Tag Archives: the heat

The Heat Keeps On

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Early afternoon on this 17th day of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. It is already 30℃. I had wondered how I was going to navigate the morning. It was already hot by 9. I donned a wide brim hat and a long sleeved shirt to keep out the sun. I made a leisurely trek to the community garden. I harvested our first crop of snow peas there. I was amazed at how many there were. Our dedicated watering made the difference.

There’s always more work than I bargain for. It’s hard to ignore the weeds. I did a bit of hoeing before watering. Then I was done – and very sweaty. Lucky there’s baseball diamonds across the street with benches in the shade. After a short rest and drying the sweat with my shirt I started home. I didn’t get too far and came across a saskatoon berry bush/tree. Well I had to stop and pick a few before the heat stopped me. I did get maybe a handful or two. Maybe repeat early tomorrow morning.

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.

The Walk, the Heat, the Pain

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July 10th. Sunshine abound. The skies are cloudless. A good day for an early morning walk but I did not get going till 10 am. The heat is on. I had to have a rest stop on the way to the mall. Good thing there was a bench halfway. These days my hands and hips are protesting with the heat. My fingers are puffy looking like sausages or bananas. They ache and ache. Now my right pinkie developed into a trigger. Taking tumeric helps some. My trek to the mall was more like a waddle than a walk.

Life goes on regardless, however slowly or painfully. I am not complaining. The whole world is suffering except maybe the 1%. Clearly our planet is complaining. We are not good stewards of our one livable planet. Green grass and trees are more beautiful in this beholder’s eyes than greenbacks. Obviously you can’t live without money either.

CHAOS AND ART

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August 2

It’s a hot one today – 33 degrees Celsius at present. It seems like a good day to do laundry to hang outside. The mattress protector I hung a short while ago seemed almost dry so I put in a load of sheets. I’m sure the protector will be dried to a crisp by the time the load is done. Sheba is underfoot, fussing for her walk, but it is hot, hot, hot. It is not a good idea. We will be burnt to a crisp. I hope no one has to work outside in the heat.

I’m watching the cars whizzing by on Preston Avenue. Sheba finally settle on her pillow. We are fairly comfortable with the furnace fan on. I have my glass of water nearby. After a cool beer, I’m feeling mellow. I’m conserving energy, not working up a sweat. Everything not an emergency can just be. They can keep for a rainy day.

August 6

Today is that rainy day, though it was a short one this morning. It was not a wise decision to keep everything for a rainy day. My head has been in a fine kettle today. The clouds and dark skies gave me the willies. Clearly it was not a day for brain surgery. I found some solace in the light from the kitchen window and the fluorescent light above the sink. It was also soothing folding towels though the pile of it was daunting at first. It’s the taking of one at a time, smoothing and folding it that helped clear a bit of the mess in my head.

 

Now it’s almost at the end of the day. Seems like it took me all day to do very little. I still have a whole mess on the diningroom table. When didn’t I have one, eh? Having the fridge go on us didn’t help. Finding one to fit the same space was impossible. That meant making the space fit a new fridge. Things had to come out of a cupboard in order to shorten it. The dining room table is always handy for that. Everything seems to find their way there. It’s probably not that bad but my head can’t deal with sorting or looking at it.

I have paid the bills though and made the 2 must-make phone calls. It was a struggle, making myself sit still at the desk to do all that. Needless to say, my desk area is still a flipping jungle. I’m not saying that’s who I am, but it is how I am now. I’m trying. I’ve slipped. I will again and again. I will try and try again to get back on track. I will work on it tomorrow. In the chaos and brain thing, I still was able to create a little bit of art today. Hurray for me.