8 Things to love about the Houston Summer
8 little things to love about Houston Summer
The Houston summer heat is a struggle for me. I’ve always rather been a lover of the cold and gloomy days of the year in Hamburg, so moving to Houston was not only a culture but far worse, a climate shock for me.
Yes, born in the South Carolina Low Country I am used and familiar to humid and subtropical weather, but Houston just takes the sweat betty season to a whole nother level! This city will bring you 102 days with over 90F and smack you with 90% humidity to make you crawl and cry….believe me, I’ve done both! Houston summers are no fun…you would think.
Spring is quickly fading out and summer is clashing head on with Houston city life.
As I try to only welcome positivity into my life, I had to find a new spin on dealing with the summer in Texas and have written down the top 10 things I am really excited about coming up these next months, trying to get myself hyped up for the sweat-dripping-down-the-cracks-of-my-body-I-didn’t-know-I-had-summer in Houston. Y’all with me?
I usually get my SWEET TEA fix at McAlister’s - the best friggin police for Sweet tea in the hemisphere
SWEET TEA LOVER
While I am certainly a Sweet Tea connoisseur all year long, Sweet Tea just tastes best in the summer…
ICE HOUSES AND DOGGY FRIENDLY PORCHES IN HOUSTON
Now that restaurants and bars are fully open again, we can enjoy cold drinks at the many Ice Houses across town even with our pups!
Many places even have their own little off leash doggy area! Pup-o-rama!
MORNING COFFEE’S OUT…
I love taking Missy on morning coffee’s, if it’s not too hot! Remember, your doggy feels heat differently than you and may suffer more from high temperatures than you might think.
Our personal favorite place to go is Dish Society. With their 6 locations across Houston, their patios are very spacious and it’s easy to find a spot in a corner where your pup is protected and can lie down calmly.
Dish Society is super pet friendly and we always get a water bowl with iced water for Missy. Though you usually order your breakfast straight at the counter at Dish Society, someone will come out for you to take your order on the patio so you won’t have to leave your pup alone outside. So helpful!
POOL FUN & FROZEN DOGGY TREATS
It’s time to get the kiddy pool from Target, fill it up with some water and even ice cubes and let the pups go wild! Are you one of those lucky ducks that has a unground swimming pool? Even better! However, always keep an eye on your pups and don’t let them splash around without supervision!
This is also the time when I’ll prepare even more frozen doggy treats for Missy like my favorite peanut butter and blueberry treats - Seriously, just mash blueberries and peanut butter together, add some coconut oil and fill it into ice cube trays, freeze it for a couple of hours and let your dog enjoy as a cold snack!
Check out my Pinterest board with my favorite no-bake Dog Treat Recipes here
NO BAD FASHION WEATHER
No need to check the weather to figure out what you’re wearing. Jumpsuit and sandals all day long are my uniform from May-September. A little chilly when I go inside and the AC is blasting at the restaurant? Just have a black cardigan in the car that will fit to everything…
The only thing that can ruin your fashion catwalk of life now is sweat stains….
STAYING INSIDE ALL DAY EVERY DAY
No-one is going to blame you if you stay inside all day and enjoy the cool AC. Just make sure your pup is still mentally stimulated and prepare fun search games or sniffle matts to stay active, even inside.
PRO TIP: use a combination of A/C and the ceiling fan to cool your home. You can turn down the AC by at least 3F with a ceiling fan which will use only a fraction of energy of what the A/C would have used to cool down 3F more. Good for the environment and good for your wallet!
MORNING BEACH TIME IN GALVESTON
We love heading out to Galveston on Sunday Mornings. Beating the main traffic leaving early, right after breakfast, we grab a cup of Starbucks and puppuccino on the way to drink on the 50 min drive.
Arriving just around 9:30 AM, it’s easy to find a good parking spot along the surfside and have plenty of room to set up camp at the beach and enjoy the water with Missy. Usually after 2 hours, when the parking runs out, we head back home to avoid sunburns or overheating in the midday sun. Always stay cool and repeatedly check the temp and watch your dog. If your dog is panting excessively, it’s too hot! Go home and keep your dog cool and hydrated!
At the Beach: make sure you observe the leash rules on each beach and keep your dog off the dunes which are often protected for wildlife purposes.
THUNDER STORMS
Houston, on average, has about 61 thunderstorm days a year, with 30 of those in June, July and August alone!
I love Thunderstorms - If I’m safe at home and can watch them from the cozyness of my sofa with Missy parked right on top of the sofa cushions.
So, those are definitely something to look forward to.
While Missy learned to not mind thunderstorms, some doggies are afraid of the bright lightning and thunder.
We’ve had great experience with the CBD treats and especially the tincture of BakedBones (Use Code Missy15 to save - I may earn commision if you decide to use my code).
Actually, I believe using BakedBones is the main reason we got Missy to start being more comfortable during thunderstorms. She’d be very agitated before we started phasing in BakedBones. And now she’s chill as Phil…
Before you use CBD for your pet, speak to your vet.
BUTTERFLIES
When I see a butterfly, I am filled with serenity for a split second and It just makes my day. And It’s the cutest thing watching Missy observe the winged beauties. Do your dogs like butterflies?
In Houston we also have the beautiful Cockrell Butterfly Center located within the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Get ready for a butterfly overload to brighten up your day!
Looking at the list, I can say, yep….there are many things to look forward to that will make make up for sweating like a sinner in church as soon as you open the door, not being able to go on long dog walks any time you want because the concrete heats up too much, or fearing for Hurricanes….
Enjoy the beauty, turn that frown upside down and bloom where you’re planted!
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