Hard Truths

A neighbor jumped into the pool as we were treading and talking this afternoon. She ignored us and found her own space nearby to swim back and forth the short way, a choice I totally got and respected. As she swam, though, she made little noises, somewhere between a hum and a grunt, that were quiet but audible to us. We were still in the pool when she finished her workout and departed the pool, and as she walked into the locker room, I made a snarky remark to Heidi about the noises. 

Before she could reply, I laughed and apologized. "That was super unkind of me," I shook my head. "I don't know why I said that."

"Well," Heidi replied, "it was unexpected and noticeable."

I shrugged. "So what, though?" 

"You didn't say anything mean to her," Heidi pointed out, and I agreed.

As we floated, I thought of a friend and former colleague who quite often used to inform me that I was making little noises when we ate together at lunch. I knew her well enough to apologize, confess I was lost in my own thoughts, and then give her a little grief right back. "But if your goal was to make me uncomfortable? You succeeded!"

She usually rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I thought you would want to know!"

Did I, though?

Situational Awareness

There was an itchy spot on my shin when I sat down to meditate this morning, and I scratched it in surprise. Upon examination, the tiny crescent of blisters and its tiny adjoining constellation of the same revealed themselves to be poison ivy, which was hardly surprising since I have been tramping in and out of the woods across the way every day to check my wildlife camera.

In general, I'm fortunate not to be affected by many of life's dermatological irritants. I don't know if mosquitoes avoid me, or if I don't have a reaction to their bites, or a combination of both, but I can live my life repellent-free without consequence. The same usually goes for poisonous plants, although I am careful to avoid them.

But, I have noticed that the older I get? The more accident-prone I seem to be. Six decades on, my unconscious doesn't seem quite as sharp as perhaps it once was, and so I must be more consciously mindful. 

I guess it's a good thing I started my day with meditation!

Unwilling Participant

I was trolling the aisles of the discount clothing and home store, looking for Heidi, when a woman stepped in front of me, blocking me in. "Excuse me," she said. "Is this too much color?" She gestured at the top she was wearing as she surveyed herself in the mirror on the endcap.

Without pushing past her, I was stuck, so I took a look. The blouse had an orange, brown, and black botanical pattern on a backdrop of ivory. The colors were more muted than loud, and I shrugged and shook my head. "It has kind of an autumn palette," I told her as she fidgeted with the buttons and the waist tie at the bottom. "It's not really that bright."

"What can I wear it with?" she asked me. "Is this white?" she pointed to the background. "Can I wear it with white?"

She was wearing it over her own clothes, a reddish T-shirt and very light, cream-colored pants. It went well enough with them that if she hadn't pointed it out, I wouldn't have known it was not part of her outfit. "You can wear it with those," I said, pointing to her pants.

She poked out her bottom lip and tilted her head, considering my feedback. "But what else will it go with?"

"Maybe black?" I suggested. "In the fall?"

"Does it fit me?" she continued, "because I don't have to buy it if it doesn't look good." She scowled, and I took a step back.

"I think so," I answered. "The seam of the shoulder matches your shoulder." I pointed. "It's kind of flowy, but it's not unflattering."

"Thank you," she said, stepping aside, but never taking her eyes off herself in the mirror.

"You're welcome," I told her, and spotting Heidi not too far away, hurried in that direction. 

I have no idea what she decided.

Ooh, Shiny!

I needed the salad spinner out of the closet to dry the greens we bought at the farmer's market, but I had to move the extra AC filters to reach it off the shelf. Since I had the filters in my hand, I decided to go ahead and change the old one; after all, the air handler was right there. However, when I removed the used filter, the vent cover was also pretty dirty, so I retrieved the lambswool duster and cleaned that grate as well. During that job, some cat hair wafted to the floor, and I took a moment to open the app and send the Roomba out for duty. 

Once the closet was closed, I decided to take the kitchen trash, along with the used filter, to the rubbish enclosure up the hill. On the way back, I made a quick detour into the woods to snag the memory card from the wildlife camera I got for my birthday, and I was just about to sit down and see if we got any pictures when I noticed the greens on the counter, still in need of a salad spinner.

And don't even ask what I did once I got back into the kitchen! It may have involved roasting carrots, making chicken stock, and peeling tomatoes from our garden for salsa, but that's a story for another day. 

Unless I get distracted.

Documentary, My Dear Watson

When the summer TV doldrums hit, which they still do, despite the kazillion shows we could watch, we turn to Heidi's favorite genre, documentaries. In the last week, we've spent some time back in 1984 and 85, learning about the genesis and unintended complications of Live Aid, and in 1988 and 89, sharing the sorrow and confusion of the people who lost loved ones when Pan Am flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. We also watched a series about the kids who were murdered at Idaho State University in 2022. The last two are not our usual fare, but somehow we got caught up in those sad stories. 

Maybe tonight? Something a little lighter and a lot more upbeat. It is Christmas in July over at the Hallmark Channel. 🤔

Movie Magic

A friend invited us to see the new Superman movie this afternoon, and given that temperatures were predicted to be in the 90s all day, we agreed. As the lights dimmed for the preview reel, that thrill of anticipation stirred, as it has all my life when I'm at the movies. 

There were actually a few things that looked promising as the teasers played, too, especially Project Hail Mary, based on the riveting book by Andy Weir (who also wrote The Martian) and starring Ryan Gosling. Christopher Nolan's take on The Odyssey, to be released in July 2026, looked pretty good, too, and so did part 2 of Wicked.

The feature itself was generally underwhelming. Despite generally positive reviews, I found it to be a cartoonish and campy version of the Superman origin story and his rivalry with Lex Luthor. The rest of the patrons in the full theater seemed to enjoy it, though, and when all was said and done, I didn't need to love it. It was a perfectly diverting way to spend a couple of hours on a July afternoon.

And? It was the movies!

Well, I Guess So

I've been reading a lot about summer coffee drinks, and I decided to pull the trigger and try the espresso lemonade I've seen in several articles. Everyone says pretty much the same thing: it sounds awful, but it tastes great-- complex and refreshing. When I thought about it, lemon and espresso wasn't really that big of a stretch, especially considering that the tiny cup of strong coffee is often accompanied by a lemon twist on the saucer when served in Italy.

The recipes I consulted offered several variations, which was helpful, since I don't own an espresso machine. Most agreed that cold brew, or Japanese iced coffee, made a bit stronger than usual, would be good substitutes. So, yesterday I made a pour-over using a decaf Kenyan coffee, and iced it. Then I added a splash of simply lemonde and finished it with cold seltzer.

It was pretty good! The coffee and lemon were surprisingly complementary, and the seltzer gave the drink a little buzz. At any rate, I liked it enough to play around with the recipe some more.