Beautiful Days

The weather the last few days has been absolutely gorgeous.  The humidity dropped, the sun shone, the breeze was cooling and light.  I'm afraid all that is changing today, but I'm glad that I spent an hour or so sitting in the shade on the patio reading a book yesterday.  I don't know why I don't spend more hours like that.  It's not as if I'm frittering time away, I still got all my chores done, still mowed the lawn, still helped with supper, I just took a little time in the afternoon and was quiet.  No earbuds, no Kindle Fire murmuring a story by my side, not even any knitting, just a library paperback mystery, the birds and the summer sounds.  Ahhh.

Porter was much more cooperative on yesterday's walk, she only balked twice, but we heeled all of the way, except in the park area where she gets lots of leash so she can, um, make her ablutions, and I think maybe having something to focus on kept her on task.  She's a big scaredy-cat when it comes to bicycles and loud truck or boat noises, although sometimes she's a scaredy-cat for no reason I can discern.  We're working on it.

After my patio hour (and after Durwood's nap) I mowed the lawn (adding a mile to my 2 miles from the morning, Go, ME!) and then I called the chiropractor and went in to have her look at my shoulder.  It's pretty sore from last Friday's fall and although I'm most apt to semi-ignore injuries and just play through, this time it's been affecting my sleep so I went to see Dr. Paula.  I thought maybe I just had arthritis in my shoulder because it was a bit touchy lately but she said it was definitely out of whack so I got a treatment and will have another after work today, then probably a couple more next week.  Hopefully that'll be enough.  She said it was good that I'm sturdy (not sure how I feel about that) but that I'm lucky to have good muscle tone because that saved me from getting a REAL injury.  Whew for muscle tone.

I fired up the sprinkler when I got home from the chiro and watered the garden.  See how nice it's growing?  It's a little behind because we didn't plant until early June (darned cold spring) but I'm staying ahead of the weeds and everything looks happy.

We made haddock with warm olive salsa (and lime wedges to squeeze on), fresh broccoli, and rice for supper and while I cooked (Durwood felt draggy yesterday) we opened the house and let in the fresh air.  Yes, fresh air.  Indoors.  The weather's been so awful, hot and humid, and the allergens have been having a real party so we've kept the place buttoned up so Durwood's more comfortable (and can reliably breathe) but I think even he got tired of the manufactured air in here and flung open the doors and windows while I cooked.  We even slept with the windows open, including the one right over our heads.  Decadent.

July 3--Fairfield Porter, Lizzie at the Table.  It had taken Edie the better part of an hour to pick and arrange that bouquet so that all the bright colors shone and look how he'd painted it.  He used muddy greens and browns, that awful yellow ocher, and just a swipe of coral.  He'd painted in a jar of mustard too.  There wasn't a jar of mustard on her table.  She would never allow mustard to be served out of the jar.  How gauche.  What book was that? It looked like some Catholic tome, maybe by that Bishop Sheen.  Edie never liked listening to his program.  He had such strong opinions for a religious man and wasn't afraid to speak up.  Maybe having that level of faith made a person brave.  She wondered if she'd paid too much for the painting.  It was so jumbled up, cluttered with things on the table, at least Lizzie was right there in her pink dress looking cute.  She hoped Marshall approved.

I enjoyed writing that.  I don't always, you know.  Sometimes it's like pulling teeth to get a few words strung together but last night it just flowed.  I see that there's not real "action" in it but I still like it.  Hey, I'm off to read the paper and find me some breakfast.  I do believe I've got fresh blueberries to put on my granola and yogurt today.  Yum, blueberries.  Are you on vacation?  Taking a few days for the 4th?  Having the gang or the fam over to grill out?  We're sticking here making a cookout just for 2.  Brats and homemade slaw and a can of beans, maybe with a box of sparklers after dark, it'll be nice.  Toodles.
--Barbara