P52 Photo Challenge - KaBoom - Week 27

The theme for this week's P52 Photo Challenge is KaBoom which obviously ties into the Fourth of July. This year is the first year that I remember the weather being so oppressively hot that we didn't want to go outside.

In fact, according to Minnesota Public Radio, there were several records set on the holiday this year:


- Warmest minimum temperature at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport with 82 degrees F in the morning, breaking the record of 80 degrees F back in 1999.


- Highest maximum temperature at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport with 101 degrees F, breaking the record of 100 degrees F back in 1949.


- Tied the highest dewpoint at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport with a reading of 77 degrees F (tied with 1972).


- Heat Index Values around the region were also records, ranging from 102 to 118 degrees F across southern and central MN.

I can assure you that a 118 degree Heat Index Value felt more like 250 degrees. It was literally like stepping into an oven. Breathing - especially when one has asthma - is difficult. The safest place to be is indoors.

Normally, we go to a parade; do some small fireworks at home; and have a meal with red, white, and blue food.

We used to go see fireworks in neighboring towns, but being outdoors and dealing with mosquitoes wasn't enjoyable. (Both Sophia and Olivia have bad reactions to mosquito bites which linger for days.)

So, the Fourth of July I spent mowing the lawn (in the morning when the temperature was the coolest...in the upper 80s) while the girls worked on their 4-H projects; and then in the afternoon there was swimming at a nearby county park, and having a meal that had the colors of the holiday.

The favorite part of the meal: homemade strawberry pie with strawberries that Sophia and Olivia picked, and a pie crust that I made using my grandma's recipe (she was a baker for many years).

It was a nice, traditional way to end a rather unusual, record-breaking day.