I have almost nothing to show for the entire weekend. There was a tiny bit of cooking - Deviled Egg Macaroni Salad for a cookout at my sister's on Saturday. Rhubarb Juice, because I am hooked on it. Tuna Salad Macaroni Salad (GF) because I knew I had to eat something for lunches this week.
Besides the foray to familyville on Saturday, I spent the rest of the weekend prostrate. When I wasn't filling water buckets and wading pools. I spent hours, sighing mightily and saying - in a weakened voice - "Oh, y'all. I'm about to die from this heat." Every once in a while, my tut-tut-ing inner voice would sneer, "Oh, go pull up your damp BGPs and DO something!" Luckily for me, even the inner voice had the starch taken out of it in this weather.
I managed to:
Weed in the wee hours of Saturday and Sunday morning.
Sell all of my eggs. My Summer Lake customers are back in full force!
Take the dogs for ice cream.
Water everything in the wee hours of Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Put up my tobacco cloth over the currants and blueberries.
Sew up a curtain for the cat's room.
That last one - which should have taken, oh, 10 minutes, took over an hour. You know how, in your mind, you can just pick things up where you left off - seamlessly? Even though you left off MONTHS almost a YEAR ago? And maybe you're no longer the sharpest tack in the box and it takes some effort to remember, say, anything?
I forgot how to thread my sewing machine. I did some version of it and - no surprise - it bunched, snagged, tore, jammed and did a variety of things that whipped me into a frenzy. I then stood up, took a deep breath, got some iced rhubarb juice and went prostrate for 15 minutes. Then I was back at it and figured out that I had missed about 2/3rds of the most important steps in threading it. Sigh. I was then too lazy to look for better thread and tried, unsuccessfully, to use a spool that Lovey had gnawed on in her early, anxious years. Fernatssake. Another glass of rhubarb juice (See? I'm hooked!) and a breather, and I rustled up a good spool of thread and it took me less than 10 minutes to finish the curtain. I had put a sheer in the cat room window to let in light, but this brutal weather was just too much. I found a lovely dark blue batik remnant and now it's cooler, darker and pretty as well! Poor Slimmie is nothing but a slow-moving puddle in this weather, sweet furry lumpkin.
Mr. Butters insists on being ON me, with his hot, sweaty little body. Lovey just looks miserable and tries to find new, cooler places. I have a series of four fans going and, even so, I was pretty unhappy having to leave them alone for another brutal day. Yesterday, the thermometer peaked at 99 degrees, not factoring in the 70% humidity. Today is supposed to be the same. Just shoot me.
35 comments:
I don't blame you for being lethargic in such heat and humidity! I'd be a puddle on the floor.
I sympathize - Toronto has been hotter than Cairo and Mumbai for the past few days with no let up in sight - with the humidity it hit about 110F yesterday - can't even breath in that heat! I have A/C in the bedroom but rely on fans in he rest of the apt.
For what it's worth - I think you have accomplished a LOT and certainly a lot more than I have managed!
just shoot me next! when the nighttime lows are almost 80..i just give up. i'd think i am in hell but i don't see any of the trumps here so i guess it is just a heatwave.
Well, while our weather has not heated up to summer temps, yet, I don't envy anyone any temp over 80. If I could find a place that got no colder than 10 and no hotter than 80, I would move there. Everyone here hides indoors except for Robin and Stella and Pogo, who like to sleep in the hot sun. Mandy too like it hotter than hell. I've forgotten how to thread a couple of machines, the ones that aren't Pfaffs.....Pics of the pretty curtain pretty please> Stay cool at work or are you guys off for the holiday week? Hope you get a cool down. Hugs to all.
We had the heat late last week. The heat wasn't so bad but with the high humidity, I did a lot of just remaining prostrate inside too.
Very hot here, too, but today for some beautiful reason, it has dropped in temperature and there is a nice breeze. Rhubarb juice? Didn't even know people drank rhubarb juice. Please tell me there's sugar in it. Now you are making me wonder if I remember how to thread my sewing machine. I can't even remember the last time I used it (mind you, I can't remember parts of last week...) -Jenn
When the weather is as hot (and humid!) as you've had simply surviving another day is an accomplishment worth writing about.
Be careful, my good friend, with the rhubarb juice. It's loaded with oxalic acid and ingesting too much of it (I have no idea how much is too much) will turn you into a pumpkin. Or something else less desirable than the wonderful person you are.
For years, before I had a truly "good" sewing machine, tension problems plagued me like . . . well, like the plague. Then I had a quilt shop owner tell me two things: Never buy that cheap thread (you know, in a bin with a price of $1.00 for 10 spools or something like) because it's made up of end pieces of cheap material strung together. It will fray in your machine mechanisms and gunk it up. The other thing was when you remove a spool of thread from your machine, never pull it up and through the threading track. Snip the thread off by the spool and pull the remaining piece of thread out the same way it would come out when stitching. She said pulling it out from the top will cause any fuzz or debris to lodge in bad spots. Made sense to me anyway.
End of too long a comment. :o/
Oh I feel you on the heat. I've put off sewing jobs for the same reason of forgetting how to thread it, ha ha! Stay cool!
Oh Susan, I can relate! Today and tomorrow, our temps will be 108, only to rise higher to 113-114 next week (I live in Arizona). It is brutal. This is our monsoon season so there's a rise in humidity too. It takes me forever to do chores (i.e. dishes and laundry) and most of my day is sitting in front of the window a/c just wilting. I can sympathize with you about 99° with 70% humidity, I lived most of my life back east. Try to stay cool. God bless you!
What is the recipe for the rhubarb juice?
I was thinking of you, over this horrible weekend!!!!
How about a window a/c, for bedroom anyway?
If there are any left. I'm sure there has been 'a run' on them, even by people who don't usually use a/c.
This-spell-is-dangerous....
It's been very hot here with high humidity. Had to do anything in this kind of weather. the brain wants to malfunction. Love your Blog!! I'm typing from Cape Cod.MA
The floor would have been cooler, but it was crowded with damp, furry bodies.
OMG! Even in Toronto? This is madness!
I find it offensive when they refer to 80s as "lows", don't you?
The Butters is the same way - he lies in the sunbeams while it's 99 degrees. Nut. I will try and take an attractive pic of the curtain - when it's cooler.
I felt like Blanche Dubois. All I needed was an ostrich feather fan and even that would be too hot.
A breeze sure helps - yes, I use a ratio of 4C water to 2 C chopped rhubarb, bring to boil, simmer for 10+ minutes (usually +, since I get easily distracted), then drain it and add a little honey while it's hot. That's the problem - anything not used in over a month is like a whole new thing!
Oooh, that is good to know - on both the thread and juice front! The last thing I need is to become Cinderella's coach, so I'll ease up.
And now it's too humid to work with things that will stick to you.
Oh, Carol. How can you take it? I hope you've lived in Arizona long enough to assimilate your environmental adaptation...you know what I mean. You stay cool, too. I'll be sending you ice cubes via ESP.
Four cups of water and two cups of chopped rhubarb. Bring it to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer and let it simmer for 10 minutes or so (mine usually is simmering for closer to 20+ minutes). Pour it through a sieve, add sweetener to taste while hot. Let it cool and store in the fridge.
I am not a fan of A/C, so rely on judicious openings and closings of windows, along with strategic placement of fans.
Hello, Lynne in Cape Cod! Are you close enough to the coast to take advantage of any breezes? I hate it when everything sticks to you.
I have to admit my window AC is sure nice when the cats insist they can only sleep draped across my legs. I'm so forgetful that I keep my sewing machine manual stored right with the machine. I never remember how to use it. Sending you cool rainy thoughts.
I would be following Slimmie's lead; humid heat is the WORST! Wish I could transport you and crew here for a break; we're have a rare "typical" spell instead of extremes of one variety or another.
I'm sorry but I couldn't help but laugh over your curtain sewing tale. It could just have easily been me! Better go out for more ice cream to celebrate your success. This time for the cat.
I can vouch for the thread info. I never pull from the top, always the snipped end through the needle and I never buy cheap thread. Oh and unless the project small, change your needle after each project and clean your bobbin race out. LOL-TMI
take that heat and humidity and throw in a nasty swarm of mean biting mosquitos that hangs by the door just waiting for you to just try and venture out and then follows you around if you do. I need to water the front flower beds but I have to practically wear full body armor. at least we do have air conditioning.
I wish I still had my manual. It's an old machine and the manual and machine were separated in one of my many moves. I haven't been able to find a replacement!
I had to laugh, Michelle. When I looked at the photo I took of my thermometer - it's an "Oregon"! Oxymoron!
We brought some home for Slimmie! He loves vanilla ice cream.
Good god(ess)! It's bad enough that I have to spray on a layer of Cedarcide, put my netting on my hat and swim out through the humidity. A swarm of biting insects would push me over the edge!
All good info! I need to pick up some new needles - you need to email me and tell me a) what a bobbin race is and b) how do I clean it... Or move next door. :)
NO! I want her to move next door to ME! (Goodness, I sound like a spoilt toddler!)
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