Right Now: July 2024

I couldn't think of anything to post about until I remembered that it might be time for what's going on Right Now. I'm still not sure I have enough to say, but maybe if I just start typing, some words of wisdom will flow from my brain to my fingers and keyboard. 

A red-spotted newt I saw in the woods
(but he doesn't have anything to do with the rest of the post.)

Making -  A few things with garden produce. We've frozen 20 quarts of snow peas, and I have two small zucchini and two lonely cherry tomatoes. I'm going to make air-fried zucchini tonight. I love eating fried zucchini but I hate making it and the breading doesn't stick well. Hopefully, the air fryer is the answer. 

Drinking - This chai. I drink a cup (or two) of tea every morning but it's getting a little boring. I like chai but don't like making a big production out of it by making it myself with milk and spices, so these tea bags make a delicious and easy cup of chai. 

Watching - The Repair Shop. This is kinder, gentler, old-person TV, but it's pretty much the kind of thing I want to watch now. It's a British show where a bunch of different craftspeople repair family heirlooms. They really do remarkable work, especially with ceramics, clocks, woodworking, and even teddy bears. You can watch it on Britbox and there are some full-length episodes on YouTube. 

Keeping Up With - Riding my stationary bike. It's nothing fancy, but I started riding it about six weeks ago, working up to 30 minutes a day. I got really lazy when John went on his fishing trip and didn't ride at all for 10 days, but the nice thing about exercise is that you can always begin again. There's an added bonus that I can also read while I'm doing this, so sometimes I get involved in the book and forget about watching the clock.

Wishing For - A good soaking rain followed by a week with low humidity. That doesn't sound much like summer in the east, but I can wish! 

Slightly Disgruntled About - My perceived lack of customer service at Lowe's. I went to get water softener salt and I usually get six 40 lb. bags at a time. There were no cashiers, just self-service checkouts with three Lowe's employees standing around chatting near the salt. I asked one of them if he could help me and he said "No, he was only helping self-service checkout customers." I said that's what I was and could he please use his scanning gun to help me purchase six bags of salt. He said he couldn't do that; I would need to take one bag to the checkout myself and then I could change the quantity to six and pick up the other five bags on my way out. That's what I did, but I figured that three men that looked to be about half my age could have helped by helping me lift at least one bag to take it to the checkout. Am I just an old curmudgeon who expects special treatment based on her age and gender? Feel free to let me know!

Wondering - What happened to my black-eyed susans and poppies. I used to have a whole bed full of them, but that was back when we had an above-ground pool. We took that out long ago, but I'm left wondering where my flowers have gone. They seem to have disappeared over the last few years, and I'm wondering if John mowed them off since they were no longer contained with a fence. 

Considering - A haircut. I always wear my hair up in the summer, but am wondering if I should give in and just get it cut short. The last time I thought about this seriously was nine years ago, and the only time I've actually done it is when we moved to FL 44 years ago. I was so unhappy then that I cried, so that is certainly entering into the decision process. I have started a folder on my laptop with photos of short hair that I like, so maybe someday ...

Planning - Some painting. Last year we had our enclosed box gutters fixed and this year it's time to paint them. This is all high second-story and roof-level work and John does not feel secure enough on a ladder to attempt it. I don't think he should be up on a ladder either, so I put together a list of 10 painters and told him that he could make the calls now that he's retired. The score so far stands at 10 painters called, five calls were returned, four have shown up to do estimates, and two have actually submitted estimates. One of them looks good so we'll probably go with him, and now John has a better understanding of why I used to complain so much when I was the person in charge of procuring electricians, roofers, plumbers, etc. 

Laughing At - This skateboarding turtle chasing a cat. (I'm tempted to see what Nugget might think of a turtle on a skateboard, but I don't have access to a turtle or a little skateboard.)

What's going on in your world right now?