After a fitful sleep Sunday night, Monday morning brought clarity. After almost two weeks on my own at the little house in the city, it was time to return to the country house, and to spend the few hours that Attila does not work with him.
Monday came early, 5:00 a.m., and the car was on its way home by 7:00 a.m. It was a long drive, construction and slow moving traffic stretched the trip out till after 12:00 noon. Still, the car is air conditioned, so the ride was comfortable, if long.
Attila came home for lunch Monday, a sort of a reunion over sandwiches.
So here I am at the country house!
The next step in the bathroom project is planned, and has to be executed by two strong-backed individuals, which means I won’t be involved. The tub needs to be moved away from the exterior wall, so that the insulation and vapour barrier can be correctly installed behind it, from floor to ceiling. It would be great if that part of the job were accomplished on one visit!
Yesterday was hot and humid. The country house is warm, but not unbearable. I slept the night in the direct breeze of a small fan. A few times I was awakened by something crawling lightly across my arm, then my back. I swatted, which seemed to halt the activity of whatever it was, and went right back to sleep. I hope that the creature, that showed such an interest in my sleeping body, will go and play somewhere else tonight!
It is hot and humid today. Mist and I are laying low, moving as little as possible in the house, with the windows and blinds closed, keeping the humidity and heat out. The hottest part of the day at the country house is between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., after that the air will begin to cool. Outside the mosquitos are waiting, so sitting in the shade, feet up, relaxing in the breeze… well, that is just not an option at the country house.
At the little house in the city I sit in the shade on the back porch, off and on all morning. The windows there are kept wide open. There are ceiling fans in every room at the little house in the city. It impresses me deeply, just how effective they are in keeping that small urban space bearable in the heat.
The heat of the laptop is unbearable during heat waves. So, an external USB keyboard is handy, sitting cooly on the lap, far from the heat of processors. I must reach over to the laptop when I want to use the touch pad, but most of what I want to do can be done on the keyboard.
The day was spent organizing our financial affairs, paying bills, and filling in the inevitable forms that facilitate survival in the modern world.
Attila worked through his lunch, as he does almost every day during the busy summer months. He arrived home at his regular time, which is a blessing. It is too hot to cook indoors, so the propane camp stove will be setup, for the outdoor preparation of grilled cheese sandwiches, for Attila. My meal will consist of one egg, poached in the microwave, one slice of fat free cheese, one piece of toast, and a bit of salad dressing made with olive oil. We will both enjoy a green salad as well.
Tomorrow will be hot and humid again, with some relief predicted toward the end of the week.
The cobber is in constant use!
Still, much in the world reminds me what dull but happy life I lead. There has been a terrible train derailment in Quebec, and torrential rains in Toronto, and thousands of smaller personal tragedies that I will never know anything about, taking place all across Canada.
P.S. Opportunity keeps passing me by! Why, today alone, I passed up several opportunities to retrieve money from overseas that I unexpectedly inherited from complete strangers! I deleted offers to send huge amounts of cash to my personal bank account. Several lotteries were won, but the prizes bit the dust in cyber space as my delete key flashed into action. Ah, what might have been!
P.S, P.S. Attila talked with Emmi last week, they live in Calgary, where flooding occurred. Apparently they were only evacuated for a few days as a precaution, and luckily their home was not affected by the flooding. It was very good news!
Worldly Distractions
Weather
26°C
Condition:Mostly Cloudy
Pressure:101.4 kPa
Visibility:16 km
Temperature:25.5°C
Dewpoint:20.1°C
Humidity:72%
Wind:S 21 km/h
Humidex: 33
Quote
“Yesterday I was a dog. Today I’m a dog. Tomorrow I’ll probably still be a dog. Sigh! There’s so little hope for advancement.”
Charles M. Schulz
1922 – 2000
Out of the mouths of dogs!
Comment to the “dog” in your quote for today:
I do not believe a soul can advance from being a dog to anything greater or more pure or perfect. You are already there, my friend!
My greatest wish is that I may be a tenth as good and pure as my dogs…
I have to agree Bex.
“no chance of advancement” Lucky Dog, I think that is what the phrase is all about. I think dogs are at their best in their relationships with humans, and vice versa.
I have a refrigerator magnet with a picture of a dog lying sprawled out in the shade, tongue lolling, eyes closed. The caption reads, “Thank you Lord for not putting me in charge.” Given to me by a coworker who knew how glad I was not to be the manager.
Nice to hear you are back at the country house (what a long drive!) and able to spend some time with Attila. It’s hard being separated by space or time, just not the same as having lunch together.
P.S. What’s a cobber?
Sarah, love the caption! I am always afraid of people who want to be in charge. If you are a good leader, being in charge is mostly responsibility, not glory. I do not seek out additional responsibilities, I already have plenty of them. So if a person wants to be in charge, it usually means they covet the glory, and duck the responsibility, and they create toxic environments due to their unbalanced attitudes.
The cobber was a birthday present for Attila, and I bought one for myself. I am so glad I did! Read about it here: http://www.cobber.com.au/