Random 5 for July 19, 2026 – Working in the heat, July, concerts, festivals, blogging problems

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It was a hot one! – We had oppressive heat this week. The kind that makes you NEED to stay inside.  Our neighbors had a new roof installed. Because of the way the land bends and drops, we had a front row seat. The workers were on the roof, in the heat, in full clothing – long jeans, long sleeved shirts and a hat. They worked 12 hours the first day (temperatures close to 100F) and a half day the next (that was the day we got smoke from the Canadian fires). The roof is beautiful. No one had heat stroke. My hats go off to people who work outside in all sorts of weather. I don’t know how they do it.

Time flies, especially July time! – July is half over. This is the month that always feels like the shortest one of the year, despite having 31 days. Maybe more activities or less confinement in the house. I’m not sure what it is but January and February do not go this fast.

The year of cancellations – We haven’t seen any outdoor concerts! There were three outdoor concerts we were planning to attend. Something happened for all three. Last night’s concert was cancelled because of the weather (heavy rain and storms). Another was cancelled for weather and for the third someone didn’t feel well. This won’t be the year of the outdoor concert! We missed a picnic too. Not a very social summer.

Speaking of outdoor concerts – In two weeks Musikfest (Bethlehem, PA) will start. It’s ten days of mostly free music concerts all over the city. There will be tents with all sorts of vendors and food trucks. It brings in people from all over, so traffic is a nightmare and parking is nil. Unless you are going to the festival, it’s best to stay away. We haven’t been there in several years but it’s a fun venue. The terrain is hilly and there is a lot of walking so it’s for younger legs!

Calling all bloggers – I have always been notified by email when a blogger I follow posts. That stopped happening abruptly. I checked my WordPress settings and my email settings to be sure WordPress wasn’t marked as spam. I can go into my Reader to see your posts, but I always liked the backup of an email notification because sometimes Reader drops a blog. Anyone else having these issues? If you don’t see me hanging around your posts, I may not have been notified.

Since we are again having issues with food that is supposed to be healthy, here is my response!

So how was your week?

43 thoughts on “Random 5 for July 19, 2026 – Working in the heat, July, concerts, festivals, blogging problems”

  3. we still have the heat but it is like summer is on the way to south before it started…. the seasons are different now… but I’m glad if fall moves in, that was way too much sun and fun

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  4. I know my blog stopped sending a few days ago and I have no idea why. And I haven’t gotten email alerts of new posts for many wordpress blogs since January. WordPress is such a pain sometimes. I don’t know how roof workers can work in this heat.

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  5. I’ve never understood how people can work outside in this intense heat either. My father was a tool-and-diemaker and worked without A/C in the plant for years and he’d come home and just drink lemonade and iced tea. My mom made cold salads and he didn’t want those either. My landscape guy was supposed to be here Thursday for gutter cleaning, power washing the house and trimming the high bushes, said he was running behind due to the weather and asked to come Monday. On Thursday Detroit was the worse air quality in the world. In this area, pretty much everything was closed down, even big tourist attractions, which I am sure made many out-of-town visitors mad. They closed every event, even small ones, Thursday through today. The Ann Arbor Art Fair, which is actually three large fairs taking up almost five miles, started Wednesday in the heat/humidity and smoky air. They passed out N95 masks to the vendors/artists, but people still went – I would not have, even in my younger days. Such a big crowd, the weather – no thank you. A big lavender festival had severe weather blow through yesterday and the vendors’ tents, their wares, everything went flying and they shut it down. I love the cartoon! We had the biggest contamination cases – Michigan was on the map for all the wrong reasons!

    From time to time I lose people from Reader. I get unsubscribed for no reason – many people, like you, posts the same schedule, so I know to go to their site, but once Ann Mehrling dropped off my Reader for two weeks before I went to her site, thinking she was just busy. I don’t have e-mailed posts except one woman who self-hosts and I can’t respond in Reader. Word Press asked me to change my background back in March. I did to a different type of flowered background, then about a month ago, they changed it to all pink – I went to change it, it’s all pink or two other colors. I fear my theme will be next up … hope it happens in Winter if it has to happen (not that I’m walking and getting out now in Summer)!

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  8. After the 4th of July I feel like summer is done. Not because I am super fond of the 4th but it just screams by. Kids here go back to school next month on the 10th. I loved your response about cake yesterday at Teddy’s blog and it still makes me laugh today. We are being battered a bit by tropical depression Two right now. I wish it would move on out of the Gulf. I have a couple of blogs I follow that are not showing up on my reader. I’m ok with that because I usually go to the blog to comment. I hope you are having a nice Sunday!

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    • After posting, I started to get email notices. Whatever it was may have cleared out (just like a tropical depression!). For me it’s August. As soon as August hits we have two back to back festivals and then it’s fall. As a kid I loved July and August because they were days outside either in the community pool or playing tennis or biking. Heat didn’t bother me back then or maybe it wasn’t this freaking hot!.

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    • I got an email notification of your comment! That’s the first one in a week and a half. The whole administration is frustrating. Concentrating on all the wrong things but what do you expect without experts running the show. I haven’t heard of any locally although the national map shows there are cases in PA.

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  13. My WordPress is doing the hula too. I get up super early and have to relog in before it even comes up clearly. I nicely blame it on the hour. They charge me for my name and that’s something they never get wrong, those cyber stinkers.

    Hot here too but today so much better.

    Love to Gus and Sasha the Magnificent. I love that you call her that. Like one of the Gabor sisters, with a tail. :)

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  14. I couldn’t agree more about July!

    That has been happening to me with all of the blogs I follow. I’v had to go back in a re-subscribe. They are not even showing up in my reader. WTH!

    I can’t hear Musikfest and not think of Action News. You have no idea how much I miss Action News! Agreed that it’s a fun venue.

    Hahaha! I LOVE that meme.

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  15. I don’t subscribe to anyone’s blog via e-mail. I barely ever use e-mail for anything. I hope I haven’t missed any important posts from my friends, but if I have, that could have been the reason.♥

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  16. HA! First of all love the chocolate graphic…..I may be wrong but hasn’t lettuce been off and on no no lists for years? Always something about contamination in the fields……etc. We really don’t do outdoor stuff much – used to look forward to several outdoor things but my husband has ambulation issues and both of us in the “80s neighborhood” have slowed down quite a bit “activity” wise. I too have had instances of not getting notices of blog posts from those I follow – – I’m also on WordPress and settings are OK so I figure it’s one of those “computer mysteries” ! It’s always something…….

    Hugs, Pam

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    • My husband will be 84 in a few months so yes, we have slowed down some too. Even more this year! About the emails, I worry that it’s something with my internet provider that may be blocking more than just WordPress. I also get emails 12 hours after they were sent. I hate techie stuff! As for chocolate, yay!

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