Hoo-Boy, What A Week!

Yesterday I loaded all my dirty clothes, my writing stuff that had been gone through and worked on, and a few new items (earrings and soap for me, presents for the little people of my heart), then drove straight home to see what Durwood was up to (sleeping, of course).  I was happy to be coming home--mostly because there's air conditioning in my car and the weather decided to turn up the humidity and temperature until it was stifling up there on the bluff and there's no a/c in the dining room or the cabins.  There wasn't even a breeze and there's always a breeze up on the bluff.  It was so hot and humid that cda and I even slept with the door open Friday night.  We had the screen door locked, of course--not that the bogeyman can't get through a screen door but that little click made us both feel safer.  (tsk, girls)

The coolest thing that happened was that I got to the point in my rewrite where I ran out of rewritten manuscript sent to my Kindle Fire which means that there's about a third of it (maybe only a quarter) that needs re-typing (not cutting and pasting which doesn't do anything to improve the writing) then that will get sent to the Kindle for rereading and rewriting and fleshing out.  See, if I read it on the computer or on a printout I don't have the objectivity that I have when I read it on the Kindle because on that little screen it reads like a "real" book.  Hey, whatever gets you through, right?

 
Another cool thing was that I took my yoga mat out onto the little porch outside our cabin and did my morning yoga out in the fresh air, listening to the birds and trees.  I enjoyed it so much that I did yoga out on the patio this morning.  Why didn't I think of doing that when it got warm in the spring?  I have no idea but you can bet that I'll be out there until it's too cold or too wet from now on.



I took my Alphasmart (which I don't think they make anymore) down to the council ring right on the edge of the bluff one afternoon to write a new scene and found my usual writing rock occupied--by a cute little (well, not that little) ribbon garter snake.  I respected his right to the spot and sat on the stone ring to write.  I still had that glorious view of the bay so it was all good.





I wore all my handmade tops and shirts and felt very proud of myself all week.  What was even better was that the tunic-length Dresses No. 1 are sleeveless so I could wear them without a shirt underneath and be reasonably comfortable.  Okay, not cool but not quite ready to die from the heat.  Thank god for the crushed ice machine in the Root Cellar to fill water bottles with quickly melting ice to drink.  (I don't think I've ever gotten up to pee so many times a night, not since my last pregnancy anyway, but keeping icy cold water at hand helped me stay a little cooler)  I wore the mesh overshirt over a sleeveless tee one day and was amazed at how much warmer it made me.  Who'd a thunk it?


 September 24--Camille Pissarro, Apple Harvest at Eragny-sur-Epte.  Jean looked at the branches of the apple tree than hung over her fence.  Her neighbor Randy never sprayed or pruned his tree so it grew wormy, misshapen apples that dropped into her yard, rotted, and drew hornets, wasps, and bees.  She didn't really mind the autumn influx of pollinators but she hated getting stung.  Before the fruit all fell and rotted she went out with a five-gallon  pail and a leaf rake that she used to pick apples from the higher branches.  Even though the apples weren't great for eating, they made excellent applesauce.  She never peeled the apples so her sauce was a lovely deep pink color.  She also made sure to share a few jars with Randy in payment for his apples, which would have gone to waste if she didn't use them.

This morning Durwood and I were sitting at the kitchen table when he said, "Hawk."  I turned to see the sharp-shinned hawk sitting on the birdbath looking around for a snack.  It only stayed long enough for me to take a few pictures and start the video function.  In only a few seconds it flew off but I've got it as takes off.  There's been a continuing discussion on our neighborhood NextDoor page about hawks.  Someone started it a few weeks ago saying she wanted to get rid of them because they were eating all "her" chipmunks and bunnies.  A veritable flood of people responded that hawks were necessary and she should get over herself.  Even I chimed in and I'm usually a lurker not a poster.  We love seeing the hawks even if they do make off with a bird now and again.  Everyone's gotta eat.  It's hotter than the hinges of Hades today but I've got some drumsticks I plan on grilling so I should probably go start the grill.  Stay cool.
--Barbara