UNRELENTING HEAT

Texas is known for its hot summers. This summer is proving no exception! We are on our umpteenth day of temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit and promises abound that the cycle will continue. After all, traditionally the hottest daily temperatures don't even peak until the middle of August so we are already way ahead of the game.

To stay cool we 1) stay in the air conditioning 2) stay in a pool 3) go to lots of places where the air conditioning is being paid for by someone else (the mall, the movie theater).

The heat also tends to zap us... wears us out and makes us feel abnormally tired and lethargic despite the usual hours of sleep... or at least that is the way it affects me. As a result I've not done much of anything lately worth posting about.

I've cleaned closets and straightened shelves. I've experimented with a few new recipes, including the creamiest blackberry ice cream on the planet. Found a couple bargains on a used book website that I couldn't pass up. One is a book about day trips and backroad travels in Texas. Paid all of $1.99 for it. Another book is a collectible cookbook that I've been trying to win on eBay for well over a year. The typical winning bid is almost always in excess of $75, often going as high as $95. Yesterday I found a copy in very good conditon for well under $10!!!!

I've reconnected with a whole list of former high school classmates as a result of an invention called Facebook. I'm also anxiously awaiting July 26 when I leave town for a couple days. The last 'real' vacation I took was in 1996 (I think) and it too was only for a couple days. Regardless, this is long overdue and well deserved.

Until I find more energy for pictures and more....