How Hot is it?(An ode to Texas, and the daily 100 degree plus heat) (Houston: car, deal)

[Canine*Castle]

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

Yes, I understand. The heat is the one thing that I do NOT miss about Texas. Even though I am used to it, the older I get, the more I hate it.

I have to be reasonably close to home right now (aging parent issues, etc.), but I imagine I'll head north/northwest once I don't have to drive back to Texas for Christmas and other things.

There are times when I wonder if I could tolerate WY winters. The farther north I go, the worse (more bland) the food is probably going to get, but as long as I can get the ingredients to make what I want, I'm OK.

I've looked into ID, WY, MT, UT, Timberon, and southwestern VA. I have a friend in Washington state and although I always tell her I'm not sure how much I can stand cloudy weather, I think it has to be better than this torture. Who knows what will happen when I retire in a few years. My problem is I can't get my children to move....grrrr. It would be very hard to leave them and some other members of my family.

Food I don't care about; I'm easy to please when it comes to that. Weird, I know, but I hate going out to eat. I don't want some potentially unclean person preparing my food or having it being prepared in a possibly unclean kitchen. That just makes my skin crawl.

I've read your posts before about coming back (maybe) to the Alpine area. Have you totally decided against that? I really don't think it's much of an improvement, if any, from Alamo. It would be from my area of Texas, but it's still too hot for me.

[portyhead24]

It's so hot I poured McDonald's coffee in my lap to cool off.

[Canine*Castle]

Originally Posted by portyhead24

It's so hot I poured McDonald's coffee in my lap to cool off.

That's cute!!! At least you still have a sense of humor left in spite of the heat. Well, I guess I do as well since I thought it was cute.

[TT Dave]

Originally Posted by portyhead24

It's so hot I poured McDonald's coffee in my lap to cool off.

I hear you!...LOL. It was been dreadfully hot the past couple of weeks around here and we are just barely into the summer months.

[I LOVE NORTH CAROLINA]

Originally Posted by Canine*Castle

It will be a long time before that happens. I actually cried this morning because I'm so sick of the heat. It's even hot in the house. Of course, I'm a bit emotionally spent since visiting a friend who is dying of cancer. Nevertheless, this heat is definitely something to cry about. Every time I stick my head in the freezer, I think of you!!!!

I am so sorry to hear about your friend. Sticking my head in the freezer is the only way I can survive this stink'n heat

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by Canine*Castle

I've looked into ID, WY, MT, UT, Timberon, and southwestern VA. I have a friend in Washington state and although I always tell her I'm not sure how much I can stand cloudy weather, I think it has to be better than this torture. Who knows what will happen when I retire in a few years. My problem is I can't get my children to move....grrrr. It would be very hard to leave them and some other members of my family.

Food I don't care about; I'm easy to please when it comes to that. Weird, I know, but I hate going out to eat. I don't want some potentially unclean person preparing my food or having it being prepared in a possibly unclean kitchen. That just makes my skin crawl.

I've read your posts before about coming back (maybe) to the Alpine area. Have you totally decided against that? I really don't think it's much of an improvement, if any, from Alamo. It would be from my area of Texas, but it's still too hot for me.

No, I haven't ruled that out, but it's probably going to mean having residences in two places...and I'm not sure that I want that headache.

I dearly love the Big Bend/Alpine Ft Davis area, and I have for years, but living down there might be quite another story from visiting a couple of times a year.

The temperatures and humidity are often very similar in the two places (Alpine-Alamogordo), though we have cooled off here because of the rain. It's 84 in Alamo right now at 8:10pm MDT...and 80 in Alpine at the same time.

It will work itself out.

As for Timberon, I'm still considering it, but the disadvantages are so severe, even with the great weather! It is 66 there now.

[Canine*Castle]

Originally Posted by I LOVE NORTH CAROLINA

I am so sorry to hear about your friend. Sticking my head in the freezer is the only way I can survive this stink'n heat

Thank you.

Yes, that freezer surely feels good.

[Canine*Castle]

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

No, I haven't ruled that out, but it's probably going to mean having residences in two places...and I'm not sure that I want that headache.

I dearly love the Big Bend/Alpine Ft Davis area, and I have for years, but living down there might be quite another story from visiting a couple of times a year.

The temperatures and humidity are often very similar in the two places (Alpine-Alamogordo), though we have cooled off here because of the rain. It's 84 in Alamo right now at 8:10pm MDT...and 80 in Alpine at the same time.

It will work itself out.

As for Timberon, I'm still considering it, but the disadvantages are so severe, even with the great weather! It is 66 there now.

Wouldn't the only disadvantage be that it's a distance from shopping and it doesn't rain too much? Of course, you said severe, so I'm sure there is much more to it. I like rain a lot. 66 surely sounds heavenly. It is a pretty area though, isn't it?

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by Canine*Castle

Wouldn't the only disadvantage be that it's a distance from shopping and it doesn't rain too much? Of course, you said severe, so I'm sure there is much more to it. I like rain a lot. 66 surely sounds heavenly. It is a pretty area though, isn't it?

The weather is fantastic, and the place is beautiful.

BUT......I don't think I'd want to have a place up there as my only residence. It's inconvenient as hell--you have to drive to Alamogordo or Las Cruces for EVERYTHING except very basics that a tiny store keeps (milk, bread, etc.). There is nothing there other than homes and a fire station, from what I have seen.

Who do you get for services? Home repair? Your water heater goes out--so you either have to know how to replace it yourself, or you have to get someone from an hour and a half or more away to come up and take care of it.

Car repair? I'd hate to be up there with only one vehicle. Medical care? EMTs and flying out. There is one paved road, 45 min from Cloudcroft

Cell service is not available except in one spot, by the water tower or some such whatever. You have to pay through the nose to have a landline installed--and lines may or may not currently exist for cabins/residences. Some don't even have electricity.

The water system is older than God and in serious trouble. Leaks are apparently fairly common, and a volunteer has to go out and fix them. The water association has been run by a committee that hasn't collected from some owners in 20 years, and they are now wanting the state to help them fund a new system, which is badly needed.

Internet service has ONE provider in Dell City, TX (east of El Paso, not far from the state line), and it's expensive and slow. AFAIK, TV is only via satellite.

As much as I'd love to have a summer home up there, I really hesitate. But I do check listings from time to time....I think Cloudcroft or Ruidoso would be better options, even as expensive as they are. But at least you are much closer to conveniences in either place.

So, to me, the downsides are just daunting, though those who live up there love it...and are accustomed to them. You do have to be prepared!

[Canine*Castle]

Thank you, Cathy4017, for that information. It doesn't sound too bad but then again, it would take some getting used to. I figured at least it was closer to the metroplex than some of the places I've been reading about. The drive wouldn't be so terribly far when I wanted to visit my children. Time will tell. )