And the Summer Just Lingers On....

It's 95 degrees outside with a heat factor of 101 degrees. What is up with that?  I started putting up fall decorations inside and outside because I love fall, and I love the autumn colors, and I just got impatient. I'm sure I jinxed it. Blame me.  Tomorrow is supposed to be just as hot, then the high Friday is in the 70s. Yay! And back to the 80s for the next week or so. Sigh.

Saturday I'm having a few friends over to do a Make-and-Take Halloween-on-a-budget workshop. We're going to make groundbreakers from tomato cages, and there are a few extra items I'm giving them. We'll talk about ways to use yard sale finds, garden finds, and discards to turn yards and porches into fun scenes. But if this weather doesn't cool down a bit, no one is going to feel up to being outside, even if it IS in my garage with the side door open for a breeze. But I want them to have a few more weeks to scour yard sales for possibilities and with a new eye.




Jack came home from rehab Friday. Thank goodness. I was beginning to really enjoy having the house all to my self! I was able to turn the AC to a warmer temp and use the ceiling fans (he doesn't like air blowing on him), the TV didn't run from before sunrise to midnight (he's the early bird; I'm the night owl), and the power bill went down by $36 for the month of August. When I cleaned off the counter top, it stayed cleaned. The bathrooms stayed cleaner. (Ahem!) One unseasonably cool day, I opened all the screened windows, doors, got an oldies station synced with Alexa and the Echos throughout the house, and sang as loudly as I wanted while cleaning. I took an afternoon and went to see "The Art of Racing in the Rain" at the movie theater. I have never lived alone, so it was kind of fun.

But, I was not good about cooking for myself, especially when tired, so I ate a lot of peanut butter and banana sandwiches. I spent a lot of time going back and forth between home and rehab, because I was still doing his laundry. When he was feeling down or wanted to tell me something before he forgot, he called me on the phone. Several times a day. I had to drive myself everywhere, both in the bright sunshine and at night, and had to travel to Charlottesville for my final eye appointment at UVA. As bad a driver as I believe him to be, it was scary to be back to navigating the interstate with only one eye and no one to help me watch for other cars. I stayed in the right hand lane. And I heard noises at night. I hear them at night when he's home and asleep, too, but there's something about hearing noises when you're alone that's disconcerting.

So, it's good to have him home again.  After all, we've been married almost 48 years. I've grown accustomed to his face, as the song says.