reading list

To keep my mind off the damn tea-partiers and the sad state of our country at this time, I have been reading two good books. One is A Covert Affair by Jennet Conant. I adored the movie Julie and Julia, or is it Julia and Julie, anyway this is about Julia Child and her husband Paul Child in the OSS. The book flows. 
And because of my love of penguins, I am reading Noah Strycker's book, Among Penguins, A Bird Man in Antarctica.
It is still crazy hot here in Missouri but if they finally come to an agreement in Washington and the Republicans start acting like they care about our country, I promise I won't complain about the weather anymore. Well, maybe not anymore this summer!

trees

A lot of the trees have brown/dead leaves on their outside branches. My neighbor said the damage was caused by the cicadas. This is a pic from my backyard. Fortunately they have less damage than others that I have seen.  

old ladies disease

My doctor sent me a letter last week telling me that I had osteoporosis. She sent along a little booklet explaining the different medications that were available to me.
 Read it, especially the pages that explain the medications (she had them flagged with a post-it) and then we'll talk.
 I put it in a drawer for a couple of days. And then I decided I was being silly. After all, I know I'm small-boned and I did go through menopause at 45 which is another risk factor.
It's just that I think of this as an old ladies disease and if I have it then that means I must be...an old lady.
 I'll suck it up and take the once-a-week medication but I'm not telling anybody about it. I'm really surprised I'm telling you! 

taking a break

I'm not walking my usual five miles every day. I'm not walking at all. I've decided that walking outside in this heat and humidity is just too hard on my body and for some reason I can't get excited or motivated to get on the downstairs treadmill. I have been doing lots of stretching/joga poses and lifting weights. I'm going to try for Michelle Obama arms before school starts next month. I have also been restricting my calories somewhat. I know that this can be dangerous if I overdo it but I don't feel as hungry in the summer months so I just don't eat as much. Fruit, vegetables and lots of water; what's not healthy about that? 

beating the heat

I'm listening the the audio version of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, all 17 CDs.  And sipping iced coffee!!

flowers

I just came in from watering. This pot which gets fun sun most of the day, till late afternoon, still looks great. The deer got into my roses and they look miserable. It's partly my fault as I did not spray them with deer repellent lately. I always get so lazy when hot weather hits!

oppressive heat

Jesus, ten people have died in Kansas City. Thousands of cattle have died in South Dakota. All over the country people and animals are suffering because of this very dangerous heatwave. Please help those without air-conditioned homes to find their way to a cooling station in a public mall or library. And please lead the cattle and outside pets to find a shady spot, a creek or a pond to help them through this oppressive days. We could all use the gift of a cooling rain shower. 

today i

Just spilled an entire jug (100 ozs.) of Tide Plus Bleach on my laundry room floor. It was sticky cleaning it up but it really made my wood floor shiny and... now my whole house smells like springtime in the mountains. That's it, I'm watching movies the rest of the day!

pray hard for the knuckleheads

You know it's not about you! It's about the future of this country. Stop blaming President Obama. I'm thankful that we finally have someone intelligent enough to lead us through this mess (think George Bush and his cronies here). Frankly I am appalled that I am asked to pay taxes five times a year (quarterly plus twice in April) while some fat-cat oil executive pays little to nothing. I am a substitute teacher for God's sake who will never collect my fair share of Social Security because of GPO/WEP. So just vote and get it done because that is why you were elected in the first place. 

drink mix

Crushed ice,light margarita mix (0 calories, no alcohol), a packet of truvia, a bit of sea salt on top; very refreshing on a hot day!!

new restaurant review

The chicken salad wrap was very good. I liked how it was served cold on a chilled plate. But I was disappointed...what I thought was a big dill pickle was actually just a slice of zucchini. A little container of veggie dip would have made it go down easier. It was fun meeting up with my old friend. We spent the afternoon catching up and playing with her new iPhone. There's only one problem, now I want one too!

After two miserable hot days, I was able to walk 5.27 miles this morning and my hair didn't even sweat. I did some running around errands and trimmed in my rose garden. They are still suffering from the Japanese beetle invasion so no picture this month.

poems

I was cleaning out my school bag and found some poems that I had written for Poetry Week last May. I had composed them the night before but I pretended to let the kids brainstorm with me on the Smart board. As I remember, it was a very successful learning activity. I want to post these because as a sub, you never know when you're going to need an original poem.

On my way home I met a bug.
He looked so sad I gave him a hug.
I'm so tall and he is so little,
He would fit upon a Skittle.

Sam stays all day in his bed.
He has a blanket and a ball that's red.
I think he sleeps when I'm not there,
Just like a furry little bear.

neighborhood blackberries

I picked berries yesterday in all that heat. I didn't even put on jeans, just shorts and an old pair of walking shoes. It was too hot for Sam to tag along so he laid down on the garage floor and watched me. He did come out once to bark at a momma deer and her baybee as they wandered out in the street. I've never been afraid of snakes so I just plowed right into the sticker bushes and you can tell it on my legs. Picking in that heat was risky and I knew I was getting overheated when I started to feel dizzy and somewhat nauseous. It didn't take me long to get under a cool shower. I got a bucketful of berries and plan to pick again on Thursday but only if it's cooler.

the cooler

On the last day of school the principal bought ice cream for all the little kids. Just take your class down to the cafeteria whenever you can work it in; the ice cream is in the walk in cooler. I'm terrified of the walk in cooler. I've seen too many movies where someone get lured into the freezer and they eventually turn into human Popsicles. I actually contemplated sending a little kid in to pick up the ice cream but he wouldn't know what to look for or reach it if it were on a high shelf. Maybe one of my more trust-worthy kids could stand and hold the freezer door open while I dashed in and out. Who to trust? I know that the freezer door does not lock. The cooks have told me on previous occasions to just push it open if I am inside when the door closes. They think it's hilarious that I won't go in the walk in cooler.  
Today the temperature will be in the triple digits. I went out early to water my hanging baskets. My roses need trimming but they will have to wait. I could also pick the blackberries that are now ripe. But our new air conditioner is humming away and I have a stack of new books to read.
 Dear Jesus, Please take care of all the people who make their living working outside. On some days I'm sure they enjoy it but today they may need Your help to stay hydrated.   

daily mileage

This morning I walked 5.3 miles on my favorite trail. The temperature was in the high 80s but hardly any humidity and a nice cool breeze blowing. I saw a lot of bikers and that made me think that I might take my bike across the river to the KATY today...but then maybe not, I might just stay in my nice cool house!

shower gift

One of my chores today (besides trying to keep cool) is to wrap this shower gift which I ordered from Bed Bath and Beyond several weeks ago.

Hopefully, my house will be cool when I get back!

keeping cool

Right before the hot July Fourth holiday our air conditioner stopped working. Because of a few problems earlier, we chose to install a completely new heating/cooling system in our home. Yes, it will cost thousands of dollars and to get the new duct work in, the downstairs ceiling will have to go. Most of the inside work is now finished but the new efficient outside unit is still on a truck somewhere. I have been using whatever means possible to stay cool, up to taking four showers daily. Fortunately, today (the day the outside unit is to be installed) it has been overcast and cloudy and tolerable. Because we were planning on major remodeling anyway, I consider this a good first step. And, now gas lines can be run into the kitchen through the opening in the downstairs ceiling and I can get a new gas range!! Yippee!!

controversy

An "adult" store has opened up recently in one of our strip malls around town. There are several city residents that have been quite vocal about shutting it down and that, I'm sure has been great for creating more business for them. According to the city counselor, the store doesn't sell enough adult products to qualify as a pornography retailer. About 25% of their stock would qualify--and that's in the back of the store. One third of their inventory would have to be pornographic in order for the city to shut them down. I think it's fascinating that we have never had this type of business right here in River City before. I guess somebody just figured they could make some money selling that kind of stuff. I don't have to like it but it sounds like the adult store is here to stay.

washington park trail

This fountain is handy and it's located at the halfway point on my walk.

The sound of this rushing water always rejuvenates me.

happy fourth

I'm off to the lake to celebrate the holiday with friends and boy is it hot!!