It's Too Hot To Play Outside

photos mine

Summer is finally here in the Pacific Northwest. We should hit triple digit temperatures for the next few days, which means that I'm going to be hibernating in my climate controlled house. And thanking my lucky stars that I can do that.

I just cannot do hot weather anymore. My body has lost it's ability to tolerate hot weather and after just a few minutes, I become miserable. And if the hot weather is accompanied by clear blue skies and blazing sunshine, even with sunscreen my skin protests with angry red spots on my legs, arms, and neck. So, hibernation it is.

There's all sorts of productive stuff that I could be doing while on self-imposed house arrest. But, of course, I don't want to do any of it.

I could be re-organizing my spice cabinet. Obviously. Why, you ask?

The need for spice organization made itself apparent yesterday, when I was rummaging around in there for my decade - old box of caraway seeds. See that white turntable stuffed with bottles and sitting precariously on a wire rack?

FYI - NOT a good idea. I had a pot of stew bubbling away just to the right of this hodgepodge, and after finding the caraway seeds, dumped the contents of the entire turntable - and a half of a box of caraway seeds - into my perfectly good brat-potato-beer-carrot-onion-sauerkraut stew.

Not kidding. It is actually pretty good, except when there's a mountain of caraway seeds in it. Yes, it is a strange meal to be cooking when it's 100 degrees outside, but we had some brats to use up and I was too lazy to venture outdoors to fire up the grill.

I probably could throw away half of those bottles, since most of them have been sitting in that cabinet for a very very very long time.

But who wants to waste precious time organizing spices? Not me. I have so many other more important things to do, if only I could remember what they are.

I used to spend a great deal of time playing my piano. But lately my poor piano languishes away covered in dust, and the longer I go without playing, the harder it is to read even very simple music. Funny how my brain and fingers just don't talk to each other much these days. I could use this time to re-acquaint them and my piano keys.

I am going to try to wheedle wheedle wheedle Terese into loaning me some super - simple music from her enormous stash. Sometime. Maybe next week.

Yes, that is indeed a roll of Christmas wrapping paper stuffed next to the wall. Which definitely could indicate the need for yet another project - getting all the junk piled next to and around the piano into their proper places. Good grief. I hadn't even noticed it there until I posted the picture.

We spent six weeks attending a doggie obedience class a few months ago. I really suppose that I could use this time to hone in on all those terrific skills that the dogs have acquired.

OK. I have to confess here that the classes did little to no good in changing my rotten dog's behaviors. But Mags and Lulu are so stinkin' cuuuuuutttte. Here Maggie is holding her little monkey toy while she naps. Awwww. Now why would you want to change a sweet little dog like that? Even though she turns into a mindless doofus dog every time someone rings the doorbell or even steps onto our porch? Or has absolutely no concept of the Come command?

I suspect that even with repeated practice, our woogies are long past the point of no return as far as obedience goes, so I probably shouldn't even try.

Ah, well, there seems to be nothing worth my valuable time and attention to schedule over the next few days. Guess I'll just have to force myself to watch a bunch of stupid old movies. OR - even better - go to an air-conditioned place. Like I-Hop...........Ooo! Ooo! Dairy Queen............Shopping? Oh, yeah, shopping at the mall is a quality experience. AND I could get some exercise walking around.......right to the Cinnabon stand.....

Now THAT's the way to spend some quality time in a cool atmosphere.

Bad Julia. Bad, bad girl.