A Little Drama



My favorite daylily is doing beautifully, even after I cut off two chunks for planting elsewhere.

We are facing a "heat dome" for the next few days so I'm making sure all my shorts and lightest tank tops are ready. I have central air conditioning, but I hate using it. It cuts me off from the beautiful outside noises - birds, breezes, and insects. I save it for days I cannot get anything done because I am too hot to move. Plus I'm doing my share to cut down on energy use, save the environment, and a few bucks as well. We'll see if I continue with my less than 10 days per year air conditioning use. 

Saturday I heeded the call for volunteers in Lake Placid for an Ice Skating Championship for young skaters. I mean really young, at no more than 5 or 6 years old and up to early teens. They were so freaking adorable! I wanted to take pictures,, but it seems weird to take photos of other people's children, so I didn't.
I was gate keeper on the ice for a couple of hours, then switched to being a runner which meant I got lots of steps in. Geri and I rode up together and then had dinner in Lake Placid after we secured our free lift tickets for next winter.

It was a gorgeous day for a drive to the mountains.

I took a walk over to the other arena where older skaters were competing.
This was the extent of the crowd, unlike the arena I was assigned to.


Sunday the heat was building and we had a concert over at Tanglewood in Massachusetts. Paul Simon, at 84 years old, played some of his old hits, but started with his Seven Psalms piece. I didn't realize that he has severe hearing loss as he definitely struggled with his voice. There were a few moments of his past vigor, but it was nice to see him on his last tour. He is such a talented songwriter.
 


Before the show I walked on the grounds and found a treasure. A giant sun dial (30 - 40 feet) where you are the pointer if you stand in the correct location. I absolutely love compasses and sundials (anything astronomical really) so this got me excited. And it's made with rocks!


On Tuesday, our small book group convened to discuss The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout. We all enjoyed the book and the character development that Strout employs to tell her stories. I made individual berry trifles for the dessert which were well received.

Things are really growing in the garden. Thank goodness we had a thunderstorm yesterday which drenched the garden just in time for the oppressive heat. The lavender is in full bloom and it's covered with bees. There are so many different kinds now that I've taken notice of them all.

A honey bee.

A drone fly which looks very similar to the honey bee.



I think this is a tiny hover fly - it's just a couple of millimeters long with iridescent wings.

Wednesday turned out very different to the way it started. I processed snow peas for the freezer and a few other garden tasks. Then I noticed flashing lights in my eyes and then my vision went in one part of my eye. So, I took myself to the emergency room mainly to rule out stroke. Which they did, but the waiting was interminable. Then I had to be transferred to a different hospital for an MRI, which I ultimately declined because no one could assure me that it wouldn't rip out the ear tube or prosthesis in there. I will follow up with a neurologist next week. After calling for a Lyft driver to take me back to my car, I finally got home at 8pm.  I won't be doing that again anytime soon.

Today will be a quiet day at home in the air-conditioning as the outside temp is going to be 99°F today. Along with the heat, we have had thunderstorms the last two nights so the ground is saturated and I don't have to water. I love my curly whirly waterer though!




Comments

  1. MargaretJuly 2, 2026 at 11:22 PM

    I'm very concerned about that eye issue; I'm assuming they checked for a detached retina? I love the color of that day lily and the beauty of the Lake Placid site. What a wonderful way to earn a lift ticket! I love my heat pump and it's always on (sort of?), although I can fiddle around with the temperature. We've had a cool summer (except for a couple days) so far and I hope that continues. I'm a big fan of Strout and have her latest book on order at the library. She writes in such an easy, yet perceptive way. I feel like her characters are real people.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Maureen MJuly 3, 2026 at 8:03 AM

    Yes they checked my retina, and loads of other things. I've thought of getting a mini split (I think that's a heat pump) but I'm dragging my feet, per usual. My AC is 30+ yrs old, so I'm assuming it will need replacing soonish.

    ReplyDelete

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