7 Quick Takes

1

It is hot, it is very hot. I know I wrote this last week, but the heat has no end in sight. They have just forecasted the next 8 days to be above 100 degrees. I don’t know if I can take the heat anymore. I am a New Englander. I know it gets hot there but it does not stay hot for more than a week or two. Not 2 months of temperatures 10 degrees above normal. My kids would love to be able to play outside. I would love to be able to work in the garden.  I just checked the 7 day outlook for weather and it does not look promising.  Unless you like 100 + temps and high electric bills.

Seriously though every time I drive by somewhere people are working outside I stop and say a prayer. I am just worried for those who must be out in this heat and those who have no where to go to cool off. And please if you are dealing with this heat check your cars. Heat like this will bring any underlying problem right up to the surface. Since we drive older cars, I am very cognizant of this.

2

School starts in less than 3 weeks. Yikes! We are trying to cram in as much fun as we can in the time that is left. We are also trying to get ready for back to school. This summer has flown by. It seems like we had something going on every week, a camp, swim lesson, ordination.

3

My yard and garden are officially dead. Even the weeds are dying. I am not a fan of lawns but I have one side of my front yard that is sooo dead there is more dirt than grass there. Hopefully the rain will come back in September, and I can plant some grass seed, or chamomile, or clover or some other useful plant. Sorry for the big shadow in the picture, but that is my house the front yard faces West, so morning is the only time to take a picture there.

4

I love my clothesline. It is wonderful this time of year. In this heat (101-106) a load of laundry dries quicker than the washing machine can wash the next load. However as much as I love my clothes line so do the wasps. Apparently they have decided to set up home there. Did you know that wasps are active at night? Well maybe only when you disturb them because they are sleeping on the towel you put in the basket.  We have had two wasp stings this week. I got stung putting on a pair of shorts that had been in my bureau. How that wasp got by me two other times I will never know.

5

How do you beat the heat when it is over 100 degree? Lots of swimming but even a pool can feel like bath water. So we headed to the creek. We took some friends with us and much to our  surprise we met up with some other friends of ours. Big surprise, becausee this creek is a one hour drive from our home. The water is a refreshing 50 degrees, as it is spring fed. Here the kids are sitting on a natural dam. Some parts of the creek are at least 10 feet deep and the creek is down 3 feet from last year. It was such great fun we may go back next week.

6

I have been trying some new things lately, I have been cleaning my face with honey and using the no poo method of washing my hair. My girls are trying these along with me. So far everyone if enjoying the changes.

7

Not only do I have a reputation for being natural and crunchy, I am getting a reputation for being fun and knowing my way around. People are telling me that my kids get to do fun things, funny is we don’t spend a lot of money.

As for the knowing my way around. I can get from point A – to point B with very little to no problem. I still don’t use a GPS when I travel, even long distances. Maybe that is because my father taught me to read a map and I have a memory for directions, or I inherited the GPS gene from my father and my mother’s brother, or as my 7 year old son says “Mom we have GPS’s in our brains”.  How do I know I am regarded as knowing my way around? Twice, this week friends have relied on me for directions. As I was sitting here trying to decide what to write for #7, I got a phone call from a friend who was driving through Ohio looking for directions to  Rhode Island. Yes that is a route I have driven before, by myself, with the kids.