Just Call Me Scarlett...

It is hot.  Very hot.  I would call it "searingly hot" except that we are at about four million percent humidity and I find it hard to believe that anything could actually sear in such soggy conditions.  But know this:  it is hot.

I swear to you, it is only a matter of time before I don a gauzy, floral print frock, start fanning myself with a broad-brimmed straw hat and begin uttering phrases like, "Ah do declare!"  From there, I would imagine it is a short trip to speaking in desultory tones of things like sweet tea and mint juleps.  

This, of course, presents several problems for me, not including the fact that I live in the northeastern part of the country rather than the sunny south.  I don't really wear dresses and even if I did, I cannot imagine myself in one that is of a gauzy nature.  I don't own a straw hat nor do I really care for tea.  I've never had a mint julep, but some inner voice tells me that I probably wouldn't like it.  Heck, I don't even have a nice, lacy hanky with which to mop my dewy brow.  All I have are those tissues with the aloe in them and I suspect that those would just make matters worse.

It is hot.  I am trying to embrace it because Hot=Summer.  And Summer=I Don't Work Because School Is Closed.  This is a good thing and something which might make the heat more bearable except that school isn't over for another 6.5 days and I will be trapped with the children in a second floor classroom tomorrow (and the next day) under similar conditions.  This makes me want to also embrace the idea of a mint julep but I don't think the school board will go for my suggesting that an open bar be set up in the teacher's lounge.

It is hot.  I am without gauzy garments and probably without hope of relief for a few days.

Fortunately, we had some warning on this little turn of the thermometer so I managed to perform all tasks that might involve the use of an oven yesterday.  This has made for a far better situation today in my little slice of second floor condo heaven.  I baked some brownies which can be snacked on now and the remains frozen for later consumption.  I cooked up the eggs that make my weekly commuter breakfast fare.  They are now formed into eggy patties and waiting to be slapped between bagel slices tomorrow morning as I head out to face the sweaty students.  I also pre-baked some mini pizza crusts for dinners this week.  

I am aware of the "shaping" issues.  Let us not speak of it.  It is hot and I do not have the will to come up with an excuse for that.  Let's just call them "rustic fare" and leave it at that...

The goal here wasn't to bake them all the way to golden brown.  I just needed to get them to a more solid state.  They'll finish baking when they are closer to the mini pizza state of being.  With my first New Car Payment going to the mailbox this weekend, it seemed prudent to make my own low-cal pizzas this week instead of relying on the commercial variety.  We are nothing if not fiscally aware here at the Sheepish House Of Fine Baked Goods And Southern Hospitality.

Other than that, I pretty much just spun.  It is too hot for knitting much of anything today.  (Did I mention the heat?  I can't recall if I did...)  Summer just brings out the spinner in me, I suppose.  As I was putting together the Index Cards Of Summer Organization and trying to figure out just what I was going to do with myself over the summer vacation besides making car payments, I realized just how much fiber I have around here.  There is so much that I wonder if I am adding a layer of woolly insulation to the place.  I love fiber.  I love having lots of it around me.  But still...  Maybe I should take it down by a foot or two.  That way I can get more!  

So I have declared it to be a Summer 'O Spinning and the index cards upon which I list all the many, many things I will do over the summer break reflect this.  I've probably just set myself up for a summer of something else, seeing as I often disregard my own index cards, but I like to start the whole thing off on a positive note.  With the heat and humidity today, I find myself all Summered Up and inspired to finish any number of spinnerly things.

See?

And, with that, I must bid you all farewell.  Or say something like, "Y'all come back now, y'hear!"  I need to go immerse myself in a tub of cool water for the third time today.  Because it is hot.

Did I mention that?

SA