Skip to main content

Heat, Humidity, Harvest, and Back-to-School


I mentioned recently that I needed to pick and can the tomatoes.  As you can see, one part of that task is complete, but somehow triple-digit temperatures and humidity--can you believe it?--dissuade me from attempting the canning.  I'm sticking the tomatoes in the fridge and hoping that it will be a bit more comfortable on Monday.  I really don't have reason to complain, though--the current humidity level is hardly stifling, but it is downright tropical compared to our normal, "but it's a dry heat!" climate.

Instead of canning, I'm going to take youngest daughter out to lunch somewhere with a good air conditioner, and we're going to discuss our homeschooling schedule for the fall.  Although the public schools started here a few weeks ago, we're easing into our fall routine.  She missed the first week of early-morning seminary due to BYU Education Week.  This week she did start seminary, but that's about it.  Now that the college kids have left for their apartments, it's time to start in on the academics.  Youngest daughter is signed up for a few online classes this year, but they don't start until September.  I'm hoping to use today's lunchtime to communicate expectations, plan for fun learning experiences, and generally encourage enthusiasm for the opportunity to learn new things.  I might even schedule these lunch meetings periodically, to allow us a chance to review the past months and set new goals for the upcoming ones. (I love the optimism that a new school year affords!)

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ten Things of Thankful: 39 Years Edition

A political map of the world circa 1987. The Soviet Union takes up a sizable portion. A lot has happened in the last 39 years. The Berlin Wall came down. The Soviet Union collapsed. The Twin Towers fell. Technology has changed: landlines and phone booths are practically extinct, and random questions can be answered in seconds by asking Google, Siri, or Alexa. No longer do drivers keep the Thomas Guide in their cars; navigation systems will give turn-by-turn directions, and recalculate when the driver doesn't follow the directions. Some cars don't even need drivers. While many shoppers do their shopping in-person, some simply log into Amazon and have their item show up on their doorstep--sometimes within hours.  I've seen pieces of the Berlin Wall. I've traveled to places that used to be behind the Iron Curtain. I've been to Ground Zero. I no longer have a house phone, and have looked up the answers to countless questions using my cell phone. I do not miss the stress...

Ten Things of Thankful: April Showers Edition

  A red peony bud prepares to open fully  After an incredibly dry winter, we had a bit of precipitation this past week, in the form of falling snow. We didn't have much, and it didn't really stick, but we'll take water however it wants to come. Fortunately, my peonies seem unaffected by the cold snap, and are ready to put on a show here soon. 1. I'm thankful for moisture. 2. I'm thankful the flowers are still going to bloom. I don't know how the colder temperatures will affect the fruit crops. The strawberries look like they are still planning to set fruit. We'll have to see what happens with the peach, apricot, pear, and apple. (The apricot only bears heavily every other year anyway, and I think this is an "off" year--though I could be wrong.) Strawberry plants in full bloom 3. I'm thankful for anticipated berries.  We continue to clear out and otherwise prepare John's parents' house for sale. I've been going through old photos and...

Tuesday Time to Tackle: DIY Swamp Cooler Pump Replacement

Yesterday morning, despite having the swamp cooler on all night long, we woke up to 81 degree temperatures inside the house.  John went outside to inspect and announced that the swamp cooler pump had stopped working. Fortunately, replacing the pump is a quick and simple do-it-yourself project.