It certainly is not a monumental news flash and it's not like it doesn't happen every summer, but the windows seem to be sweating much earlier this year. It has been hot here for two months and winter just slid into summer with barely any spring to speak of. Yes, my windows have condensation on them because I keep the inside pretty cold. However, with two menopausal women living in this house, it would be foolish to do otherwise!
As bears hibernate in the winter, I hibernate in the summer. Even though I love to work in the garden, I must reserve that luxury for early evening when the temperatures are cooler. It hasn't always been this way. When I was much younger, my favorite place was on the beach, in the sun. I could lay out there all day taking only brief respites into the water to cool off. I could never do that now. Do you think that as we age, our internal thermometers get faulty? That's what I think. Along with every other body part that begins to need replacing, internal thermometers must be the first to go.
And so, I enjoy my garden from the inside. It was fortuitous indeed that we built this house with large windows and glass doors from which to see the outdoors. I can see the tons of birds that inhabit the backyard and, yes, I set the sprinkler during the heat of the day so that they will have some relief also. I can sit in the living room and see the birds in the fountain outside the front door and enjoy the cardinals as they use the entry garden for a fly-way.
And so, all is not lost. It is just a different way to enjoy nature. And in the late afternoon, with a glass of wine in hand, I will sit on the screened porch and not really care if it is hot.
I used my Reward Points to purchase (with no money exchanged) a pressure cooker. I haven't used a pressure cooker since I was about twenty-five years old. However, this is a new fangled one and it is awesome. Tonight, I cooked an entire head of cauliflower in two minutes. Can't wait to see what I can speed cook next.
Pathetic though it was, we got a small smattering of rain today. We haven't had rain in over a month and the grass crackles when you walk on it. There was a smokey haze all through the area today and it smelled like smoke from a fire. It was too miserable to remain outdoors for any length of time and I was grateful for air conditioning each time I went out for the shortest little time.
I go out each day to tend the plants which are withering in the heat unless I set the drippers on them. And I turn on a very small sprinkler for the birds who delight in flying through the water and drinking from the saucers out in the garden.
I spent last week trapping a feral cat and kittens that were living in the wheel-well of my truck. This week, I am trying to keep the yard from burning up from the dryness. In the interim, I am highly involved in couponing--an activity that I honed while the mother of three young children. Today, I shaved fifteen dollars off the grocery bill and seven dollars off the bill at Walgreen's. Such small pleasures. I am turning into my father. He was the king of sales, two for one offers, and the Publix Promise (where if you are charged the wrong price, the item is free).
Tomorrow, I test two home-schooled children. I have been testing these children since they were in kindergarten and they are now going into the seventh grade. I only see them once a year but it always surprises me to see how much they've grown and how smart they are.
And Friday, my grandchildren arrive for a visit. I bought Cuban bread, filled the sand and water table, washed the porch so I can sit out there without being covered in cakes of dust (no rain, remember) while playing with the six year old. In three more weeks, I will have been retired for one year. Where has the time gone? I've decided that I like retirement. I have to work hard at not frittering away my time. But what if I do? Frittering is not such a bad thing. And I can stay in my pajamas and drink coffee as long as I want in the morning.
And I have a new art project in process. I bought some small tiles today for a mosaic I am working on. And I made some new tags. And I'm getting ready for a big cross-country trip that involves fly fishing. What could be better than that?
I had the engine replaced in my Ford F150 truck about five months ago. I am always listening and looking for signs that the engine is doing well or not doing well or whatever. Three days ago, Janet noticed an oily substance on the floor beneath the driver's seat. She checked and she looked and checked some more. "Well, it could be brake fluid," she said. "Or it could be a leak from the air conditioner," I added.
We decided that it was time to take the truck to our favorite mechanic. However, things being what they are, we procrastinated and left it for next week.
Today, we brought our trailer back from the dealer where it had gone for some warranty work. As we were leveling it and putting things away, I dismantled the hitch head which meant we had to take everything out of the back floor to find a place for it. Upon doing so, we noticed a much larger oily spot on the floor and, upon investigation, found a very old, melted pound of margarine under the seat. No, I don't know how it got there or where it came from. It's not even a brand we use. Maybe Cocoa the dog was going to do some baking. I really don't know. What I do know is that I am REALLY glad we didn't make a trip to the mechanic. How embarrassing!!
Yesterday, we made a trip to Rosas Farm to buy our monthly fish and meat supply. Rosas Farm is an organic farm about twenty miles from our house and well worth the trip. Al Rosas is a chef in the area but also the purveyor of Rosas Farm where he raises grass fed beef and organic eggs from free range chickens. We were in need of organic eggs because lately, the grocery store cannot keep them in stock. I'm thinking it's because people are smartening up and buying all of them. OR there could be a conspiracy afoot so that we THINK there are not enough and buy everything up at a ridiculous price.
At any rate, as we discussed the farm with the young man behind the counter, we found out that Rosas Farm is home to one thousand free range chickens. I just thought that was amazing since all I want when I get to Portland is my complement of three chickens (the most you can have without a permit). And so we bought our eggs, decided to try some grass fed beef (That's all I used to eat as a child), and purchased our usual sustainable wild salmon.
Rosas Farm is just a wonderful place with peaceful energy operated by people who love providing healthy food for the rest of us. We also found out that a new Farmer's Market is "happening" every Saturday on the downtown square. AND that anyone selling at the market must disclose where their product originates. How's that for progress? We'll be there with bells on.
Rosas Farm website: http://www.alrosas.com/
Check it out.
This is BFF, my latest plate art creation assembled on an usually shaped plate for the era. Everything on this piece is vintage from the old photograph to the very old report card (1925), to the buttons (Mother of Pearl), to the Scrabble tiles and finally, to the lace.
I love this piece because the friends you make in school are often the friends you have for life. Thus the BFF: Best Friends Forever. At least for a while.
