Some Place Cool

The summer heat and moisture has arrived.  I walked out to the front porch to water my purslane hanging basket and the moist heat hit me like a heavy wool blanket.  Ugh.  The inside of the house is cool so I am staying in.

I had two overly ripe bananas so I made a loaf of "incredible" banana bread for G with chocolate chips and walnuts.   G purchased blueberries for me ( 2 pints for $4) but I don't really like them and have bags of them from the garden in the freezer (I feed them to Riley).  So, I have the bowl of dry and the measuring cup of wet standing ready when the loaf of bread is out of the oven.  They just went in.  I used the whole pint of berries not the 1 cup in the recipe.

I guess I will use the second pint for my yogurt and fruit lunches or more muffins?  I just finished the sliced peaches with raspberries (from freezer) and had blackberries (from freezer) last week.  I have a pineapple in the fridge and a bowl full of red grapefruit waiting.  More than enough fruit.  I also have five nice cucumbers to slice up for my favorite meal--cucumbers, dill and sour cream.  I have weeks and weeks to wait for my tomatoes.  The only thing my garden has produced so far is a handful of radishes.

I have some hand sewing to do on my 10 by 10 for the Art Auction.  I am planning to enter the work in the advertising contest they do.  I have the work pinned to the wall across from my chair at the table.  So, at every meal I contemplate what the work needs.  G suggests I make a companion or "mirror" piece as my second entry.  He feels that if someone wants one--they will want both.

I had to make the work more "realistic" and less abstract.  The buyers dictate what the artists make. The most popular items are seascapes, boats and houses with water views.  This is Maine.

Work has de-volved into "personality" issues.  This happens in close quarters with little to do.  It's July.  July is when I think I should take up smoking.  If I had regular "smoke" breaks up by the dumpsters, I could get away from the "issues".  I could just go up there and not smoke.  I am limiting my involvement in these issues to listening and nodding.  The nodding could get me into trouble but I have to do something to signal that I am listening.  Even when I am not.  Nursery has sod to water and that's a nice place to be alone for long periods of time, soaking the sod with water.  I have impatiens to clean of dead petals. Six tables of them at the exact wrong height (too low) so my back gets tight.

That's my story.  I changed the bed sheets, have the baked goods well under way, need to wash dishes and clean the counters, check the garden and put the tomato fence I found in the dumpster up against the fava beans (so they stop tipping over) and then work on my "art".  I also have pants to hem and some sewing of a more domestic kind to do---little pillow cases for my personal pillow.  The muffins are done.  Looking good.  Very juicy.