Morning

This morning starts quietly enough. 

My eyes open, feet hit the floor. Make the bed, into the kitchen to put on the kettle, step outside to see what the day is like. 

At 7 am it is already it is 76°f, and the humidity smacks me in the face. Sweat begins to bead on my forehead. 

Clyde, enjoying the cool concrete before it heats up.

I go back inside, turn off the kettle, go back to the bedroom to get dressed---socks, jeans, shoes, no dress or shorts right now---because I need to get the stringtrimming done before the heat surges.

45 minutes later and out of batteries, I am back on the porch, stripping off sweat-soaked clothes. I head for the shower. Ah, what bliss! 

Now it is 12:30 and the temperature is already 92°. A high of 96 is expected, with a heat index  of 101°. I will spend the rest of this day inside. I have cabbages to prepare for the freezer, that desk to finish painting, ebay to list. Dinner is already planned: ham, fresh broccoli, leftover mac and cheese from yesterday, a salad.

Given the forecast, this will probably be pretty much the model for the week: out early to do what we can,  then inside. Even the evenings stay too hot to get anything done.

Larry's morning was a little more exciting than mine. He was out even earlier than me to cut the cabbages (in this heat they would scorch on top, so even though they could have got bigger, we would have lost a good bit to sun damage). Then he got on the mower.

He is struggling with this mower. It is bigger and heavier than what he has had in the past, and the controls are different. And it needs chains on the tires. Our place is steep and no mower does well here without chains. Of course, there are none to be had anywhere apparently.  Derek tried to find some for us at 4 stores in different areas he drove through Saturday, and no one had any. So he ordered some online.

Meanwhile, Larry wants to mow what he can. It hasn't been easy. This morning there was dew on the grass and as he mowed one rather steep area, he rolled the mower, right over himself. God knows how, but he came out of it unscathed except for knowing he'll be sore later. I did not see it happen, probably would have had a heart attack. Had he had chains on the mower, he might not have had this happen, but I am not sure about that. He's going to have to do a serious re-think of how and where he mows with this mower.

Meantime, he has gone into town to buy an oil change for the mower because of course most of the oil dumped out when it rolled. Other than that the mower seems to be okay. 

This isn't the first time he's rolled one---once he cut his hand pretty badly. But dear Lord I do hope it's the last!

Here's hoping your morning has been a little less stressful!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.