So another day -more heat but less so than yesterday. I really do not relish being outside in heat indexes of 107-110. The dogs can not be out especially the bulldogs. I cannot but wonder how people survived heat with no air conditioning, and  not to be sexist but the women in corsets and multiple layers of petticoats must have suffered. Guess that is why they had fainting couches,

 My summer attire when I do not have to go out consists of capris( knit ones) and an oversized t-shirt. When I do venture out, it is much the same but the shirt is a nicer one but still large ( not quite as large). I also do not stay out any longer than absolutely necessary and ten do most of errands as soon as possible in the morning.  Thus you have my summer survival mode.

 Heat has never been my friend. Even as a child when a/c was not an option, I would go to a darkened room with a fan and read. At Grandma's farm this worked better than our city home because there was no heat absorbing cement around and shade trees surrounded the house. Another bonus was to go to the weekend movies with their air conditioned caverns with my father. Westerns , mysteries and an occasional madcap comedy filled those afternoons with him. Such memories of Wayne, Cooper, Peck and others and most important of the time with my  father fill my heart when I see one of toehold films on television cable or Roku streaming.

 What are your methods of beating the heat? Your memories of childhood summers?

  Back to a 1000 words tomorrow before or after working my demo job.  So until then----

heat and catching up

 Yesterday as I crawled into bed, I realized that no blog had been posted. Today morning and afternoon errands kept me from writing. So this is to be a short post to keep in practice.

  The heat index is hitting over 105. Dogs potty and come right back in Winston sometimes has be coaxed in as he wants to be the boss, Clemmie I do not put out during the hot part of the day because she runs and that cold get her to overheat. Doggie pads are a blessing. myself, I do not go out.

  The coffee is brewing in the press, Midsomer Murders via Acorn tv icon, the dogs are fed and it is time to write. Time also to look over my schedule for the next few weeks. the fourth of July week is fairy free but the 8 through the 11th I  will be demoing. Nice income for the summer months but the four days back to back is tiring. I was wishing for more summer work and now I have. Proof positive of the old adage be careful what you wish for.

  Actually I do not wish for many things in lfe. Things have never been the major emphasis of this life of mine. A roof  over my head, a comfortable bed, food to eat, enough money to pay for bills  are the list. But I do not spend time wishing for them. I work for them. The hardest thing in my life for years was making decisions. then in the 90's I came to realize decisions and the worry they cause did not nothing but add stress. So now I do what I can, decide what I can and leave the rest to work itself out.

 I let God take over whenI reach a point where i can no longer do anything but dither. Without verbally saying it, I surrender the problem to Him and it works out. Not always the in the manner I might wish but it works out. Less stress, less time spent in non productive this or that thinking. For over 20 years, this method has worked.

 Within the past year I made a major decision,  I will move to the Atlantic coastline and fulfill a long held secret desire. The Atlantic with cold gray depths bordered by rocky beaches has always called me though most of my life has been landlocked. So I will move by December as things are planned now which is an alteration from an earlier planned date of August. that is my fault-- downsizing sucks,literally. Also notice I am not going to the envisioned New England states but to Georgia. At least it is not to semitropical Florida which like the Pacific has never attracted me.

 So reader how do you make decisions--- with fret and worry or with let go and let God?

Saturday am--dogs fed and put out and back in. They are all once again sleeping while I am here trying to motivate myself to do some housekeeping and writing. French press coffee is helping to rev up my less than motivated mood.





French press coffee is my addiction, I have used an electric drip(mr. coffee types) and keruig but since I learned how to use a  cafeteria for French Press.  They do not brew what I like to drink especially in the mornings. Karrie R. taught me the mechanics at her coffee shop though I had been served coffee in this form when in Europe. It is simple process---spoon coffee into the bottom cover with boiling water, stir, put top on, wait 5-6 minutes , press and drink. The coffee is fresh as norther process and it is not over boiled.

The coffee used in the process is important. It should be rather coarsely ground so grinding before brewing adds to the freshness. At the moment I an using regular coffee from the can as my grinder
is broken.  It is still good but a new grinder is a must.

Another addiction is home made artisan bread. Round loaves with brown crusts that fill the house with the wheat aroma of baking bread. Several recipes are saved for use and reuse are in my files.
I love the sourdough but messing with starter can be a rigorous chore. So I will experiment with a dry starter soon.  Another recipe uses yeast and is stirred up one day and finished the next with no kneading.

Cooking and writing both relax me and reward my sense of creativity. And today the coffee caused me to find a topic for this blog, however not so much for other household chores. Now it is time for me to get busy on those. So reader what relaxes and or inspires you?

 Time has convinced me that people belong in two basic groups. A person is either an owl or  a lark. Their life style determines their group. Owls do the their best work beginning at twilight and into the night while larks rise in the morning and fade as owls emerge. In my lifetime I have actually been both. Let me explain.

 During my early life My best work was done after the sun went down. This did not mean I did not accomplish much during the daylight; I did. However I often put off studying or cleaning until twilight  and continue  until the early hours of the morning. If  there were no studying there was always a book to be read. Yes, getting up in the morning was difficult but I did it  though I stumbled through it a bit foggy until noon or later.

My owl years saw me though college and graduate school audit determined most of my friends. Owls do not form groups as such but when they socialize it is with other owls. In graduate school, we owls would teach and go to class during the day, eat a quick supper and study.Most nights that was the only thing but often ( maybe too often) we would meet up and go to a club to dance and talk until it closed at 1AM.

My lark years began after graduate school when the work a day world became part of my daily life. As a teacher I could not be foggy in the morning so gradually I began to shift my habits. house work was done on the weekends not at 3 or 4AM. I retired to my bed by 11 and rose around 7AM. However weekends and summers saw a quick return to my owl personality.

The real shift came after my marriage and children. Raised by a mother who instilled in me unwritten wifely duties a cooked breakfast for the family was a necessity. I admit the first few years I often brewed coffee and fried eggs with half closed eyes and little mental awareness. Still I muddled through  and eventually the morning became the main portion of my mental alertness. This made my work as a teacher and mother a bit more focused.

My lark time lasted well beyond the marriage and has only now begun to shift. I find myself in a mid phase.(Owark?). During the school year the owl is strong but in the summer  the lark is the dominant
setoff habits. If I cease to work entirely I predict the owl will be the only set of habits in my life.

So readers which are you? Owl or Lark?

 June has ten more days Imagine that. July is filling up with dates and even a few are set for August. My life's in my date book and recently I accidentally threw my desk edition in to the trash. While no t mind blowing, it meant I had to refill in dates. some wherein the computer, others on another calendar , and some I had to contact offices and people to regain. I still like to have a pen and ink copy  but now I will make sure the written list will be fully loaded on google calendar.

So this sort blog asks you how do you handle recording events, etc.

Downsizing the house

Today is the last day of four days  straight of demos at Dillons. While it is good pay, it is tiring and so not much else gets done. So the downsizing has been at a standstill. Tomorrow it will begin again-- until demos call again.

Downsizing is not easy. What to keep and what discard  must be answered constantly. I am trying to apply the motto if it does not move my heart and is not a needed survival item it goes. Still that is tough. So far all my pictures are off the wall and boxed, the bathroom linen closed is cleared of old makeup, mirrors, diffusers and such most of which has gone to the bin. clothes in my main closet have been sorted , but shoes need a good sorting before heading to a charity shop. To be honest  that is only the mere surface . Much remains to be done.

DD#2 is planning on a  trip up to help with some of the bigger areas. She wants to do a yard sale and if she is here to help I am okay with that. I am not sure I have much worth to sell and on the whole hate the concept but it might be fun. So as I sort I am creating a box of small items to put out. Anything that does not sell goes to charity. Hopefully this will get me to the bear minimum of things to move.

Also deciding what furniture to keep and to get shut of is not easy but will not need it all as DD#2 and I will be joining our households. This too will be a challenge. But life without a challenges dull and the mind stagnates.

So found my blog again.  So here goes an attempt to do my 1000 words a day. Missed yesterday because  I was working an early demo shift at Dillons. Working today and tomorrow also but shift starts at 12:30 and goes to 6:30 not 10:30AM.

No real topic at the moment so I doubt if  I make my goal in one sitting  so be prepared for installments. Also it is nearing the time for me to get dressed to go to work. I also need to do some of this writing on my book.

In fact  time to  close this and get to moving; later readers dear.