Heat stroke....

Today is hot, well not so hot, but humid. One of the first really humid days. Soon the weather forecasters will be preoccupied with "ozone action days", "dew points", and the "heat index". We're not turning on the air conditioning. Mark my words, Tall One will have to be here and uncomfortable before I get permission. I think it's an endurance test. I'm tough. But, I felt badly about putting the grandsons in for their naps in the rain forest upstairs.

We have a "whole house fan". True to it's name, it sucks the hot air from outside through the hot house and out of the ceiling. But, it's squeaking...annoyingly. How long before my nerves are shredded and I throw the flag pole we use as a sliding-glass-door lock up between the blades? We have two ceiling fans that do a passable service of helping to regulate the temperature year round between the floors (hot air rises, did you know?). So it's equally hot everywhere in the summer, and equally cold in the winter. Hooray! I've only got four windows with screens. Sigh. There are more screens in the basement, but we've never taken the time or put forth the effort to figure out which windows, if any, they fit. Because, usually, we just turn on the air conditioning!

It's again with the saving money thing!

One thing I am having a hard time doing. Consolidating my errands. I try to do things locally. Then I can walk if time's not a factor. But, today I had to go to the pet store and it's really at an out-of-the-way location. I thought I was going to have to make a stop at Walmart for Nana, and I mistakenly mentioned a "road trip" to the grandsons. So when the mission for Nana fell through, I was stuck with two little boys shrieking for fish! I couldn't disappoint, so I had to make the trip...and "waste" gas by not combining my errands. The cat needs food, it's prescription from the vet (long story for another post). I go right past the vet on my way to the grocery store. I don't want to do the grocery shopping until later in the week. I'm hoping the food lasts, otherwise, it's two trips and tons of environmentalist quilt (or a stopped up cat, peeing everywhere, and tons of guilt-guilt, plus huge vet bills...wait!, the silver lining and justification for a separate trip!).

Tall One and I just ate on the deck. It's massively cooler out there than in here. Tall One magnanimously fixed the squeaky fan before dinner, but when we came back inside, under the threat of a immense thunder storm, the fan is now chirping like a demented bird....and Tall One can't hear it! (Or won't acknowledge it. Either way its past ANNOYING!) I have a phone call into Daughter, she'll have to referee...and how demeaning is that?

Well, Daughter just called and can't hear the bird over the phone...great! Tomorrow is another day, and if the fan's still singing, I will be vindicated! But, now, I have to worry about Tall One's hearing, and apparently his sight, too. I asked him to watch the sliding glass door, to close it if it started raining in, and a few moments ago, I had to leave this very important post and close the door....because, he said, he didn't know it was raining so hard! The rug is wet and the satellite has no signal, how much harder does it have to pour?