Under the Florida Sun

Between my cold and the relentless heat, my outings have been few and far between. Is there such a thing as too much sunshine? I'm beginning to think so. I remember last year, about this time, when the rain began falling in Vancouver, a few people told me they welcomed it. Seriously? Indeed, they claimed they were tired of the sunny summer days and welcomed a little less light. Perhaps a little of that has rubbed off on me.

Remind me of this when it gets cold or rainy, will you?

Seriously, it has been in the low 90's for seemingly forever, with no relief even when the sun goes down. Still hot. The humidity is some lower, so at least that is something I can celebrate. Bruce, meanwhile has been in Calgary since Tuesday and will be returning very late tonight. When I complain, he keeps saying that it isn't so bad, and I wish I could agree with him.

Enough of my whining. Several family members could use your prayers, including our sister-in-law Judy who is facing some major surgery, Maureen is home for now and her future is up in the air, and Carol has a scan on Sunday to look for improvement following her latest treatment. Faced with all of this news, I was thinking the other day, while working on a quilt to give away,

that when we were young, phone calls would carry news of weddings or pregnancies, whereas now, it is mostly bad health news. Angela used to often talk about the seasons of life, and I guess this is what she meant. I wonder if I appreciated being young? Did the days with four young sons in the house pass too quickly for me to really appreciate  how good life could be? I hope not.

On the getting old front, Tuesday afternoon,  a woman named Debi came over to explain our Medicare options. Of all things, I met her at a table in Walgreens and liked her right off. And now to explain it to Bruce while he is home for the weekend.

While he was home last weekend, we went to Ikea on Saturday afternoon. Daunting, I know. That is one busy store. At any rate, we didn't get much, but one thing I came home with is this nice plant that I placed in our bathroom shower. The shade has been closed since we returned, but it looks nice with it open, doesn't it? I figured the plant could benefit from the extra light.

For now the bathroom will remain as we found it. The kitchen, on the other hand, is another story. Pam was over and talked me out of the green lower cabinets. I'm sure she is right. I managed to brave the heat and return all of the backsplash samples to three different stores. Who knew picking a backsplash could be so difficult? Not me, for one. I've decided to wait until the top is in and then choose, but it doesn't mean I am not still looking. Here are two I recently considered,

although why I even looked at one with red is beyond me. Here it is in green.

I suppose I looked at the first one because, to my eye, the countertop looks best with it. Of course, I really have no idea how the sink will look, so again, I must be patient. That sink is going to be something, or so I'm imagining. Now for it to come in, and then we can get this show on the road.

Pam and Sally invited me to see "A Star is Born" with them on Wednesday, however, I declined, fearing I would have a coughing fit in the theater. It is slowly improving, but when a fit comes on, look out! I have finally managed to sleep most of the night, so that's a big improvement. Have you seen the movie? Did you like it?

During Bruce's absence, I've been reading like crazy. Night before last I finished A Double Life by Flynn Berry. Ordinarily I don't read thrillers, but I liked this one. Before that I read a fun/crazy novel, A Terrible Country, by Keith Gessen. That one is set in Moscow and was eye opening to say the least.
Last night I began Sunburn, by Laura Lippman. As you know when I go to the library I just pick books off of the shelves, first by their cover. Oh wait, isn't there some rule about not judging a book by its' cover? I don't buy into that notion at all. I can tell a lot about a book by the cover. The inside jacket confirms, or denies, what the cover says to me. Usually, when I read a book that I've either never heard of, or don't know the author's work, I read reviews after finishing it.  Sometimes I agree, and sometimes not. A Double Life, for example, has mixed reviews, mostly from readers, some of whom found the plot and pacing confusing. I, on the other hand, thought the pacing was terrific. Why do we believe strangers anyway? I'm guilty of it often, but sometimes I try and imagine asking a random person, say in a store, what they thought about a book/movie, television show, take your pick, and await their comments. Could those comments persuade me either way? I doubt it.

Have you ever seen sorrel? I had not, but now we both have. Such a vibrant color!

Except now that I've looked into it, yes, I like to get my facts straight, although the sign at Clemons said sorrel, I wonder if it is really roselle? The later makes more sense to me. At any rate, whatever it is, the color is quite striking.

Yesterday, on my way home from buying a bathroom faucet at Lowes, I drove down the peacock street. A few weeks ago, when I did the same, the males had very little color, however, now the tails are in growth mode.

The peacocks have the run of the neighborhood, and it behooves drivers to take it slow. The color right now is super intense.

I spent a bunch of yesterday afternoon listening to This American Life podcasts while doing the quilting. About half of it is done, and I am not doing a very good job of it.

Must be the heat.

your friend,

Gail