Weekend Weather/Rain Deficit Increases/Energy Audit

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
It is sizzling across the south central US thanks to a ridge of high pressure. There won't be much change to this pattern over the next week (and a few days beyond). Highs will be in the 90s, even 100s in Texas. It will also be hot and steamy across the southeast. Look for 60s and 70s along the west coast, Rockies, midwest, Ohio Valley, northern states and northeast. There will be some severe storm from the Rockies to Texas to the Tennessee Valley.

Houston hit 97 on Friday (98 in Sugar Land). It will be just as hot over the weekend. There has only been a trace of rain so far this June (by now, there should have been more than 2 inches). Year to date, the deficit is more than 4 inches. Do your watering early morning or early evening for optimal results. There is little chance for rain for the next 10 days or so.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do energy or energía, pronounced eh-ner-HEE-ah. To give your home an energía audit, check out the link in the AND MORE section.

Kids have boundless energy and ability to learn. Their minds are adept at acquiring new languages. Take advantage of this potential. Order our award winning Let's Learn Frank & Paco, Volume 1. It makes a great gift for youngsters. Order today from www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/,http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. For our English as a Second Language (ESL) version, got to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
The following information comes from my brother Sam, who is a fabulous mortgage consultant in the Austin area.

Energy audits are a method you can use to find out how you can reduce your home's energy costs. In some cases, audits are being required. In Austin, for example, as of June 1, 2009, sellers of homes over 10 years old are required to obtain an energy audit and disclose the results of that audit as a part of the home sales process.

Professional audits are usually available locally. Or, if you are interested in doing some of the research on your own home yourself, you can take the Home Energy Saver Audit online at http://hes.lbl.gov/. There is a lot of detail required, so be prepared!

And now, it's me again...with the hot weather, it's a good time to see where we stand energy-wise.

Have a great weekend everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman