I'm Terribly Late, But I Have Heat Again!

We have heat, and it was quite the saga. I'll try to tell you all about it tomorrow, but I overslept by 45 minutes on a swimming day, and have to be on my way to the pool in about 7 minutes. So I'm just doing a quick check-in telling you that after more than a day of VERY cold temps in the house, my furnace guy (who is a total miracle worker) managed a fix and we're once again in business. We were first on his list for fixing, and it took him more than two hours to get things going. Apparently he replaced a lot of things that were worn out, and even had to leave and pick up a part that he didn't have with him in his van. Bless him. It took a while, but the house is once again livable. 

The house temp was in the low 40's by the time my 
heat repair dude showed up. We're finally back in 
the right range now, almost 24 hours later. What a mess! 

So, I'm off to the swimming pool, and ready to start my very rushed day. At least one thing went right, LOL. I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully with a bit more time. Slava Ukraini. 

Our Furnace (Boiler) at Home Isn't Working and It's -8F Outside - Life Can Suck Sometimes!

 As all of you know (probably - LOL), I live in the Frozen Northlands - Minnesota, to be precise. Yesterday, our old boiler which provides heat to my house, decided it was on strike. *sigh* I contacted my furnace repair guy (yes, I have one of those who keeps my shop furnace functional) and he'll get back to me as soon as his schedule is set for today, to let me know when he'll be able to come out at take a look/fix my home furnace. I have zone heating in this house, but right now, it's qualifying as "frigid", "more frigid", and "ACK - Damn Cold". We have my small space heater in the computer room and that's where we're spending our time. 

It's cold outside (currently -8 F degrees), and since I have 
no functional heater inside, we're cold in here too. Nowhere 
close to as cold as outside, but not comfortable either. 

DH is the lucky guy who will get to stay home until after my furnace guy has been here. It's reasonable, because he's also the guy who'll get to write a check for the repair. Meanwhile, I'll head to the shop and try my best to be functional with about three hours of sleep. I got to sleep just fine, but the constant clicking on and off of the boiler trying to switch on awakened me in the very early hours and I moved to the computer room. There's no place to be prone in that room, but I sat in my chair, turned on my space heater, and at least I was cozy, if sleepless. I'll be a wreck today, but hopefully will return to a warm house after work tonight. 

It would be nice to just toss another log onto the 
fireplace, but since our flue needs a good cleaning 
before we light any fires (and I have a family of 
squirrels who have been living in the upstairs 
chimney for generations now), I don't light any fires 
any more. 

In some ways it's too bad we don't live in the days when we'd just toss another log onto the fire in the cave, in other ways it's damned nice to have electricity (even though Tesla's electrical ideas were WAY more efficient than Edison's). We all rely on electricity so much, and even though we often have fall backs available, they're far from convenient. The last time our heat died at the house was more than 20 years ago and I sat near the downstairs fireplace and fed it with wood. The flu needs a cleaning, however, and I don't want to roast the squirrels who nest in it every year, so a fire is really a last resort for me this time around. 

Time for a nice, hot, cup of tea. 

So, I'm signing off and going to make myself a nice, hot cup of tea. Have an excellent Monday and I'll be back tomorrow - hopefully with heat and a bit more than three hours of sleep. Slava Ukraini. 

I Need an Island of Calm in the Heat of the Moment

I've been getting my eyeglasses relensed from Lenses RX on Staten Island for years now - decades, actually. I've always been delighted with their service and response. I had sent two sets of frames to them on the 7th of July, and hadn't received my completed glasses yet, which seemed unusual. So yesterday I contacted Customer Service, and a mess has now ensued. 

 
I've used LensesRX for years and have always been 
very satisfied with their product and response. This 
time, however, the ball got dropped. They're working 
on their end, and I need to find a set of eyeglasses to 
order from Zenni or a similar vendor that I can get 
quickly. I need a set I can wear regularly with the 
right prescription, while we attempt to track down 
my package. 

I sent the frames via Priority Mail along with the prescription, the filled out forms, etc, and according to the tracking information, it was Delivered, Front Door/Porch, STATEN ISLAND, NY 10306, July 10, 2023, 1:00 pm.  The only problem with that is that they never received the package. They're trying to track things down on their end, and I'll be talking with the Post Office on my end today. Although I have other frames I can send, one of my absolute favorite frames was one of the two I had in that package. I'm EXTREMELY disappointed. I can't necessarily blame LensesRX for this one. If they didn't bring the package into the business, I'm totally blaming the Post Office on this. Still, it leaves me without the eyeglasses that I desperately need. 

I sent the eyeglasses via Priority Mail. Next time I 
send some frames, I'll use Express Mail which 
requires a signature for delivery. GRRRR

I'll be talking with Customer Service again today. I'll probably have to order a rush set of eyeglasses from Zenni or a similar company in the interim, because I really can't be without the set of glasses I'm using as a stop-gap right now, and that set are my absolute FAVORITE eyeglasses. I'm unwilling to chance things with it in any case. But, I'm quite displeased - to put it mildly. 

One of the arguments about the heat of the SW vs the heat 
of the Midwest or other areas is that the SW is dry heat. Still, 
over 100 is hot in anyone's estimation. I've lived in the 
SW, and now live in the Upper Midwest where we don't have 
high temperatures often, but we do have high humidity. 
Today will be a bit of a steam bath since we'll be having 
temps in the mid-90's. Add in our humidity and it might 
feel like more than 100 degrees, easily. My plants are 
loving it, and our nights are cool, so it's really not all 
that bad. LOL

Today is a "day off" and it will be a very busy one with Ogre Juice to be made, groceries to be purchased, and a variety of other things to accomplish. I guess I'd better purchase a new set of eyeglasses as well - something funky, since the two I sent off may never be found. *sigh* I'll add that to my mental list of "things to do". It's also going to be beastly hot today with high humidity - nothing like living in a steam bath for a while. The one benefit of living in the Land of 10,000 Lakes is the fact that we rarely get extremely hot. The one negative is that all of that water either gives us massive snowfalls or steam baths, depending on the exterior temperatures. Today is a steam, bath kind of day. 

Today I need to find an island of calm. I can't really 
do much about the misdelivered box. I can get other 
glasses ordered, and will do that today. But, I'm going 
to be grateful that I still have my absolutely favorite 
set of frames, and only lost my second-favorite set. It's 
only things - and things aren't everything. It's just one 
more small setback. 

On that note, I'm out of here. I'm not really sure how I can be running behind schedule at 6:00 am, but I'm totally feeling it right now. Hopefully I'll find an island of calm at some point today because I really need some of that too - life can't all be "hurry up and die". Calm, sometimes, can be life - and I need calm. On that note, have a restful and blessed day and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

The Pool, The Web and The Heat - The Week Progresses

Yesterday was a day that started out shortly after midnight with lightning, thunder and rain. Although the storm had mostly passed by the time I was at the gym doors for swimming, there was active lightning all around us, so I knew the outdoor pool wouldn't be open - at least not immediately. Still, this week is an impossible week, and I have a crunched Friday schedule, so I opted for swimming indoors to at least get my workout done. 

This is NOT my YMCA, but it's actually pretty close to 
how my indoor pool looks. It's relatively short, so it's 
a lot of back and forth, where in the outdoor pool, it's a 
long stretch. Outdoors I can wear my larger flippers, 
but indoors my shorter ones are as long as I'm willing 
to go (when I even bother with flippers at all). 

It turned out really nice. I had a lane all to myself and got in a good workout. All in all, it wasn't a bad experience and I had fun, so I call that a total WIN/WIN situation caused by Mother Nature. Today should be back to "normal" for this time of the year. Swimming outdoors, and at minimum, sharing a lane with one other person. That's far from a hardship in the Olympic length, we barely intersect as we're passing each other. Still, it was a luxury to have a lane to myself. I enjoy watching the sun rise, however, and having that happen while I'm in the pool is a real plus. 

DH has decided to use Network Solutions 
to help him build his website. I've never 
used them, but it seems to offer what we're 
looking for, and really, we're not looking 
for anything complex. Just a basic web presence. 

DH is progressing with his website. He's using a software platform called "Network Solutions" to help him set it up. He was late getting into the shop yesterday because he was wrapped up in that. Your various suggestions were very worthwhile and helpful as well. Things are coming together, just not quite as quickly as he had wanted. Still, that's OK. It's getting there. And those stumbling blocks are nothing new, just requiring a small reset with each one that we encounter. I'll continue to reformat his photos while he's busy on other things. I think the photos need to be resized to be "consumer friendly" in the end. Photos are something I understand - I deal with them every single day. 

I edit photos every day for my blog - I need them to fit 
a certain size parameter so that they can be published 
and look appropriate on the other side. His photos, right 
now, are raw, so I'm going through them one at a time 
and resizing them to a more reasonable size to send 
in bulk to any potential customer. 

I also had fun customers yesterday, spaced out well so that everyone got the help they needed without pulling me in too many directions. I would have liked more sales - it's been a slow week - but I really can't complain. It's been a HOT week, and wise people are staying indoors with their A/C on. 

It's been a hot week here in the Frozen Northlands, so 
just getting into the pool has been delightful. I've been 
keeping the fan on at work, and running the A/C now and 
again to get the edge off. So far, so good. 

So, I'm off to the pool for my final swim this week. Tomorrow morning I'll be going to the grocery store quite early to get my vegetables for Ogre Juice which I'll make after dinner tomorrow night for next week's portions. It's all falling into place, more or less. The sacrifice for Chickie's vacation has been laundry. I've done one load for myself, but DH said to wait a week on his, and the household laundry (bed linens and towels, mostly) will also be pushed off a week. Oh well, can't have everything - LOL. Have an excellent Thursday, I'm almost halfway through Chickie's vacation time, she's having fun, and I'm surviving. I'll call that a win and be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Time Is Short - A/C and My Next Story Theme

A short post today because my time is minimal. It's a swimming day which makes me VERY happy, and it's a hot day. At 3:45 am it's already 72 degrees. Yesterday we topped off at over 100F, so it was crispy. We went into the computer room as soon as we were finished with dinner. The computer room is in the half-basement, so quite a bit cooler. The next level up, the main level, is probably 10 degrees warmer. That's the kitchen and living room and guest bathroom. That's the level I sleep in, and it was hot enough last night that I loaded up my portable A/C with a iced filter and that helped me get to sleep. 

I have an older version of this - a mini 
swamp cooler. There is a filter that fits 
inside that you soak and freeze. When you 
take it out and insert it into the cooler, add 
some distilled water to the reservoir, and 
turn it on, it will send air over the frozen 
filter, add water droplets, and make a 
comfortable stream of much colder air. 
When it's upper 90's or 100's in my 
sleeping area, this is a game changer. 

Dh, unfortunately, stays in the upper level - that's the two bedrooms and the library room/study. That's probably another 10 degrees hotter than the living room level. So between the computer room and his bedroom is at least a 20 degree difference. On a really hot day, he finds it very hard to fall asleep. It's a good thing he's off today. Maybe he'll get a little bit of sleep this morning since we're down to 72 F. 

Even Sadhguru has discussed this theme in very 
similar wording. I found it amusing when I was looking 
for an accompanying photo, to see a similar quotation 
coming from the Guru. 

I got the new prompt yesterday and I'm mulling it over in my mind. But I rather like it. What do you think of it? "Surgery often looks like murder if you judge it halfway through." Interesting, isn't it? I can see all kinds of ways to work within this, the problem will be choosing a pathway. Scenes keep popping in and out of my mind when I read it. I'll have to narrow things down and maybe I'll try pounding something out today. It's due on Sunday, so I can't mull forever. 

One of the best things about swimming outdoors is 
having the sunrise while I'm in the water. It's 
always such a joy. 

I'm plugging in photos and getting moving. Swimming will be absolutely glorious today in our heat. There's nothing like being in the water to make me happy. I hope you have a wonderful Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Rain, Shopping and Portable A/C Units - Wednesday Was Busy

Yesterday was a day of grocery shopping in the rain. I got wet, but didn't mind at all. We desperately needed the rain, and I'll take whatever Mother Nature is kind enough to give us. We didn't get a lot, but it was steady for a couple of hours and I know my plants, grass and trees were grateful. 

I use lemon juice daily in my 
salad dressing and I also add it 
to a lot of sauces and drinks. 
It was the first item on my 
shopping list, so of course, 
I completely forgot to buy 
a new bottle. 

I actually went to three different grocery stores, gathering vegetables and other items needed. Of course, when I returned home I realized I had forgotten several items on my list *sigh*. They've been moved over to Friday's list and I'd better not forget them again. 

I really enjoyed last week's Mongolian Flank Steak 
recipe. I thought it was extremely tasty. He didn't 
like it, and I actually don't remember what his exact 
criticism was. I guess I just blocked him out - 
sometimes that's the best thing to do. I'm planning 
on spare-ribs for this Sunday. He probably won't like 
those either, and I'm totally fine with it. 

DH says he'll give me one more chance to make something he likes for Sunday dinner before he just handles what he wants on his own. I actually liked the meatballs I made two weeks ago, and the Mongolian beef I made last week. I'm making spare ribs this weekend, and frankly, I was on strike from cooking for this exact reason for more than 20 years, so if he wants me to be upset that he doesn't like what I cook, he's barking up the wrong tree. I'm quite fine making my own meals and leaving him to his own choices. I can very easily go on strike from cooking for him again. 

If he think I'm upset that he doesn't like what I 
cook, he's barking up the wrong tree. I could 
care less. He's an adult. He can take care of himself. 

Yesterday, because of the rain passing through, was hot and muggy in the extreme. I had a Zoom call scheduled for 1:00 pm (actually 2:00 pm - the original email was incorrect, but I could still make the call). I didn't want to sit there dripping sweat since I don't have A/C in my house, so I grabbed one of my portable Coolers and put it on the table next to my laptop. It was actually quite nice - comfortable when it blew onto my face. I used one again last night, this time with a frozen filter for extra cool, and it made for a very nice night's sleep. Not bad for an inexpensive "take a chance on a new product" item. 

I got a good deal on a three-pack of these small 
units. I think it ended up less than $25/each 
in the "bulk" buy. I decided to unbox and try 
out the units yesterday because the heat and 
humidity were oppressive. I was pretty happy 
with them. They're not fabulous, but they do 
help, especially when the filter box has been 
moistened and frozen before using. 

Of  course, swamp coolers work better in arid environments, and Minnesota is anything BUT arid. After all, we grow ferns and orchids wild in our forests. Despite this year's drought, which seems to be nationwide, we're a humid state. So these small portable "air conditioning" units that are actually swamp coolers aren't particularly effective, but they're not bad. I bought three of them; one for Sharon's room during her visit, one for my bedside, and one for either the computer room or workroom (or DH if he asks nicely). They're not perfect, but they're better than nothing and they augment the floor fans quite nicely. 

It's going to be a very busy day today, so I'm getting an early start. Have a fabulous Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. *Hugs* to all and please stay safe and be kind! 

A Few Scarabs to Share, and Thoughts About Hockey - No Horses Left

Las Vegas won big in last night's hockey game, sending my Colorado Avalanche team back to the mountains without a win. Vegas goes on to the Quarter Finals in the Stanley Cup, and I no longer have any horses in this race. The schedule hasn't been posted yet, but it'll be the Montreal Canadians, Las Vegas Golden Knights, Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Islanders vying for the Cup. It should be entertaining hockey - there are some good teams playing, and lots of body slamming and fast skating awaits. 

I'm totally in love with this bronze scarab. It's 
ancient - from the Bronze Age, and was found 
buried in an ancient marketplace in Jerusalem. 
It looks as freshly designed as any modern 
graphic, but it actually dates from 3300 to 
1200 BCE (Before Common Era). Really old 
and incredibly beautiful. 

I sent Rodney (my tattoo artist) a long email with a lot of images last night, following up with one more thought that occurred to me early this morning while I was doing my daily meditation. I thought I'd share some of the images I sent to him with you today. The numbers on each of the panels were added by me so that I could easily identify each image for him in my email. 

Of course, I also felt I should include an ancient 
bas relief sculpture from ancient Egypt in the 
grouping of images I sent to him. This one was 
beautifully detailed and in extremely good 
condition. Just stunning. 

I really liked this, although I don't want a color piece and 
I don't like the faceted gem instead of the sun disk. Still, 
it's quite lovely and well done, I liked the gleam on the 
head of the scarab, and the legs were magnificent. 

I also included this, although it was a 
drawing, not a tattoo. There were things 
about the image that I loved, and things 
that I hated, but I also sent it along for 
the text.

The text reads: "Scarab - As you roll the sun from East to West across the sky, promising rebirth with each dawn. As you emerge from waste, discover your wings. And fly away towards your true existence, as your hard shell protects you from harm. Scarab, guide me in the eternal cycles of death and resurrection. As I find my way and my wings and my strength and fly forward. Like the sun rolling across the sky." 

Not the best grammar, and punctuation was a problem with this, but I enjoyed the sentiment, and I enjoyed the image. Anyway, I sent Rod 11 pictures, describing what I liked and didn't like about each one of them. I'm looking for black and shading for 90+% of the image, with a little bit of color in the body of the beetle and in the sun disk it carries. I emailed him an addendum this morning, asking for the sun disk to shade from a red center to a violet rim to honor the Crown chakra, where it will be placed. A bit of "whoo whoo", I know, but hey ... it's MY "whoo whoo" - LOL. 

So, I'm out of here. It's going to be a busy day for a "day off", and I've got yet another scorcher in store. The weather, which was expected to have backed off from our temps, is only getting worse and worse instead, and we're sweltering here. Yesterday we topped 100 degrees F, and for early June, that's almost unheard of. If this is June, I dread what July has in store. Have a wonderful day and I'll be back tomorrow. As always, please be kind and stay safe. 

Summer Heat and Summer Fruit - They Just Go Together

When I went to sleep it was 90 F degrees, when I awakened, it was mid-70's F. It's only June 7th, and we've got temps that belong to July. We're expected to stay in the heat for most of this week, so we're going to be watering the tomatoes and strawberries like crazy - they might enjoy sunshine and heat, but their soil will dry out way too soon if we don't keep an eye on things. 

I have a fenced plot with five strawberry plants in it that
have successfully wintered over for the past three years.
DH also planted strawberries in a strawberry pot as
well as four hanging pots we have on a wrought-iron
stand on the patio. Those get dried out much faster
since they're in the full sun and the pots aren't large. 

The one good thing about going to work is the air conditioning, which actually works pretty well for the shop. We try to keep things comfortable for our customers, and of course we get the benefit of that. A total win/win - LOL. 

Heat waves always make me think about air conditioners 
for the home. Our central air has been toast for decades, 
and although we've looked into window units, we don't 
want the bother. We also don't want to snake an 
exhaust pipe through an open window, so portable units 
also won't work. We make do with fans, and usually those 
are sufficient. 

A group of fellow WildFit graduates and I are getting together beginning today and doing a "WildFit Reset" challenge. We're starting with a re-do of Week 5 (Fall) and then diving into six weeks of Spring. It all kicks off today. Since Fall is heavy on fruit, I indulged in buying fruit at the grocer yesterday - apricots, pluots, a couple of apples, mixed berries and peaches. I'm looking forward to my breakfasts for a change - I've really missed fruit. It might only be for a week, but it's going to be glorious while it lasts - LOL. 

Today's breakfast was two pluots and one apricot. 
So good! Haven't heard of a pluot before? A pluot 
is a mix between plums and apricots. Very 
tasty. 

If you're wondering, these are NOT GMO fruits. They 
cross-pollinate naturally and over several different 
varieties. Want to watch out and stay away from 
GMO fruits? Stay away from papaya and zucchini then. 
Those two are often genetically modified. 

Of course, doing this reset also required a new set of measurements and photos - not really something to look forward to on a Monday morning. But I got most of the measurements done last night, and finished them up this morning, gritted my teeth, and did my photos as well. My body has improved over the past four months, but I still have a ways to go before I'll be totally happy. So I'm doing this reset with my Tribe. It's just what I needed to get back into the groove of Living WildFit. 

WildFit has a Fourteen Day Reset plan available which is 
often used, but our sub-group decided to do a more 
in-dept reset plan with a six-week program. Today was 
the first day of this new program for WildFit graduates. 

And so, if I don't melt away from the heat before tomorrow, I'll be back with another installment in How the Heat Waves. Of course, despite the heat or your own challenges, please continue to be kind and stay safe. Have an excellent Monday. 

It's June, It's Summer - Heat and Sharon and a Fan

Well, I didn't get much computer time at all yesterday, but I did get a lot of wonderful veggies purchased and processed, and I swept and cleaned the patio (in 90-degree heat, so I was dripping wet with sweat by the time I was finished). In the middle of sweeping, Sharon phoned me for a pre-arranged call, and we had fun catching up for about 1/2 hour or so. I miss my "Bestie". Usually we see each other for several days of State Fair food and Renaissance Festival mayhem. We're both hoping things will be back on again this year. I know Renaissance Festival is planning to go ahead with their scheduled dates of operation, but the Fair is still a guessing game. Sharon's going to make plane reservations anyway, and hopefully everything will fall into place for her trip this year. 

The dates for this year's MN State Fair are August 26th 
through Labor Day, September 6, 2021. Usually Sharon 
would arrive on Thursday night, which would bring 
her into the Cities on September 2nd. Of course, I have 
no idea how the Fair will handle ticket sales. Things may 
be different now, after Covid. 

I was finally able to sit down at my computer around 4:30 pm, so I really didn't get the work I had planned finished by the time I had to deal with dinner. But I'm already far behind on my on-line classes, and another day really won't make much of a difference. I did get a call from the Lenovo Tech guy who will be looking at Voodoo on Tuesday, to finalize a time and double-check the address. I want to get this issue with my stylus fixed as soon as possible, and apparently a board also needs to be upgraded, so I'll find out exactly what will be needed when he gets there. I don't have much of a location for him to work at, so that might be a bit tricky. We're a store, not a lot of "desk" space. 

I adore Voodoo, it's been a fabulous computer upgrade 
for me and it's doing everything I've asked for and 
more. The only problem I've had is the stylus not 
charging properly, but hopefully the Tech can 
sort that out on Tuesday. 

We're experiencing July temperatures in June right now, and it's not super-comfortable. Still, I can't be too disappointed. The weather is wonderful, and even though my potted strawberries need watering twice a day because of the heat, it's still great to have the warmth. I might finally start defrosting from the winter. I'd much rather be hot than cold (except for sleeping - but that's why I have a fan by my bed - a nice breeze is all I require for a good night's sleep in the heat). 

I love my fan in the summer. It's just enough air movement 
to make me comfortable when sleeping. I rarely have any 
problem falling asleep anyway, but heat can sometimes 
make me toss and turn. The fan cools things off just enough 
for comfort. 

So, I'm out of here. Short and sweet for today. I hope all of you have a fabulous and fantastic day and please, be kind and stay safe. I'll be back tomorrow. 

A Busy Tuesday, An Apology and a Book Recommendation

It's a Tuesday, and it's a busy one - lots of things to get done before I go to the store, and a bunch of things I need to get done once I'm there. So, I set my alarm for 4:00 am and here it is, 5:30 am and I'm already running "almost" late. I still have time to write my blog and have breakfast, but I need to be at the bank when it opens at 7:30 am and it's at the far south end of St Paul (I live in a suburb at the far North end). I've got a large mail order to pull and fill, and I really hope to have a bit of time to get that taken care of between customers today. Hopes and dreams - my life is built on clouds, LOL. 

That infusion of cash from the grant sill give us
a bit of breathing room. We're still hoping the
customers come back - they are, just not in the
numbers we need. Our fingernails were hurting
from hanging on so tightly, so the grans helps
us a lot. 

I mentioned that we were awarded the County grant, The statistics were published in the paper on Sunday. More than 27,400 applications were received, and 5,780 businesses were randomly selected. Of those businesses, 70 percent were businesses with six or fewer employees. I feel very fortunate. This additional $10,000 may save my business. Our daily business is slowly increasing as people run out of products that they need, but it's a very slow grind. I totally understand - not sure I'll be going to any restaurants until there is a vaccine. 

Sorry to all of my East Coast friends. I can promise you,
however, it will get better. Yesterday was less beastly
here, and today will be downright pleasant. We'll send the
temperate weather over to you too. 

I know we sent our heat wave to the East, and friends of mine along the coast have been sweltering. I apologize, but I can tell you is it will get better. Yesterday was actually back into a "normal" summer range, and today is starting out comfortable. We're happy to send the more temperate temps your way also - because we're generous that way - LOL. 

I keep looking at my Owl Project, which of course didn't get finished because of my broken ankle and the pandemic. I'm actually pretty happy I didn't finish it because I want to tear off the lower two layers and re-do them. I was designing on the fly for this one, and don't like the patterning nor the color progressions I was doing. It's going to mean a lot of additional work, but I think I'll be much happier. In fact, I'm tempted to destroy the entire thing and start again from scratch. Maybe I'll make it my "Flying Out of the Pandemic" collar instead. 

I finished reading "Too Much - Never Enough" by Mary Trump yesterday
and I highly recommend it. She came across to me as someone who was
reasoned, thoughtful, and who had the inside track in many respects to make
her claims sensible. Were there parts that might have been pushed ahead by
personal malice? Maybe. But I felt that to be minor compared to the story
she revealed as a family insider. 

Finally, I finished reading Mary Trump's book on her uncle, Donald Trump, "Too Much - Never Enough". It was a fascinating look at our current President, an easy read about a difficult situation, and I recommend it highly. It was a much easier read than John Bolton's "The Room Where it Happened", although that was also a very interesting read. Uncertain about which to choose? Choose Mary Trump's book for a much easier read and a very insightful picture of our President. 

On that note, I'm out of here. Have a glorious Tuesday and enjoy yourselves (hopefully with less heat). I'll be back tomorrow. 

Thunderstorm In The Summer Can Mean Tornadoes

It's hot and sticky and it's only 5:30 am! We had thunderstorms throughout the night and are looking at rain through today. DH isn't happy because he wanted to continue working on the woodshed. But - Mother Nature won't be denied.

I love thunderstorms. I love watching the lightning. I'm not as fond
of tornadoes, although they are fascinating to watch if you can
see them through the rain. 

Thunderstorms like this are inevitable when we have high. hot temperatures and unstable air masses. Thunderstorms can pop up very unexpectedly. Sometimes they are small, area wide soakings of rain, then gone. Other times they take over a vast territory and bring rumbles, lightning, and sometimes tornadoes along with them. 

Much of the time, since tornadoes are formed from thunderstorm cells, the
rain is so hard that you can't see the tornado with this clarity. I still
remember driving down to New Mexico one summer and crossing a wide
open patch of land in Nebraska/Texas. I saw one tornado on my
right and two on my left in the wide open spades. A bit spooky, trying
to thread that needle. 

We do live in a state that gets tornadoes - most of the USA gets them. Those who don't get tornadoes sometimes get hurricanes. I'm not really sure which is worse ... oh yes I do. Hurricanes are worse - they hit broad swaths of territory and usually move through slowly, so their destruction can flatten and affect large portions of a state (or states). Tornadoes are skip-hop, usually relatively small, and although horribly destructive, are rarely affecting wide and long areas of land or cities. Of course there are exceptions - because we're talking nature here. Nature writes her own rules, and they are always changing.

Tornadoes are beautiful destruction. This one was photographed in
Illinois, and the lighting was just perfect. 

I've lived in states with tornadoes for my entire life, and I'm used to them. I have always been more on the fringes, not in the central USA which really can get slammed. But Minnesota has tornadoes every spring/summer and some of them are quite deadly. There were some tornadoes popping north of us last night, and I just hope that they touched down in places where they didn't harm people. 

This third tornado was photographed in our next door state to the east -
Wisconsin. You can see the wet road here. This photo captured the rain
along with the twister. 

What kind of destructive weather do you have in your area of the world? Whatever you have, I hope that you have a wonderful day and I certainly intend to be back tomorrow. Stay well, be kind. 

Heat, Stress and Exercise

Yesterday was hot, but today will be even worse. I think I'm glad I'll be working today. At least I have air conditioning at the shop. At home, we have fans. They're great for moving the air, but when it's in the 90's, even the moved air is hot. 

We have an ancient box fan in the computer room, which
actually works pretty well, but it's loud. Each of us
also have standing fans at bedside - it would be impossible
to sleep without those. 

I gathered together and sent off my application with supporting documentation to the County for the grant, one day before the firm deadline. It was a pain to get the various information together, but we were successful, even with the "budget" requirements. The State Grant will become available sometime this month, and we'll try for that too. The City Grant was a bust - all we received was a terse email that we were not one of the recipients. But ... if we don't try, we won't get anything at all. We're getting pretty good at the documentation, too. That's a good thing ... I think ... maybe? 

I moved my father-in-law's chair to a different
location and set up my barre next to the treadmill.
I think it looks great - very minimal, and if I
need to, it folds into a compact square suspended
in the framework and on wheels, for easy put-away. 

When the barre is completely open, I have the wooden barre
raised properly and the workout mat extended. It comes with
the workout ball (and pump) and two different flex bands,
along with booklets and a DVD with Beginner,
Intermediate and Advanced exercise routines. 

On the health front, I am once again fighting a UTI. I was at Urgent Care first thing yesterday morning to get some meds before things got out of hand. The doctor said stress can trigger these, and I have to agree - I've been under some stress this year. But before this infection and the one prior to this earlier this year, it had been decades since my last one. I think I need to try and keep my stress levels a bit more under control ... during a Pandemic ... while trying to stay in business ... yeah. Right. In my dreams. 

Life has been a bit stressful lately - like during most of
2020. *sigh* I'm usually pretty good with stress, but
things have been a bit excessive - pandemic, etc. 

On that note, I'm going to wrap this up and start my day. I hope you have a terrific day and bring a smile to someone's face. To brighten the life of a single person is a mitzvah - a blessing. I'll be back tomorrow. 

A Hot Day for Paperwork and Errands

It's going to be a hot one, and since it's my "day off" and I have a list of things to accomplish that's at least as long as my arm, I'll be grumbling and growling through the day. I'll enjoy all of the shopping excursions - the stores all have A/C so I'll be comfortable. Home, however, is another story. No A/C here, so I'll be a sweaty mess since I'll be cleaning and moving things around, as well as doing a final polish on some repairs I finished earlier this week, and doing my regular 3+ loads of laundry. 

I'll be a bit of a Whirling Dervish today - running here and there
and everywhere. But, if I can get my errands accomplished by
the end of the day and get all of the paperwork submitted, it will
be a good day's work. 

DH and I finally finished working out all of the grant paperwork yesterday, so I'll be assembling and sending this all off viz email with a lot of attachments. Hopefully this one will pan out, although I have my hesitations. The next chance will be the statewide grant, but that application doesn't come live until later this month. I'm sure it will be equally horrid - LOL - but I'm getting lots of practice. 

I'm totally drowning in paperwork right now, but that's what
happens when trying to get grants and loans. Still, I would
love to swim free of the paperwork bog. 

I also have to run around and pick up prescriptions today. Our local pharmacy was burned down in the riots, but they have a second branch that I can use. This one is a bit east of my home, instead of just across the street from my shop. It takes a bit more thought, but I have two prescriptions waiting for me to pick them up and I'll get a chance to look at their other location. I'll be using that one for quite a while while they rebuild on the old site. 

My new pharmacy will be Setzer. Owned by the same people, my
 prescriptions were able to be transferred directly over to their
database, with some delay. I like supporting neighborhood
businesses and they do a great job. 

So, I'm hot and ready to start the day. Have a glorious summer (or winter for my So Hemisphere friends) day and I'll be back tomorrow. Stay safe, be kind and spread happiness.