Odds & Ends

After waiting a few hours to see if the problem with the AC would resolve itself (fat chance!), I called our AC guy. It has been years since he installed a new unit for us so I know that when I told the office that I needed a repair man, they didn’t know that I was an old customer. She told me that she would try to have someone stop by in the afternoon. I was not holding my breath, but we did stay home and wait just in case someone showed up. I thought same day service was too much to ask for. I had given up hope of being able to sleep. At 6:30 pm, the doorbell rings and the most welcome sight of the technician was there. I could have danced a jig. He tinkered around with it and, voila! cool air. He said it needed a new thermostat but this one would last until fall. He said they would bill us for this service call when they installed the thermostat.

It must be great to have a job doing something that makes people so happy to see you.

Years ago PBS featured Bob Ross, a painter. I was amazed by him. He may not have been a great artist, but I watched his show regularly and marveled at his talent. The following link is a tribute to Mr. Ross:

http://news.yahoo.com/bob-ross-pbs-remix-puts-us-happy-little-090022657.html?_esi=1

I have been reading Steven F. Havill’s series of Undersheriff Bill Gastner books. The setting is New Mexico, current time period. If you enjoy C. J. Box’s Joe Pickett series, or Craig Johnson’s, Sheriff Longmire series, or P. T. Deuterman’s Cam Richter series, or William Kent Krueger's Cork O'Connor
series, you may like this series. I couldn’t find them at any of the three county libraries I access in any form, but they are available on Amazon, Kindle department. I found two free ones and the others are reasonably priced.

I'm Mel-l-l-ting!

The outdoor temperature is +l00 degrees. The AC is not working.

Complain, Complain, Complain

 

A large portion of the country is suffering through an early heat wave. Here in SC, we have high temps, high humidity and strong thunderstorms every afternoon or evening.

Our grandsons have been playing in baseball tournaments and I can say sitting in 100+ degree weather has taken the starch out of me. Noah’s team went to the State Championships which was four hours away. We didn’t make that one. Cole was in a huge tournament with about 200 teams from all the over the US in Marietta, GA. We went to three of his games because the trip was only 2 1/2 hours one way. I can’t seem to get cool enough. Even sitting in the car with the AC blowing directly on me, my skin feels cold, but the core of me is still hot.

This morning when I walked to the mailbox, there was a slightly unpleasant smell in the air. I realized that it was the smell that I imagine when James Lee Burke describes the odors of the bayous--the dampness and the decay of vegetation and animal life. While it was not overpowering as I imagine it must be in the swamp, it wasn’t a pleasant way to start the day.

There is a break predicted for Saturday—from the weatherman’s lips to God’s ear.

Iced Tea–Un or No?

Iced tea in the South is a year-round drink. We drink it if the temperature is below zero or above. Having been born in Western Kentucky, then living in several locations in Tennessee and then returning to Kentucky, I think I may consider myself a Southerner. My several years in Connecticut erased my drawl and I say “you guys” just like a New Englander; however, I’m still a year-round iced tea drinker.

Growing up, our iced tea was served without sugar in tall glasses, or, in some cases, Mason jars. The place setting at the dining table included long handled spoons for those of us who liked our tea on the sweet side. There were also little dishes of sliced lemons for those who liked a little tartness. When I started “fixin” my own, I discovered I found the plain tea more refreshing than the sweetened, and I liked the fact that the plain tea didn’t interfere with the flavor of whatever I was eating.

I might add that wherever I ate, the tea was unsugared and iced tea spoons were available—at homes or in restaurants, Kentucky or Tennessee. Perhaps now their iced tea is just like South Carolina’s.

I think I mentioned the incident when I first had lunch with the girls in the office in Connecticut. I ordered iced tea even though it was cold enough to freeze your…well, anyway, it was cold and there was about 6 inches of snow on the ground. The waitress informed me that they didn’t have iced tea in the winter. I asked her if she had hot tea. She said yes. I asked her to bring me a cup of hot tea and a glass with ice. Everyone looked at me as if I were nuts.

When we moved here to South Carolina, I discovered that iced tea is sickly sweet as a matter of course. Apparently, there is a recipe for iced tea that involves dissolving lots of sugar in hot water and then steeping the tea in it. You can’t just add sugar to your cold tea. If you want no sugar, you have to specify. My problem is, I say, “Iced tea, no sugar, please.” This seems to cause every server a problem. At first, there is a look of bafflement and then you see from the expressions on their faces, their befuddlement passes. “You mean ‘unsweet tea?” This doesn’t happen 25% of the time or even 50% of the time—it happens every time I order.

I know that I could solve the problem if I could just say “unsweet" but there is something about the word that just seems wrong to me. (When I type “unsweet” spellcheck tells me there is an error, so I guess I could be a little bit right.)

I suppose it’s a cultural difference, and when in Rome. . . I should try to order “unsweet” tea, but it’s hard to change after 65 years of tea drinking and talking. I just don’t get why it is so hard to understand “iced tea, no sugar.”

In the News - Tacky, Tacky, Tacky

When I read of  "drive thru" viewing of deceased persons at a funeral home, it seemed to me to be the height of tackiness. I thought the glow-in-the-dark figures in cemeteries were running a close second to the "drive thru's." Today I read in the news that a local funeral home is adding a Starbuck's Coffee to their establishment for the "comfort" of the bereaved. They are planning to serve coffee and Starbucks food. I think this has the "drive thru" topped for the tacky ideas. Anything to make a buck, I suppose.

Audio Books

Some years ago when I was first diagnosed with the my first serious sign of aging (I’m not talking about wrinkles or grey hair), the doctor suggested that I start walking.

I found out that walking can be deadly dull when you are walking the same route every day. It was either walk the same route or trying to walk up a tremendous hill out of our neighborhood. I purchased a tape player to listen to music. Somehow that just didn’t do it for me, so I tried audio books. They worked out great. The end result was that I was walking even longer than was necessary. When I’m reading, I find it hard to put the book down, and the cassette player seemed to urge me on to another chapter, and then another chapter.

That lasted quite a while until the weather turned much warmer and my knees and hip joints began to complain loudly. Walking fell by the wayside. I tried to use the dreaded treadmill, but the aches and pains made walking quite uncomfortable.

In the last few weeks, I have been using the audio books available from the public libraries that I can access on line. My insomnia is getting worse and worse, and I thought I would try the audio books. For a long time I downloaded old time radio shows to listen to at night and I would fall asleep quickly. They seemed to be a good solution for my sleep problems. I soon had listened to every Sam Spade, Richard Diamond, and Casey, Crime Photographer available.

The books don’t work as well for me. The problem is I become engrossed in the story and have to continue for one more chapter staying awake. That doesn’t help my sleeplessness much.

There is another little problem with the audio books that is a little distracting for me. When the readers (narrators?) act the parts of the characters, they changed their voices. I’ve noticed that sometimes they forget which voice goes with which character. It seems that Sheriff Longmire’s voice changes from chapter to chapter. And the voice range of Judge Deborah Knott changes—one chapter it’s a normal female voice, then it’s deeper, and then it goes to soprano. As I said, it’s a little distracting. I think it might be better for the reader just to read instead of “playing” the parts.

There is one more drawback. Mr. Fixit gets a little put out seeing me with the earbuds in my ears for most of the day. It’s such fun, though, listening to a good book while doing laundry, dishes, and cooking.

If He Pulls It Off, He'll Deserve an Oscar

Lee Child is the author of a series of books featuring Jack Reacher, an ex-MP who is 6'6" tall and weighs either 230 or 260 pounds. Either way, this is one big guy. His size plays an important part of the character's persona. One of Mr. Child's books has been made into a movie that is scheduled for release this coming December.

Tom Cruise has the role of Reacher, all 5'7" of him. Some may think of him as a gifted actor, but I think he's going to have to be a GREAT actor to make me believe he is 6'6".