Summer, oh summer

A week ago, the mornings were still in the 40s. And mid-day was maybe 70 degrees....

I would open all the windows to let the breezes cool the house.

And it was lovely. While it lasted. LOL

Yesterday, summer arrived in overdrive. Hot (for here) and humid. Oh ick!!! And so, the air conditioning got turned on, finally.

And it doesn't work.

This morning, the outside temp was 66; inside, it was 83. So, I opened the windows and doors to let some cooler air in, and put in a call to the AC repair.

Tomorrow, he will come. And we may set a temperature record for the day as well.

Hmmm. Well, at least I know one thing for SURE.... this Ohio summer will NOT be as hot and humid, nor last as long as the Texas summers I survived for the last 13 years.

With that in mind, I welcome summer- heat, humidity, mosquitoes and all.

Honestly, who needs this stuff?

And why can't I get rid of it??

We were cleaning the garage yesterday. Well, more accurately, we were rearranging the garage, moving some stuff to the attic storage, throwing some stuff out, emptying boxes, etc.

I ran across a box with some of my things in it.... Among the things in the box were a doll my Dad brought me from VietNam many, many years ago, and a purse/bag my dh gave me a few years ago. I repacked them to be saved even though the doll is discolored from age and totally not displayable, and I will probably never use the purse/bag again b/c it just doesn't fit my lifestyle anymore.

Why???

Well, I suppose one could make the argument that I hold on to the doll b/c my Dad is gone and I keep her to keep a piece of him.

What's the deal with the purse? Dh is most assuredly alive and well and he has given me many other more expensive and/or "dear" things before and since the bag.... so, why did I pack it back up to keep??

Thinking on it....

Search and Rescue

Farooq went for a bike ride yesterday. And got lost. He was on a Metropark bike trail, so he wasn't like lost in the wilderness, but he didn't know where he was, so he was lost.

He called me to come pick him up. Problem #1- I didn't know where he was. Problem #2- HE didn't know where he was. Problem #3- He had a bike with him and I drive a car. Solution- "call Dad."

We did find him, eventually. Turned out he had ridden 23 miles and the only way back that he could figure out was to just turn around and ride another 23 miles back. His legs said, "We don't think so!"

After we got home and he had showered and we had eaten dinner, he came to me and whispered, "Mom, my perennial hurts."

ROFL....

I think he meant perineum.

Are you kidding me?

It's May!

May 29, to be exact.

This morning, when I stumbled into the kitchen at 6 a.m., it was 34 degrees out.

Yes, I said 34.

With frost.

Let me review: May 29, 34 degrees, with frost.

Toto, we're not in Texas anymore, that's for dang sure.

Spring!!

Kinda.

LOL.... Spring in Ohio looks very different than spring in Texas.

It has been warm for probably 2 months in Texas; flower beds are filling quickly with summer annuals. The push is on to get them in the ground before the heat of summer hits. Spring in Texas means bluebonnets and indian paintbrush, fressia and amaryllis.

Here, in northeast Ohio, spring comes and goes for a while, staying for a day or two before winter reappears briefly. After a couple days of winter cold, the temperature tiptoes back up toward 60 for a day or 2, maybe 3. Then overnight, it's 30 again! So far, spring is crocuses and daffodils. Tulips are sending up their green blades, but no flowers just yet. Trees hint at the green leaves to come. Grass turns green patch by patch, like a quilt, growing daily.

I haven't gotten the daffodils uploaded yet, so, until then, here's a Texas spring photo for you.... enjoy!

So THIS is winter

I've been wondering when winter would really show herself.

I'd say this is it, huh? Yesterday morning, I woke to 3 or so inches of snow. And it snowed all day, in my neck of the woods. And this morning, it's still snowing!!

It's beautiful, really. This is what I expected winter to be like. I guess I wouldn't be too happy if it were like this from November until May, but for a brief moment, it's winter in all her brilliant white pure snowiness.

Welcome to Ohio, me. Welcome to Ohio, indeed.

2 Good Reads

No, not Pulizer Prize winners....

No, not classics....

Just good books to curl up and read on a cold winter day....

"T is for Trespass" by Sue Grafton. If you haven't read all the other books leading up to this one, it's OK, this one can stand alone. In my humble opinion, though, you should read them. To me, Ms. Grafton's books are like old friends. You know their history, their personality, their temperament... no surprises. This follows form as surely as the sun rises in the East. The difference in this one is evil. This bad guy, who's a woman by the way, is just mean. She's really a bad one. But the story is good. A quick read, no surprises, like visiting an old friend. Two thumbs up!

"Playing for Pizza" by John Grisham. Not at all like Mr. Grisham's usual books, this one is like eating a candy bar. It's relatively short, and easy to pick up and put down. And the story is amusing. An NFL pariah ends up in Parma, Italy playing "football americano" for the Parma Panthers. I was hooked when, in the first chapter, we find Rick in a hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, recuperating from a nasty concussion and other boo-boos suffered in the previous day's football game, where Rick was the Cleveland Brown's third string quarterback. Since the Browns are my new home team, I was "in." Then, Rick travels to Italy to play. Well. Nowhere I'd rather be than Italy! Turns out to be a cute, feel good book. If I had written it, however, it would probably stand NO chance of publication, but because Grisham has a following (like me), here it is. Something different, a diversion, a candy bar. One thumb up.