yum!
Hold off till evening for this. Drink this during the day, and you’ll be passed out by two in the afternoon!
Opt for filtered tap water, flavored water, iced tea or lemonade!
Turn the lights off. The AC in our home is regulated. It’s 80 degrees right now inside but feels cooler. Because there’s quite a bit of natural light, I’ve shut all the lights off and drawn the blinds. By keeping the direct sunlight out, the house cools down quite a bit.
Better yet, if you have a basement or “downstairs” living area, that’s the place to be. Downstairs can be even more of a cool place!
The lights are out but I’ll be headed downstairs to watch some TV in the coolness of this room!
Bring the outdoors in! Yeah. It’s definitely one of those days to stay indoors when the weather gets to be this intensely hot. But being inside means missing the beauty of summer foliage! Now’s the time to either go outside for a few minutes and pick flowers or head to the store to buy a couple of bunches of flowers or an indoor plant and bring the outdoors in!
We bought these flowers earlier today…
And these two–it’s always nice to have fresh flowers at home.
Add some green plants to really bring the outdoors in!
Carry a fan. Many discount stores carry small battery-powered fans. I’m more of a traditionalist and prefer a pretty Chinese-inspired fabric fan!
This fan is kept in my purse. I got it at a local dollar store and it helps!
Spray Bottle filled with water is a great way to beat the heat! Going outdoors? Headed for a game or event—or party? Fill ‘er up, put in the fridge and you’ll have a blast of cold! Same goes for face toner. Put it in the fridge and you’ll be nice and cool.
Filled with water, it’s also a way to cool Chippy down!!
Don’t forget a bit of eau de toilette. A refreshing scent can always you feel a bit cooler!
Fleur d’Oranger. You KNOW it’s my favorite scent and it’s very cooling and refreshing!
One thing I’ve done since my kids were young is wet down facecloths, put them in plastic bags and placed them in the freezer. These days, I only need one or two, since we’re empty nesters but if you have kids visiting or grandkids, invest in some inexpensive facecloths, wet ‘em down, plop ‘em in the freezer and when the kids start whining that they’re too hot, you know what to do. They are also great coolants to place around your neck.
Face cloth–drenched with water, put in a plastic sandwich bag and…..
…into the freezer with ye! When this freezes and you get that cold sting, you’ll feel alive and awake!
And when all else fails, sit down and think about how you feel on the coldest, most frigid, windiest day of the winter. Picture leaving the warmth of your home to run outside in the dark to your car because you forgot to buy eggs. Remember how it feels when your toes and fingers become numb from the sub-zero weather?
Hold that thought!!
Summer’s not that bad!!
I’ve also created a “Beat the Heat” Idea List from my Amazon site! You can get ideas for the next time you head out to run errands!
Mongo Jerry: In The Summertime! One of my favorite summer songs!
Hi Cathe, we are experiencing beautiful weather here in the Uk and it has occurred to me that with you at the Jetsey shore and me on the UK’s south coast we must be looking at each other! Enjoy jan x
Hi Jan!!! I’ll be back at the shore on Saturday! I’ll be sure to give a wave!!!!!!!!!!!! XOXOXOXO
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I ❤️La Vielle Ferme! Their Red is great too. My go to white is Espiral Vinho Verde, $4.50 or so at Trader Joe’s. So light and refreshing.
The washcloth idea is terrific. I might bring those to my grandsons soccer games.
If you need a beach read suggestion I just finished THE BOOKSHOP ON THE CORNER, I believe the author is Jenny Colgan. One of my favorite books for a long time.
Hi Bobbi! Yeah. It’s a great wine!! And so affordable too! The washcloths made my kids very happy when they were younger and it’s a menopausal delight as well!
You know, I saw that book and it looked good but I never bought it. Thanks for the suggestion. I need another book!!! XOXOXOXO
The pareo is my favorite. Much brighter colors than the last time I was in Bali. I still have sarongs I bought there that are 45 years old. Yikes. Still use them, too.
Right??? I want to look for one that would be larger in the material so that I could possible wear it as a maxi!!! XOXOXOXO!!!!
Just buy two that are the same. I bought one in 1973 and then when I went back with my husband in 1993, they still had the same design. I made a top out of mine and a wrap-around out of his after he died. While there, we both wore them as sarongs. Too hot to wear anything else.
You crack me up! La Vieille Ferme?! We had that the other day and it also will be served coming Saturday at dinner with our friends at our weekend house! What a coincidence! It will go well with my saumon en papillotte. Followed by peach cobbler as dessert. 😉
Hey B! Yup! The Frenchman is very particular about the table wines in the house!!! That’s so funny!!! Saumon en papillotte–stop–you’re making me hungry!! And there’s nothing quite as good as cooked peaches!!! XOXOXOXO!!!!
I enjoy the hot weather, as long as I’m not in direct sun. But 90-degrees + is too hot! Not sure why but I actually prefer wearing a bra to going without, no matter what. I think I might be the only one! And I’m on the smaller side of average.
LOL. My bra comes off the second I arrive home from work. I can do that thing where I unhook it and pull it through a sleeve! It comes off before my hair does!!! XOXOXOXO!!!
Wonder! why u always looks so Fabulous…
remember v lOVE u…..
You are way too kind–and I like it!!!!!!!!!!!!XOXOXOXO!!!!
We are an extraordinary 30 degrees here in Scotland Cathe, so good advice but I have to disagree with you about the Mungo Jerry song, I thought he was cute and at a live gig once the boys in my company thought he was amazing as he put a whole pie in his mouth in one go (gross:) but even at 16 the lyrics of In the Summertime made me cringe. ‘If her daddy’s rich take her out for a meal, If her daddy’s poor just do what you feel ‘
i was a feminist before I knew what one was. and the daughter of a poor man.
Hi Jilly – I live near Glasgow and work in West Nile St, city centre!!!! helllllooooooooooo! 🙂
Hi Juliet,
must be hot as hell working where you are just now, I’m so lucky to have the highland breezes coming of the Tay ! 🙂
Jx
Hey Jilly. In all honesty, those lyrics bothered me too–but I just llove the catchiness of the song and it’s very summery. Mr. Mungo Jerry is no longer cute–he’s hasn’t aged quite well!!! XOXOXOXO!!!
Have to sadly agree with that Cathe, looked him up on youtube after your mention. Doesn’t look like the same guy but he’s probably say the same about me:(
Jx
I add some horseradish to the egg salad. Yum.
Ohhhhhhhh Patricia–you had me at horseradish. That sounds goooooooood!!! XOXOXOX!!!
Some great tips here Catherine. I like hot weather but not direct sun, I love sitting in the garden under the shade of the gazebo. Elderflower cordial is a favourite of mine, especially when the weather is this hot. I had one glass of Bucks Fizz at a lunch yesterday and although I was drinking water and elderflower cordial I felt a little lightheaded. I can’t do lunch time alcohol!
I agree about make-up, I only do my eyebrows, mascara and lippy. I like your pareo, very pretty I carry a traditional fan with me, more for when I have a hot flush though! My bra comes off at the earliest opportunity! That is such a great song 🙂
Hi Polly! Thank you! Now I need to Google Elderflower cordial. I’ve never heard of it but I’ll bet it’s delicious. Yeah–I can’t drink at lunchtime either. Ruins the entire day for me!!! Isn’t that song timeless??? XOXOXOXO!!!
Hello from Glasgow – some seriously good ideas listed, we get this sort of wonderful weather so rarely that it feels incredible to have such a run of it. Drink water – keep a jug in the frig with some mint and cucumber in it, eat fresh, light food, simplify your life and everything you are wearing – yup all good advice. If it is too hot for a picnic during the day, then we have sometimes had a picnic afterwork. I was in London earlier this week for a meeting and had plans to do Kew if I got the time, I decided it was too hot so found some less frequented museums and then went to Chelsea Physic gardens instead – much smaller and when I got there at 7.00 it was dusk so much cooler and a reduced entry fee – it was much the better choice, so dont be afraid to change plans and dont be afraid to seek shelter during the midday heat :).
Hi Juliet!! I love the idea of water with mint and cucumber–both are so incredibly refreshing! You also bring up a great point of moving a picnic to later in the day/evening! We used to do that when we lived in NYC–enjoy a dinner in Central Park on a blanket……nice times!! XOXOXOXO!!!
That song brings me back. I Googled it for more information and he wrote that song in 10 minutes!
Love love the shorts/off the shoulder combo – I’m with you on letting the girls swing free in the heat – so nice to be free from the bra burden! That top looks great and I think I’d feel happy swinging freely behind that loose top. Nice to get your shoulders out as well!