Tag Archives: hot summer days

First Time for Everything

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A thunderstorm during the night gave me a hope of a cooler day. Like the news these days, it was false. The day is already heating up fiercely. I’m closing windows and blinds and turning on the central furnace fan. I’m staying put, taking it easy and not putting on my bra. Funny how a little piece of cloth can make you feel so much hotter. My boobs actually don’t need it. They are able to stand alone. There’s not much to them to sag. There’s always an up side to a down size. Grateful for every little thing.

I am having a second cup of tea – and a big slice of raisin sourdough. Funny how the heat can kill your appetite and then other times increase it. I had my breakfast not that long ago. I am on my own today. The guy is off to the lake to see his buddies sail off on the Elbow Run for a week without him. This is the first time in over 10 years that it’s happened. It happens. There’s always a first time for everything. There’s a time to stop and a time to start something new. I was never that enthralled that I would go on a 7 day sailing thing. Sheba and I made occasional day trips with him. Sheba loved the water, sailing on it. NOT swimming in it. Her last sail was in August 2019.

Sheba’s last sail

How long ago it all seems. How young we looked then. I am sure we will be saying the same thing in a few years from now. Sheba has been gone for 6 years. My mother almost 2.

I am home alone. The house is dark with all the venetians closed. The house feels amazingly comfortable and cool. I am likewise. I have plans of cleaning house and home. I am moving amazingly slow so I don’t know how much I will get done. Today is a day I am giving myself. I am relaxing, letting go of measurements and goals. What will be, will be on this 18th day of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

About To Do Lists

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Photo by Ivan S on Pexels.com

A hot July Saturday, the 11th day of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I’m feeling lethargic, in the slow after dinner slump. The dishes are not yet done, sitting in the sink. I feel least like writing but here I am, tapping away. A few days ago, I started a to do list with just 4 items. One of the 4 is write a post for UBC. Another one is going for a walk. The list works for me, getting me unstuck. I get at least 4 things needing/wanting doing done.

I’ve already gone for my walk this morning. Before that, while it was still relatively cool, I boiled the bamboo leaves for 20 minutes to sanitize them for making sticky rice. I’m waiting for the leaves and water to cool before wiping them down. This method is very labour intensive. I’m breaking it down in daily steps so I can succeed. I love the aroma of the bamboo leaves. I smell it and think sticky rice. I think the process of making the sticky rice will be a good exercise for my brain. I will talk about the next steps tomorrow.

I can feel the heat coming through the sunroom windows even though the blinds are drawn. The house is at 25℃ with the central fan running. I am comfortable though feeling sleepy. Outside it is 29℃ with a 31℃ promised. No thunderstorms in the forecast and none materialized last night. I do not like hot summer days. They drain my energy and mood. They still remind me of childhood days in our small town. Everyone is on holiday and gone out of town. Everyone except the Chinese people with the cafes. It makes me feel as if I have no life.

Funny how feelings and impressions are hard to dispel even if they are erroneous. This time around, having a to do list grounds me. I’m anchored, feet to the ground, a sense of purpose, a sense of direction, a starting point, followed by….and so on and so forth.

A SLOW BAKE TUESDAY

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It’s day 3 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I’m feeling challenged to get the words onto the page. It has been overcast most of the day. It is cooler, but the house is still fairly warm from yesterday’s heat. The low during the night was 22℃. Still any temperature under 30℃ is a good day to bake bread.

It’s good that I’m an early bird since retirement. I’ve learned to get moving in the mornings during these hot, hot summer days. Seems like we are living under a heat dome. And there hasn’t been a break. This could be our NEW NORMAL. I better adjust and adapt. I can still live my best life. No need to cry Woe is me! That isn’t going to change anything. What is here is here. Does anyone hear any alarm bells besides me? No matter. I will proceed as best as I can.

This is turning out to be a laborious task. I’m toiling over my keyboard, pecking a letter at a time. The words, sentences and thoughts are difficult to organize. And dang! when I got a whole paragraph, I hit a wrong key and the whole thing disappeared. Pardon me while I cry ‘Woe is me!’ Baking bread is much easier. I know all the steps and measurements. I only messed up once and killed the yeast because the water was too hot. I ended up with unleavened dough for 6 loaves of bread. It wasn’t really a disaster. It made delicious flat bread and pizza dough. Most of the time I am overflowing with success.

Today was no exception. 6 beautiful golden loaves came out of the oven. The work doesn’t end there. It starts there with the clean up of endless washing of this, that and many other things. But apparently it is all worth the effort. I continue to do it as I continue to do the Ultimate Blog Challenge. Oh boy! what a struggle.

HOT SUMMER DAYS

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It’s not even 7 am yet.  The sun is out and it is already hot and humid.  I have already been awake since 4:30.  Too early to get out of bed.  Sheba is stretched out on the cool wooden floor at the foot of the bed.  She is stretching her boundaries.

At 6:00 I decided it was a waste of time staying in bed.  It would have been fine had I been content.  But I was not.  Such is life now and again.  Everything changes and this, too, shall pass.  So for now, I will stay and embrace it.  I can still tap out my words and feelings.  Perhaps I can free myself.

I padded out to the kitchen.  I hear Sheba retching and soon out came her breakfast, eaten in too big of a haste.  What a mess!   But she is lapping it all up again.  I turn my back and let her do her thing.  Sometimes you just have to.  Life can get like that.  I wipe the floor with damp paper towels.

I am tapping out my words on the deck.  The birds are chirping.  A crow cawed.  Sheba is at my feet listening.  The words are coming from my   fingertips.  What a blessing!  What a relief!  I can still make life work.  I try not to think too much.  I just try to move.

Yesterday we went for a long bike ride.  I pedaled with my heart in my mouth.  I pedaled with heart and metal.  I pedaled with success.  We celebrated with coffee at the Broadway Roastery.

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There was not enough tables with umbrellas.  We would sizzle under the hot sun.  So we moved Rod’s cargo bike under the shade of the trees and used it as a bench.  It was a lovely way of enjoying our coffee and watching the people come and go.  But I do think he need to add some pop up trays for our coffee.

So you can see that even not so great days are in reality great days.  It is in our minds and hearts to decide what they can be.  I try my best and that is all that I can do.  It is enough.