Distracticat

I was driving down the road the other day when I heard my phone 'ding' to let me know I had a new text. At the next stop light I checked to see who was trying to contact me.  The message turned out to be a snapshot Son Donald took of Pepper the Cat sprawled on the desk in front of the computer monitor. 

He called the photo "Distracticat".

A "Snow Day" In July

In an effort to beat the heat and get my exercise in, this morning I rolled out of bed early to join Hubby Tony on his before-work walk. After a brisk 30 minute tour around the neighborhood we returned home, where Tony showered and left for work. I made and ate breakfast, read the newspaper, then went upstairs to take a well deserved shower.  My phone rang just as I was beginning to wash my hair. When I checked the call log, I discovered I had a missed call from Tony. I finished getting dressed and was just getting ready to return the call when I heard someone that sounded an awful lot like Tony calling out "Hello?" It was him.

He told me that when he pulled into the office parking lot he saw a large group of people milling around outside the main door.  They told him that thanks to some pretty powerful storms that rolled though the area last night the building was without electricity. It wasn't expected to come back on until late afternoon, so after waiting around for about fifteen minutes longer they got word that the office would be closed and everyone had the day off.

It felt like a snow day in the middle of the hottest part of the year.  I had a list of things I was going to do, but those plans changed so I could enjoy a little bit of Tony's freedom.  After some necessary paperwork, computer stuff, and lunch I got ready to go for the pedicure I'd been looking forward to since the weekend.  Tony decided to go with me (his first time ever).

When we walked into the nail salon there were no other customers, and they looked happy to see us.  Tony wasn't having polish put on his nails, so he watched over my shoulder while I picked my color. Even though he didn't get the colored toenails, he said he thoroughly enjoyed the foot soak in the whirlpool bath, the nail and cuticle maintenance, the foot and leg massage, and the hot towel to remove all the crud from his smoothed lower extremities.

On the way home he was already talking about the next time.

OPI Dutch Tulips "A bouquet of blooming pink-red"

Cooking In The Car

How hot is it today?  Right now the temperature is 94 degrees, but when you factor in the humidity the heat index says it feels like 112 degrees.  That's pretty miserable.

Before I left to go to the gym I cut up some fresh, perfectly-white mushrooms to eat after I got done. I left the bag in the closed up car while I was taking a class. When I came out, my mushrooms were halfway to cooked!

As I was eating them I kept thinking they'd taste really good with a nice juicy steak. Probably a good thing I didn't have that hunk of beef, though.  I don't think it would have done as well in the hot car as the mushrooms.

Five years ago today: Age Has Its Privileges

And Off Goes The Polish!

Tonight I noticed the polish on my toes was looking chipped and needed to be replaced.  I decided that tomorrow I'd treat myself to a mid-summer pedicure at a nail salon, but having the salon remove the old polish is pricy, so I decided to take it off myself.  However, when I pulled out the bottle of nail polish remover it was almost empty.  There was just enough to saturate a couple of cotton balls, which only removed some of the polish.  Most of it remained. What to do?

All of a sudden I had a revelation. One of the main ingredients in the nail polish remover is acetone. I had some acetone paint remover left over from a long-ago decorating project in the basement.  I wondered if it would work on my nails?

I pulled the gallon-sized container down from its spot on a shelf and blew off a couple of cobwebs.  Because of the strong smell of the industrial strength paint remover I decided to do the job outside on the back patio.  I poured a small amount into the cap, then dipped a cotton ball in and touched it to my toenail.  The polish melted away immediately!  It only took two minutes to complete the entire job. I came in with natural-colored nails, which I washed well with soapy water to remove any remaining chemical.

I can't wait to pick out a new 'piggy' color at the salon tomorrow.

Five years ago today: Garden Update

Friday Dance Party

This morning I took a trip back in time via the radio. When I heard the first familiar strains of "The Hustle" I was ready to dance!

In case you don't remember the song or the line dance that accompanied it, here's a video showing you how it's done.



Five years ago today: Decking The Halls

It's Always Good To Take A Chance

This afternoon after I completed my work for the day I stopped at a large international food market to buy a couple of things. After I got the items on my list (produce and dry garbanzo beans for me, sesame oil, fish sauce, and curry paste for Son Donald) I wandered up and down the aisles looking at all the exotic items. In the Greek aisle I saw this:

Even without reading the label I could figure out it was probably a candy bar. It only cost 60 cents, so I threw it into my bag. What's the worst that could happen?

 As it turns out there was no worst, and I thoroughly enjoyed my treat. The bar consisted of thin crispy wafers nestled in between layers of chocolate, the whole thing covered with more chocolate. When I got home I looked closely at the label (which was hard to read, because it had very tiny printing) and found the address for the Ion company website, where I learned that my ChocoFreta bar is one of the most popular confections in Greece. 

I can certainly understand why.

Greased

Tonight after dinner I cut the grass. At 81 degrees, the temperature was pretty nice for mid-July, but when I was finished I was still covered in sweat.  I came inside, turned up the ceiling fan in the family room as high as it would go, and sprawled on the floor underneath it until the sweat stopped. That's the point where I usually go upstairs and take a shower. Tonight, though, I thought it would be nice to treat myself to a soak in the bathtub.

It had been so long since I'd used the tub that I had to dust it out first. After it was clean I started running the water, then opened up the drawer where I keep my stash of bath products to see what I wanted to use. I chose a lavender-scented bath oil and poured a cupful into the water, where it soon sent up a heavenly smell. While the bath was filling I lit the set of candles I keep on a tray next to the tub.  When everything was ready I settled into the water and sank my shoulders underneath. Eventually I sat up enough to hold the book I'd brought with me. Time passed while I enjoyed the sounds of nature outside.

Eventually the water got too chilly for my tastes and it was time to get out. After I toweled myself dry I went to put my clothes on and discovered that my body felt unacceptably greasy.  Either my bath oil was past its prime or the summer humidity in the air was interacting with the oil on my skin. I ended up jumping in the shower, where I washed off most of the oil.

Five years ago today: Tea Time

We All Scream For Ice Cream!

Thanks to Hubby Tony, I knew that July was National Ice Cream Month.  We observed it over the Fourth of July weekend by treating ourselves to premium scoops at a nearby parlor. However, the third Sunday of the month, which is National Ice Cream Day, almost passed me by until I saw this on Facebook this morning:

Boynton on Facebook

It was a busy day and there wasn't time to stop by a real ice cream shop. However, there's a Sonic just a half mile from my house, where I went tonight to get a waffle cone sundae that turned out to be a great way to celebrate:

Five years ago today: The Value Of A Teacher

Happy Halfy

The other day I received an email from a company withing me a 'halfy birthday'. Although the actual day was on July 12th (five days ago) I won't complain. The email contained a coupon for $10, which I plan on using next time I go to the mall.

Exercise Times Two

The gym I go to has two group exercise classes each morning-one in the 9:00 hour and one in the 10:00 hour.  I have a meeting I attend every Friday, but on the other days if I don't have any work scheduled or errands to run I go to one of the classes.

On Thursday, the early class is called Muscle Works (which uses hand weights and bands to work all of the major muscle groups of the body). The second class is Zumba (a fitness program inspired by Latin dance).  Because the doctor told me I need to work on building my bones I always choose the first one.  However, Zumba is taught by a woman I know from my previous gym. I've told her quite a few times as I'm leaving and she's coming in I'll stay for her class someday, but not today. (One class is more than enough for me, but there's quite a few people who do both.).  She just smiles.

Today I had a work assignment right down the road from the gym that could be done any time after 11:00.   If I stuck to my normal Thursday schedule I'd be done at the gym with too much time to spare, and it wasn't worth spending the time and gas driving home and coming back to the same area.  I decided today would be the day I'd stay for my acquaintance's Zumba class.

Before I left the house I made myself a snack to eat in the car after I'd done two hours worth of exercise and made sure my water bottle was filled up.  When I got to the gym, though, I found out my acquaintance wasn't going to be there.  The first instructor was subbing, teaching something she called Cardio Dance. I ended up staying, but now I still have to fulfill my 'Zumba' requirement.

Five years ago today: Fast Cars and Facial Hair