When there are so many consecutive days of 100+ heat a brief shower or even a day of rain is so nice. But the next day the humidity is so high that one can scarcely breathe when outdoors. Here in East Texas an air conditioner has become a necessity instead of a luxury. There were hot summers when I was growing up, but I do not remember hot spells lasting so long. Then we had one small electric fan that was used sparingly when the baby was napping. The windows all had screens and were not closed, day or night. My mother would lightly sprinkle every bed with her clothes sprinkling bottle just before bedtime. That was primitive AC.

We have very windy too. Transitioning from yesterday's tropically damp very windy to tomorrow's desert heat very windy. When I got home, today, my car said it was 86° F. When it was 83° it still felt cool because of the wind. When it hit 85° it just felt like chamsin. At least the nights have been cool this week. By that, I mean mid-60's.

Arrrrgh! I wish people would write in and ask about what they want to do rather than what they did. What you did (rototilling and adding more topsoil) are the two worst things you could have done. Adding topsoil to a landscape that already has good drainage can cause rainwater to back up into the house if you get too much. Rototilling fluffs the soil unevenly so that as it settles the surface becomes bumpier and bumpier - for the next 3 years. You will notice it the first time you mow. As for seeding again, yes, but do it NOW. Your initial timing was slightly late to give you some margin heading into the first frost, but if you are lucky, you might make it with more seed. I understand the wheatgrass, because it makes a beautiful turf with very low water requirements, but I believe all the wheatgrasses require full sun. It will germinate but not last long. It might make it into spring until the trees leaf out. Next time you do a full reno, here is a guide that should alleviate some of the issues that you and other people have. Note that this only applies for cool season grasses. Also note that for Atlanta this project should get going in late August with the first few steps so that you're seeding in Sept. Scalp everything down as low as possible (rent a mower if you don't want to ruin yours) Water daily for a few minutes, 3x per day for a week, trying to sprout all the weed seeds. Round Up everything. Continue daily watering for another week as before to sprout any slow germinating weeds. Round Up everything again. This double RU app will kill all the weeds you would have seen coming up among your new grass seed. Rake all the dead stuff away. Level as needed to fill low spots and holes. Slightly mound the holes to allow for settling. (Optional) Apply 1/4 inch of peat moss or compost as a bed for the seed. Sow seed and roll it down with a water fillable roller (rented). Water daily exactly like you did to sprout the weed seeds. For rye grass keep watering for 1 week to get 80% germination. For fescue water for 2 weeks. For Kentucky bluegrass, water for 3 weeks. Once you have 80% germination, cut back on watering to once a day for a few days. Then go to every other day and work your way back to once a week watering. Water more deeply to develop deeper roots. Mulch mow at your mower's highest setting when the grass gets up to 5 inches.

Happy belated birthday to you, Sue! I love reading about your daily activities. You are proof of what I've long believed which is that staying active and busy is the secret to a long, healthy and happy life. I think many of the ladies and gents here at the KT must live by that philosophy as well!