Heat Wave
We are officially in a heat wave. Yesterday the high was in the 90s. Today is supposed to reach 100. This is reminiscent of Montreal in the 1990s and before, since the summers since 2000 have been rainy and cool. I just hope the weather is nice like this at the start of August when we travel to Cape Breton Island for a week.
I want to record a typical day in my life these days, just for the record. Here's what the freedom of retirement can win you if you're me:
These very hot days, I have been happily passing the time, sweating lightly and sipping liquids and staying inactive.
In the morning, I get up around 6 and sit with John on the back porch, enjoying the view of the garden while sipping my morning coffee. The garden's doing really well, and is beginning to resemble a proper English garden, with lots of pastel flowers, including lupin, astilbe, and of course, lots of day lilies, which are at present lifting their orange cups heavenward, all over, she said poetically.
We also watch the bird feeder, hoping for a jay or even a finch of sorts, but get mainly sparrows, including some mothers with nestlings who need to be fed. A week ago, I happened to see Kai, our large male cat, leap up into the air to catch just such a nestling in his mouth when it flew too low over the tomato patch. I could hardly believe my eyes. Although I rushed out to take the bird from his jaws, the little creature was already dead, its neck broken.
During a breakfast of a toasted bagel and cream cheese, an orange, half a banana and an apple, I read every inch of the Gazette and then do the New York Times crossword. John does the easier Gazette crossword, as he is less experienced at this vice. We are both getting better. I figure this is not only fun but might ward off dimentia. You never know...In any case, it keeps my brain active--at least while I'm doing it.
Just before 9, I go to the computer and check emails and blogs of interest and read all of The Daily Beast, which can take an hour. As I do so, I have a small fan blowing at me at my elbow and classical music from Vermont Public Radio--lovely! At present I'm listening to some Mahler symphony that I tuned in too late to get the name. A soprano is now singing away in German, interrupted by the sound of sleighbells. Symphony #4, John says.
Trying to stay cool, I wear as little as possible, staying in my sleeveless, short nightgown frequently until 10 or 11, then switching to a sleeveless cami and full Indian cotton skirt. I no longer care if anyone sees my sagging arms---it's too hot to care about such things, and besides, who sees me, apart from John?
Meanwhile, John is out playing tennis, even in this heat. He and his tennis friends only play for an hour, from 10 to 11 these days, in honor of the heat, instead of for two hours, but really! I would think it was dangerous to play in temperatures nearing 30 Celcius.
At lunch we have a salad, or sandwiches made with onion bun, Romaine lettuce, smoked turkey (or pate) and red onion. Then I go off to read or write. I have three novels, two childen's stories and several short stories that I am polishing up for possible submission. I have already sent out two short stories to Hunger Mountain Writ by doing so.
If I'm reading, I can read for hours once I've hit a good book, usually a mystery of a certain sort. I love thick mystery books with hundreds of pages; it makes me feel as if I have a wonderful treasure. And I will read it very fast, all day long, whenever I can.
Then, at around 2 or three, I nap in the bedroom with the fan on in the window and the ceiling fan spinning above me. I love these naps; there's none of the tension involved in sleeping at night. If I can't sleep, I just get up, whereas at night I toss and turn.
At 4 or 5, I get up and go downstairs to join John for an ice cold drink of Hochtaler (for me, at least, as he drinks beer, though, the strongest one they sell at our depanneur, of course.) Then one of us cooks or, these days, organizes a salad, phones for a pizza, or heats up leftovers. (We are trying to postpone getting groceries, as every time I step into Metro we spend almost $100. It's amazing, but true. And we do this without buying any dessert or liquor, or processed food---just vegs, fruit, juice, meat and bread products like buns and a baget.)
We listen to news and commentary on All Things Considered on NPR until six, when the market report comes on, at which point we shout, Oh no! and rush to turn to CBC's French classical music station, which plays great jazz while we eat dinner and read
After dinner there is tv, for me at least. I'm not anti-television in any way. I'm selective, so that I avoid the really stupid stuff, usually the comedies, which I find embarrassing in their sillyness and lack of humor. I watch such shows as CSI, and CSI:Miami, The Mentalist, Bones and Castle, all dealing with solving murder cases. I also wath Medium (don't laugh) and The Bachelorette--yes I know it's silly and probably scripted in some way, but it's candy for the mind, and a good antidote to murders. John and I watch PBS things like Antique Auction and some shows like American Experience.
Lately, however, we have watched DVDs in the evenings. For several weeks, for example, we watched episodes of TrueBlood, which is a sort of vampire show. I say sort of because it includes shapeshifters, werewolves, and all kinds of other 'mythic' beasts, since I guess once you have agreed to the premise that vampires exist (and in this series have 'come out of the coffin' since they can drink a synthetic blood called TrueBlood instead of feed on humans), then it's not much of a stretch to imagine that other imagined creatures exist. This series is alternately funny and gross, but highly addictive. John and I sit glued to the sofa, and even do a silly dances with our upper bodies and arms while the theme song plays. We haven't been so caught up in a series since a few years ago when we watched 'Rome' (to whose theme music we also did our little sofa dance.)
At ten, John goes off to bed. I wait about half an hour, enough to let him fall asleep. Then, unless there is a movie on, I go to bed and read for about half an hour. I usually sleep well, even in this heat, because I take a pill just before bed that ensures deep sleep; it's prescribed because of my firbromyalgia, which can keep me awake otherwise with aching limbs and joints.
Nice day, right? I know, it could become boring if it weren't for visits, restaurant meals and so on, especially little recent trips, which I will write about separately. Enough for now. Time to feed my felines and have lunch myself--alone, since John had gone off to have lunch with his friend Lou.
I want to record a typical day in my life these days, just for the record. Here's what the freedom of retirement can win you if you're me:
These very hot days, I have been happily passing the time, sweating lightly and sipping liquids and staying inactive.
In the morning, I get up around 6 and sit with John on the back porch, enjoying the view of the garden while sipping my morning coffee. The garden's doing really well, and is beginning to resemble a proper English garden, with lots of pastel flowers, including lupin, astilbe, and of course, lots of day lilies, which are at present lifting their orange cups heavenward, all over, she said poetically.
We also watch the bird feeder, hoping for a jay or even a finch of sorts, but get mainly sparrows, including some mothers with nestlings who need to be fed. A week ago, I happened to see Kai, our large male cat, leap up into the air to catch just such a nestling in his mouth when it flew too low over the tomato patch. I could hardly believe my eyes. Although I rushed out to take the bird from his jaws, the little creature was already dead, its neck broken.
During a breakfast of a toasted bagel and cream cheese, an orange, half a banana and an apple, I read every inch of the Gazette and then do the New York Times crossword. John does the easier Gazette crossword, as he is less experienced at this vice. We are both getting better. I figure this is not only fun but might ward off dimentia. You never know...In any case, it keeps my brain active--at least while I'm doing it.
Just before 9, I go to the computer and check emails and blogs of interest and read all of The Daily Beast, which can take an hour. As I do so, I have a small fan blowing at me at my elbow and classical music from Vermont Public Radio--lovely! At present I'm listening to some Mahler symphony that I tuned in too late to get the name. A soprano is now singing away in German, interrupted by the sound of sleighbells. Symphony #4, John says.
Trying to stay cool, I wear as little as possible, staying in my sleeveless, short nightgown frequently until 10 or 11, then switching to a sleeveless cami and full Indian cotton skirt. I no longer care if anyone sees my sagging arms---it's too hot to care about such things, and besides, who sees me, apart from John?
Meanwhile, John is out playing tennis, even in this heat. He and his tennis friends only play for an hour, from 10 to 11 these days, in honor of the heat, instead of for two hours, but really! I would think it was dangerous to play in temperatures nearing 30 Celcius.
At lunch we have a salad, or sandwiches made with onion bun, Romaine lettuce, smoked turkey (or pate) and red onion. Then I go off to read or write. I have three novels, two childen's stories and several short stories that I am polishing up for possible submission. I have already sent out two short stories to Hunger Mountain Writ by doing so.
If I'm reading, I can read for hours once I've hit a good book, usually a mystery of a certain sort. I love thick mystery books with hundreds of pages; it makes me feel as if I have a wonderful treasure. And I will read it very fast, all day long, whenever I can.
Then, at around 2 or three, I nap in the bedroom with the fan on in the window and the ceiling fan spinning above me. I love these naps; there's none of the tension involved in sleeping at night. If I can't sleep, I just get up, whereas at night I toss and turn.
At 4 or 5, I get up and go downstairs to join John for an ice cold drink of Hochtaler (for me, at least, as he drinks beer, though, the strongest one they sell at our depanneur, of course.) Then one of us cooks or, these days, organizes a salad, phones for a pizza, or heats up leftovers. (We are trying to postpone getting groceries, as every time I step into Metro we spend almost $100. It's amazing, but true. And we do this without buying any dessert or liquor, or processed food---just vegs, fruit, juice, meat and bread products like buns and a baget.)
We listen to news and commentary on All Things Considered on NPR until six, when the market report comes on, at which point we shout, Oh no! and rush to turn to CBC's French classical music station, which plays great jazz while we eat dinner and read
After dinner there is tv, for me at least. I'm not anti-television in any way. I'm selective, so that I avoid the really stupid stuff, usually the comedies, which I find embarrassing in their sillyness and lack of humor. I watch such shows as CSI, and CSI:Miami, The Mentalist, Bones and Castle, all dealing with solving murder cases. I also wath Medium (don't laugh) and The Bachelorette--yes I know it's silly and probably scripted in some way, but it's candy for the mind, and a good antidote to murders. John and I watch PBS things like Antique Auction and some shows like American Experience.
Lately, however, we have watched DVDs in the evenings. For several weeks, for example, we watched episodes of TrueBlood, which is a sort of vampire show. I say sort of because it includes shapeshifters, werewolves, and all kinds of other 'mythic' beasts, since I guess once you have agreed to the premise that vampires exist (and in this series have 'come out of the coffin' since they can drink a synthetic blood called TrueBlood instead of feed on humans), then it's not much of a stretch to imagine that other imagined creatures exist. This series is alternately funny and gross, but highly addictive. John and I sit glued to the sofa, and even do a silly dances with our upper bodies and arms while the theme song plays. We haven't been so caught up in a series since a few years ago when we watched 'Rome' (to whose theme music we also did our little sofa dance.)
At ten, John goes off to bed. I wait about half an hour, enough to let him fall asleep. Then, unless there is a movie on, I go to bed and read for about half an hour. I usually sleep well, even in this heat, because I take a pill just before bed that ensures deep sleep; it's prescribed because of my firbromyalgia, which can keep me awake otherwise with aching limbs and joints.
Nice day, right? I know, it could become boring if it weren't for visits, restaurant meals and so on, especially little recent trips, which I will write about separately. Enough for now. Time to feed my felines and have lunch myself--alone, since John had gone off to have lunch with his friend Lou.