Wednesday, July 18, 2012

WNBP: Move Or Melt

We've been experiencing some rather hot and humid weather over here in my corner of the globe.  This has resulted in an overwhelming desire to simply lie on the sofa and give up.  The fact that melting into the sofa cushions is a distinct possibility doesn't matter a whit.  Melting is a easier when the humidity is so thick that walking to the fridge to get a glass of water is like traveling through gelatin.

You kind of just give up the will to remain cohesive.

I fought it, though.  I did my best to ignore the steamy conditions and keep moving.  I figure that walking through viscous air burns more calories.  That should justify the amount of ice cream I've been eating lately.

Here's what I've been up to in Wednesday Night Bullet Post format:

*I already mentioned the heat.


*And I think I may have also touched upon the humidity.


*It really wasn't all that bad until the last couple of days, truth be told.  I think that I'd used up the last bit of cold air by then and there was nothing left but sticky stuff.


*I held up better than the fan in the back bedroom, though.


*It did its best but I felt like it might be time to retire it.


*Pieces of the grill kept falling off and clattering around in a most alarming fashion.


*That is a key fan here at the manse.  It is in the room that has shade and that is the coolest air available.


*I need a fan that isn't consuming itself on a regular basis.


*Bought a new fan today.  Fans are popular right now, but there were plenty to go around.


*I guess there wasn't much call for non-self-destructing-box-fans-to-go-in-shady-windows...


*The weather people say that the heat will break tonight and temps will fall markedly.


*I plan on sleeping on the lawn in my underwear.  That seems perfectly reasonable and I would be willing to bet that there will be loads of people doing it.


*Met the parents and several other Sheepish relatives for the monthly family lunch today.


*The retired folk get to go all the time.


*The non-retired folk get to go in the summer.


*Excellent lunch and I always enjoy getting to go places where I am the youngest person at the table.


*I am a woman closer to 50 than 40 and I refuse to apologize for enjoying the little things these days.


*It also amuses me to hear my mother tell my great aunt that she will remind her about the next scheduled luncheon through Facebook.


*Mommy Sheep was on FB long before I.  She is cooler.  I accept that.


*I went to the Farmers Market last week.


*I bought cucumbers.

Which, logically, had to become relish.


*OK.  It is reasonable to think that a single person might not need 7 half pints of relish.  Very reasonable, in fact.


*But I like relish and I maybe went a little overboard buying cucumbers so there you go.


*I went to the Farmers Market again today.


*I bought carrots, potatoes and tomatoes.


*I did not buy cucumbers.


*I also made some more plum sauce while I was canning last week.  Remember when I made that back in April?


*I gave one to The World's Greatest Stylist And Life Coach as a hostess gift and proceeded to scarf down the rest myself.


*Plums went on sale last week.  Seemed like a good time to make more sauce...


*We have accepted that my niece is going to have her baby kind of early.


*I have further accepted that I am not going to finish that baby blanket in time.  There is only so much time in the day and only so much limberness in the digits.


*I did not do a gauge swatch for this blanket.  I did not do this because it is a blanket.  An inch or two either way doesn't matter on a blanket.


*I was off by a heck of a lot more than an inch or two.


*Now, in order for this blanket to be in proportion, I need to knit a lot more than I figured.


*The baby shower is Saturday.


*The mother-to-be insists on randomly going in and out of labor.  I find this disconcerting and highly inconvenient.  And what baby wants to be born in this ridiculous heat and humidity anyway???


*I've done the math.  I've considered all the variables.


*I'm not going to finish the blankie on time.


*Good thing I screwed up the gauge.  Now Baby G can take it to college and it should fit a dorm bed nicely.


*It is like I planned it all along!


*I'd already ordered my lunch today when I was struck with a horrible realization.


*I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow.


*If I am going to be stepping on a scale in front of real live humans, then today's meal planning really needs to be carefully considered.  I virtuously removed my chicken from the bun that surrounded it and limited my cole slaw consumption.


*That said, I still ate all my fries.


*If worst comes to worst, I can always "accidentally" bump into the scale, causing it to crash to the floor or perhaps out a handily located window.


*Or maybe I've melted enough to justify the french fries...


*I stopped on the way to the restaurant to purchase buttons for the baby sweater that I kinda-sorta-closer-than-the-giant-blankie-anyway-finished.


*If putting skull buttons on a baby sweater is wrong, I don't wanna be right.


*I'll fight anyone who tells me different!!!


*They are pink (ish) so it will all be fine.


*I've been somewhat stymied with reading material of late, but I did find a good one to share with you.


*The Doomsday Vault: A Novel of the Clockwork Empire.


*Stumbled across it as a recommendation during a desperate cruise through Amazon.


*Very good.  A few folks seemed to have some problems with it and I will admit to a bit of repetition regarding the protagonist's background early on in the story.


*But, overall, I was very pleased with it!


*There are zombies, but they are the Not Dead, Just Sickly variety.


*Hence they seem more pitiful than scary.


*Frankly, I was intrigued by the idea of plague-induced "Clockworkers."


*There is a sequel, but I don't have it yet.


*Will let you know if I do.


*Gonna give Blood and Bullets (Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter) a try first.


*Frankly,it will be pleasant to read anything while resisting the melting effect.


And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a somewhat comprehensive list of the things I have done to avoid becoming a puddle.  The trick is to just keep moving and not let the desire to give up and just start dripping get the better of you.  It also helps to have things like relish and lunch with family to look forward to.

Failing that, a good and intact fan is always inspirational...

SA

6 comments:

sheep#100 said...

My car told me it was 105° today. I thank God that this was measured in Fahrenheits. Because if it was Celsius, it would have been the final sign of the apocalypse.

The new house has central air. For which we will be paying for the next three years.

Totally worth it.

kmkat said...

Given the warmth of your weather, New Baby won't need that blankie right away anyhow. (There, problem solved.)

Our horrible heat -- that has now descended upon you -- broke, then gradually built up again although not to the previous level of awfulness. The nights have been almost, but not quite, cool. I saw some sumac by the road today that was starting to change color. Forgive me, but I welcomed the sight.

Anonymous said...

I told my recently-graduated-from-high-school cousin that her graduation afghan (a tradition in the family) would have to wait till fall to be finished, though it is very nearly done. I cannot endure yards of wooly garter stitch in my lap this summer even for a few moments. To her credit, she knew better than to ask questions of a woman in the throes of menopausal hot flashes.

Are you in the mood to read something in a non-zombie genre this summer? For some reason, I thought of you when I read "Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story" by Leonie Swann. Such brilliant sheep, solving a mystery and everything! I truly enjoyed it, plus the novel is set in the cooler lands of the United Kingdom, so it might take you mind off the heat and humidity of your surrounding.

TLK

Donna Lee said...

Today is only supposed to be 92 degrees! I want to know when 92 got to be "only". The front moving through is supposed to help but so far, no rain. Just clouds and air so moist, I swam to work.

I try to eat light the day before a doctor visit. Somehow I'm sure it will undo all the damage I've done in the two months before.

Beth said...

Very smart to preplan and make a blanket for college! If you ever run across a relish recipe that doesn't call for onions and peppers, please let me know. I'm afraid to change canning recipes and the rest of my family doesn't like those vegetables.

Happy weekend!

Julia G said...

Love the skull button baby sweater, and the relish looks de-lish! This week's CSA basket from the farmer's market had freshly picked corn - I came straight home and boiled it up - absolute heaven.

I always find the best book recommendations on your blog and comments. Stay cool and enjoy your much deserved vacation!