Soaking in summer

I'm approaching the last week of my summer vacation. As a now 220-day employee, I'll be going back to work on July 10th. I can't believe it's almost time to start, the last month has flown by. My only plan for next week is to enjoy every bit of summer fun possible. Not that summer will be over on the 10th by any means, but I expect be so busy and preoccupied the first few weeks at this new job that I won't notice much of it.

Wednesday afternoon I went swimming for the first time this year. My friend Marian has a nice saltwater pool, and she and her husband are generous in inviting friends over anytime to swim. The cool water felt wonderful, as it always does this time of year! I've been invited back tomorrow (provided the weather cooperates) and I plan to take her up on it.

I'll have a nice tan by the time I go back to work, between the pool and being out in my garden. I'd like to be able to wear cool dresses and skirts with bare legs to work while it's still so hot out, and my legs will look better with at least a little tan on them. I'm careful not to overdo the sun exposure, though. 

I've been eating a lot of fresh fruit. The Food Lion down the street has been getting in the most delicious honeydew melons, and I went to the farmer's market and bought strawberries, blueberries, and fresh peaches the other day. Before heading to my friend's house and the pool I made guacamole and fruit salad to share. One shouldn't arrive empty handed, right? 

The fruit salad was as tasty as it was pretty. :)

What else? I'm watching soapy tv shows that my husband wouldn't like during the day while he's at work. This is an annual summer tradition for me. This year I'm watching The Mayfair Witches on AMC+, a show based on Anne Rice's book The Witching Hour. They changed a bunch of stuff (although I supposed they had to, the book is an absolute tome coming in at over 1000 pages) and they even "combined" some characters to move the story along, but it's fun and mindless and fills some time in the long hot afternoons. I've also been doing a lot of reading. 

The dogs and Marco are so happy when I'm at home all the time. They're all in for a sad letdown very soon! I had to take both dogs to the vet last week. George had inflamed and infected ears, as well as allergies and a rash on his belly, and Poppy suddenly started scratching herself raw around her eyes. She's apparently developing some allergies, too. Well, both dogs got exams, ear slide tests, medicines, and George got a big shot of prednisone. Poor George also had to be muzzled to let the vet medicate his ears (they were so painful, and he was so distressed we were afraid he'd bite someone otherwise) and I had to take him back in a week for a second dose to be administered. The bill for everything came to almost $500. That was a hard pill to swallow (ha!) after paying for a new roof earlier this month, but what could we do? The dogs needed help, and they're both feeling much, much better now.  (Gregg said, "They'd better be!")

One last bit of news is that my dad is doing a little better at the moment. He's been up and around and has responded well to his latest treatments. My mom sounded almost giddy with relief when I called yesterday to check on them. Please send all good vibes our way for it all to continue for awhile! 

Slip slip slipping away

It's the last week of my summer vacation. They always goes by quickly, but this year takes the cake. First we had to work an extra two weeks in June to make up for a pandemic related late start that year, and now we're returning two weeks earlier than usual as we begin a new modified "year round" schedule. That cut the summer shorter than normal by a full month. 

So here I am in the middle of my last week of freedom, and every day I have that Sunday afternoon feeling deep inside. Just mild dread and anxiety that I'm trying my best to ignore. The days are ticking by fast but I'm hoping to do a couple more fun things before this week is out, things to take my mind off returning to work.

Here was my project this past weekend: salsa!

I had a ton of mixed tomato varieties that had come ripe all at once and needed to be used up. This salsa is so delicious that I might make another batch when/if I get another big harvest of tomatoes. Some of the plants are over seven feet tall now and most still have plenty of green fruit. This afternoon I plan to pickle and can some sliced jalapenos--my garden is still pumping out loads of peppers. 

If we get another hot and sunny day between now and Sunday, I may be able to go swimming at my friend's house. I'd like to spend a little more time in the sun this week, the vitamin D seems to boost my mood. Even if I don't go swimming, I'll try to spend plenty of time outdoors just the same.

Oh, and I have jury selection next Monday to look forward to--who knows, I may end up with jury duty and miss the first week of work altogether! That would be an interesting way to start the year. We shall see. 

What are you up to this week?

Last four!

I'm down to my last four days of summer vacation. When my husband was leaving for work this morning he said, "Better make 'em count!" and he's right. I'll be craving some time off in a month or two once we're back into the full swing of things.

Working the first three days of this week during registration was super easy--not like my regular job at all. Sitting in the gym with a book, selling a t-shirt or two here and there, was actually pretty fun. And I ended up selling over $2000 worth of shirts so it definitely wasn't a waste of time! I got to meet a couple of new teachers and the two new additional guidance counselors joining us. I spent an hour catching up with the band director and hearing about his summer wedding and honeymoon trip to Holland. The science teacher/4H leader/beekeeper that I buy eggs and honey from gave me some advice on my plans for landscaping our small property (I want to make it pollinator friendly) and that was an interesting discussion. Here's a new photo of the zinnias her students planted in front of the school last spring, still going strong in August:

I must plant some of these lovelies here at home next year. They're bright, cheerful, and seem to require very little in the way of care. Plus, the bees and butterflies love them!

On a less cheerful note, the office assistant who spoke Spanish has found a new job and will not be coming back this year. That puts me back in the hot seat when dealing with our many, many Hispanic parents in the front office. I've neglected working on my Spanish this summer and need to spend the next week before the students return brushing up on it as much as possible.

Yesterday afternoon when I got home it seemed like our air conditioner wasn't working very well (again). It was 80 degrees in the house (82 in a couple of rooms that are always warmer) even though the thermostat was set on 76. Folks, I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I nearly had a panic attack over it. I'm not sure if I blogged about the last night of the last time our a/c went out, but it was...dramatic. It was during a sweltering heat wave, the temperature in the house that night was 87 degrees, there was no breeze to catch in the open windows, and the humidity was so high the air felt like thick soup. We had brought in our portable a/c and had it running in the den to try to get some relief, but it wasn't helping much at all. Sleep was impossible. And then about 1:30am I discovered the portable unit was leaking water all over the rug, which led to a mad dash to move furniture, take up the rug and move it to the porch, mop up the water, and resolve the leakage issue so we could continue using the only source of cooler air we had. "Miserable" doesn't even begin to describe it. I suppose I'm a little traumatized by it all. Thank goodness that last night the a/c cooled down to where it should be. What a relief! I suppose because it got so hot outside yesterday it just had trouble keeping up in the late afternoon. I'll be glad when summer is over, honestly. I hate being sweaty all the time. I hate worrying about the a/c. Next summer, we need to just replace the damn thing and be done with it.

Well, off to find a way to "make today count". :) I tried to sleep in, but Marco had other plans. After only three days of me working again he decided getting up at 6:30am is now our "thing". The dogs have already gotten up, eaten breakfast, and are now starting their midmorning naps. What a life, huh?

The crepe myrtles are still blooming, too.

Catching up as summer slips away

I've really not done much blogging this summer, at least not as much as I'd planned. All this time off has been filled with housekeeping projects, cooking, reading, watching tv, and spending time with the dogs. It's been really nice, actually. I'm not ready to go back to work yet; it feels like the summer just got started, and yet it's already almost over. I have two weeks left. I've worked hard to finish up the list of tasks I had set for myself this summer. Among them are things like:

• Cleaning the porch. The wooden beams were dirty and cobweb-y, and the tile floor was really dirty. I spent a whole afternoon washing down the painted wood and mopping. 
•  Rearranging the kitchen cabinets, and unpacking and storing the china my grandmother gave me before she died. I have some really fancy large collections of two patterns complete with teapots and serving pieces. I guess I'll have to have a tea party one day! Ha.
• Cleaning and oiling all of our wooden furniture. We have a beautiful teak dining table and credenza that were badly in need of it, and several other pieces (end tables, nightstands) that I took care of too on the same day.
•  Organizing and decluttering the laundry room. 
•  Giving all of the floors in the house a good cleaning. We have pretty original hardwood floors in most of the rooms, with the exception of the den which has laminate floors (which are also very pretty). 
• Washing all linens in the house, which included a trip to the laundromat for machines big enough for bedspreads and comforters. I just did that yesterday.
• Plenty of yard work. Gregg has done all of the mowing and most of the weed-eating, but I've trimmed hedges and taken truckloads of yard waste to the dump. I've also pulled weeds and regularly scooped up dog poop from the back yard.
• Cleaning out closets, although I didn't get as far with this one as I'd hoped.

Almost every day, I've given myself tasks to do over and above ordinary maintenance cleaning. Which is all I plan to do for the next two weeks before I go back to work--maintenance. I want to enjoy these last few days of freedom as much as possible. 

I got a new phone yesterday! I finally dropped mine one too many times, and it was toast. We had had our phones for years, and they weren't the latest thing when we first bought them. So now we have the latest Samsung Galaxy--the S10. It will take some time to get used to it, but already I'm loving the extra space, the much improved camera, and the longer lasting charge. Speaking of the camera, here is a video I took of a hummingbird visiting our back porch feeder with it yesterday: 

And here are a couple of pictures of our Crepe Myrtle trees, which are covered in blooms:

We have a line of five of these trees along the southeast side of our house. I just love them.

I'm reading a new book: The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. It's set in Old Testament days and is the story of Dinah, the daughter of Jacob by his wife Leah. If anyone asks if I've done any traveling this summer I can tell them "Yes!"....time travelling, that is! Between the Philippa Gregory books about the Plantagenets and Tudors, and now this, I've been living halfway in the past these past couple of months!

I've also gotten hooked on True Blood and try to watch two or three episodes a night. It's dark and funny and outlandish--vampires and shapeshifters, maenads and werewolves, anyone?--but it's so much fun! It's bloody and sexy and soapy...a perfect summer tv series, in my opinion. And the music is good, too. I've been having a good time watching it.

Weather wise, the past week has been wonderful. Cooler and less humid, with blue skies and pleasant breezes. Of course, it would cool down as soon as our a/c was repaired. :)  It's funny how around here 90 degrees F for a high and 68 for the low feels almost like the onset of fall! All of a sudden it's nice to sit out on the porch in the late afternoon, again. We've been enjoying it out there each evening, sitting with the dogs. They're going to be so unhappy when I go back to work. They're more spoiled than they've ever been right now!

Well, that's about all I've been up to. What about you?

First week of summer

This has been my first full week of summer vacation, and I still haven't quite adjusted to the idea that I have the next two months free. I'll look at the clock at night and it'll be, say, 10:30pm and I'll think, "It's getting late, I should probably head to.....oh wait.....I don't have to go bed! I'm off!" and it's such a great feeling. I feel a little guilty about it, all this free time when my poor husband works practically 7 days a week between his regular job and his side gigs servicing aquariums. I will say he's been happy that I've temporarily taken over all the household chores (except mowing the lawn) and he doesn't have to lift a finger when he's home in the evenings. It's no big deal to keep the house picked up and to throw in a load of laundry here and there when I'm here all day.

I saw Marla and baby Carsen yesterday. They're both doing great. I've been over twice in the past two weeks and I usually get to spend an hour or two holding the baby. She's always so good when I'm there; mostly she just sleeps. Yesterday she finally opened her eyes for me, but only for about a minute. She looks far more like Marla than baby Alice did; Alice looked exactly like her father, who is of Asian descent. Carsen has light brown hair and fairer skin, and looks more like a mixture of both her parents. Speaking of her parents, Marla is glowing with good health and happiness, and her husband is already so calm and capable when handling the baby. I'm proud of those two--they're doing a great job so far! They're the sweetest little family.

I've been walking more this week, despite the heat. I'm in the middle of week 7 of my diet and exercise lifestyle change. I've lost 8 pounds so far and I'm feeling better and better, physically. I try to hit a target of 10,000 steps daily and sometimes I can get over 12,000 if I start off the day challenging myself to be mindful of opportunities to move around.

I went to the farmer's market on Tuesday and bought the first watermelon of the season. It's so delicious! I love cold salted watermelon on a hot day. I also bought some zucchini, yellow crookneck squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Eating healthier is so much easier this time of year when fruits and veggies are at their peak of goodness. I plan to make trips to the farmer's market at least once a week this summer. I may even try freezing some things, since we have a small chest freezer that's sitting empty.

Well, off to do my one "extra" chore for the day. I've tried each day to pick one thing to accomplish which takes about an hour and isn't part of the normal daily routine. Today's chore is giving both the dogs a bath. They're going to hate it but it needs to happen. George is always especially dirty. He loves rolling in dirt like a pig! Which is probably exactly what he'll do as soon as I finish giving him his bath today. He's such a punk!

How's your week going?

How the summer began

My 10 week summer vacation has begun, and I have no idea what to do with myself. I haven't had a whole summer off since I was a teenager. There are so many things I would like to accomplish in the next two or three months! I'm so glad I kept applying for jobs with the school district; it took three years, but getting this job has changed my life. Summer break feels like the biggest payoff so far.

I actually missed the last three days of school this year. I went in to work the morning after grandma died because I wasn't sure what else to do. As soon as I told someone what had happened, everyone started saying, "Why are you here? You need to go and be with your family." The secretary went ahead and scheduled me for paid days off (bereavement pay) for the rest of the week. I stayed long enough to call a couple of parent volunteers to come help answer phones, and  tie up a couple of loose ends, and then I went on home. Of course, I drove to my hometown that afternoon and sat with my dad for a few hours. It's tough to lose your mother.

The funeral was yesterday. My dad and aunt had arranged for a very simple service in the funeral parlor chapel followed by a procession to the cemetery. I had forgotten how a funeral procession still works in a small southern town: there are police escorts on either end, and police at every traffic light and intersection along the way so that all oncoming cars must yield. Most of the cars on the opposite side of the highway leading out of town will pull off the side of the road (or else stop right in the middle of it) out of respect while a funeral passes by. Gregg and I had both forgotten about those customs and marveled that they still exist.

Speaking of my husband, most of my dad's family had never met him before the funeral yesterday. He looked so handsome in his smart dark suit, and his manners were so nice, that I was proud of him. He's been really sweet and supportive during all this, and I feel like a fortunate woman.

Now that the funeral and other family responsibilities are over, I'm trying to wrap my head around the idea that I am off work.....for weeks and weeks! I don't want to waste a single day of savoring this new summer freedom.

Three weeks

We're nearing the end of the school year and it's hard to believe that my first year at the new job is drawing to a close. There's exactly three weeks left until summer break. Statewide standardized testing started last Monday and the whole school has been feeling the strain of hours of testing, rearranged class rotation schedules, heavily monitored classrooms during testing (which are a state requirement), and on and on. I don't know who's more tired or stressed out--the kids or the teachers. Wednesday afternoon a boy got in trouble during his ELA exam for letting out a heavy sigh and muttering, "I hate this fucking shit". Ha! He pretty much summed up how everyone feels right now, teachers and students alike!

There's more testing next week, then final exams the week after that, but the last week of school will be easy. There will be an awards day, and a "castle day" which is when the kids get to spend most of the day outside playing games and sports, and then the last three days are merely half days. I'm so looking forward to summer break--this will be my first free summer since I was a young teenager myself!

Speaking of three weeks, it's been that long since I started making some serious and drastic changes in my life in an effort to lose weight and get healthier. I downloaded the MyFitnessPal app to my phone and have been logging every single bite of food that goes down my throat. Although the actual logging can be a bit tedious, I love the way it not only tracks your calories, but also keeps a running tally each day of your stats as far as vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber, sodium, percentages of carbs versus proteins versus fats, and on and on. You can also log exercise, both cardio and strength training. If you put in your starting weight and height, and your goals, it will give you a daily calorie count to safely lose no more than 2 pounds per week. I like that. Twice this week I finished my day enough calories under goal that I got a prompt warning me that I needed to eat a little bit more. (I was banking calories ahead of planned indulgences the next day, not being silly). It's a good tool. I've been trying to use up my calorie allowances each day with high quality foods. And even better, I've finally started establishing the habit of getting up an hour earlier in the morning for a good walk with the dogs. Forty five minutes in the morning, along with another forty five in the evening (we always walk the dogs at night) equals about 5 miles of walking per day. Not bad! Of course, that's nothing compared to my friend Mary Moon who's been absolutely crushing it on her daily walks lately! Her beautiful (and long!) walks are an inspiration.

Also happening in three weeks (a few days less, actually) my friend Marla is due to have her new baby. Since I have the summer off, and she only lives about a mile away, I'm looking forward to seeing her and the baby often and helping out if they need anything. Our mutual friend Martina has knit the cutest little combination stuffed kitty/blankie thing for baby. I feel like a bad auntie because I haven't knit a single stitch (yet). Of course, no baby born in South Carolina at the end of May has any need for knitwear for at least 6 months, but still. As soon as school is out I need to start something. I know that there are at least a couple of knitters who read here--can anyone recommend a (not too difficult) pattern for a small blanket? I'm looking for ideas and inspiration. Martina and I are also planning to have a small "Welcome Baby" shower for them later on this summer and that could be an extra gift from me.

What does the rest of May hold for you?

Nine days!

I'm on vacation! I have nine whole days off work starting today! I don't have big plans, and will probably spend most of it at home, but I'm just glad to have a break.





Monday is our wedding anniversary so Gregg is taking the day off with me. I'm not sure yet what we're going to do, though. We've decided to postpone a trip until September or October when the weather is cooler and the rates are cheaper, since we will probably go somewhere on the coast. One year we went to the mountains in southwest Virginia in June. It was pretty up there, and naturally not so hot, but mountains don't really do much for me--I'd much rather be at the beach.

I do plan to go visit my grandmother and aunt next week, and stay overnight. They live across the state in Aiken, SC. It's almost a 3 hour drive so I don't go nearly as often as I should. Grandma recently sold her house and moved in with her daughter, my dad's sister. She'll be 90 years old this August and is finally beginning to have some minor issues with living alone. She saved two sets of "good" dishes for me when she packed up her house that I'll be picking up, and I've also asked for copies of family photographs. I have absolutely none from my dad's side of the family, and that's a shame. If I don't do something about that while grandma's still around, I won't have the chance. And it will be good to spend time with her, too.

For the rest of my nine days off, I plan to relax, spend time with the puppies, go for some bike rides, and maybe do a few things around the house that I never get around to at normal times--like clean out closets and donate things we no longer use to Goodwill. My friend Marian has talked about having me and a couple of other friends over for a pool day at some point, and another old friend (that I haven't seen in forever) has invited me over to see her new house and to catch up next weekend. I seem to have plenty of options for enjoying myself. I'm kicking it all off today with lunch at Tubbs with one of the Karens from book club.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Summer vacation at home

Sometimes a thing just isn't meant to be. The trip that I'd been looking forward to and was so disappointed to have to cancel is a prime example.

The trouble I had after some dental work was the main problem, of course. I still need to have a more permanent filling put in the tooth that had the root canal, but that issue is slowly resolving itself. But then some other things happened that made not going seem like the best thing that could have happened. First, Gregg got an unexpected call from the hospital on Saturday morning informing him that he had been scheduled for a CT scan today (Monday). He couldn't put the scan off, because he has a 6 month follow up appointment with the oncologist next week. Once a year they do a CT scan with contrast to check for any recurrence of cancer. They schedule the scan a week before one of his regular follow up visits, and we had forgotten it was time. So had we gone on our vacation, we would have had to cut it short and drive the 6 hours back home after only one night! It would have been a shame and a waste.

The weather hasn't been so good, either. Yesterday was the hottest day of the year so far, and it set some records up and down the East Coast. I think the temperature topped out at 103F with ridiculously high humidity. Being outside, even at the beach, wouldn't have been fun. Some of the things I'd hoped to do up at the OBX, like going to the Lost Colony outdoor drama, and visiting the Elizabethan Gardens, would have been awful in such heat. Our plan to reschedule in the fall is looking better and better!

So what did we do instead? Well, we stayed home to celebrate our anniversary. We slept in, ate bacon and eggs for an early afternoon breakfast, looked at houses for sale on the Internet (we're going to look at a couple of them later this week!) played with the dogs, let Marco hang with us (out of his cage) most of the day, ate some delicious grilled pork loin with wild rice, and along with the dogs took a nice long walk after dark when it finally cooled off a little outside. We watched a movie on Netflix, I drank strawberry-vodka-lemonade, and it was a nice day. Oh! And I wore my new skirt which is cool and comfortable in the summer heat. When Gregg saw it, he said, "Hey! That's pretty!" which made me very happy. Meike asked to see the skirt, so I snapped a photo of it sitting under one of the walnut trees in our backyard.

I don't wear skirts or dresses very often. I liked it.

Today is going to be a relaxing kind of day. Gregg is taking a nap, which is something he hardly ever does, but he got up really early to go for the scan. I'm headed outside with a book for my 15 minutes of vitamin D sunshine therapy. I'll probably be dripping sweat when I come back in, which isn't a bad thing. I've been drinking a lot of water lately (tracking it, even) which is my other self prescribed summer therapy. A good sweat and some sun followed by a nice cool shower feels great this time of year. Maybe I'll even take a nap of my own later. We have the whole week free, still stretching before us, and that's the best feeling of all!