Sunday Salon: July 13

Quote and art by Mary Anne Radmacher

Weather: HOT. The weather report for this coming week shows increasing temperatures, with no relief in sight. Everyone is so worried about forest fires. Eek!

Air Conditioner: our air conditioner went out while we were gone. Thankfully we were able to get the service guy out BEFORE this heat spell hit and he had the part ot fix it. Whew!

Yesterday: I planted a few petunias that I found on the sale table at the local nursery I frequent. Now to keep them alive in this scorching weather. We went to the local hardware store to buy flytraps and returned to walk the dog in the cool of the evening.  Otherwise I stayed inside and read, it was too hot to be outside for long.

Supermoon: Did you see it? We saw it rising over Mt. Rainier on July 11th (one day early.) Apparently it can occur when the moon is at its closest to the Earth. It will look 13% larger and 30% brighter. I will attest to the brighter part but I didn't think it looked much larger.

Moved in: My daughter graduated college on Sunday, June 15th; she and her dad moved her out of her apartment on the 16th, arriving home with the truck loaded down at 10:30 PM. We unloaded everything onto the floor of the living room. The next day, June 17th, I had to work and Carly had to do laundry and pack for our Europe trip. We left for Italy early in the morning on the 18th and then arrived home midday, jetlagged, on July 5th. When we opened the door to the house there sat all of Carly's bags, boxes, and furniture on the living room floor. It took us a week but we now have moved everything back in or found places to tuck away and hide the rest. It even caused us to clean up the garage a bit, making room for her things. I am so proud of my daughter for her accomplishments. Tomorrow she starts Jury Duty. I guess she is really an adult now.

High Schools that Work conference: I will be attending the HSTW conference this coming week in Nashville, Tennessee. It seemed like a good idea to sign up for it during the school year but now I'm not as eager to go as I was. Last time I went to this conference I had a really great time and learned a ton. I look forward to it.

Books read this week:

• Looking for Alaska by John Green. I read this book eight years ago the first time and really enjoyed this reread. See my review here.
• Red Madness: How a Medical Mystery Changed What We Eat by Gail Jarrow. This is about the investigation into the cause of the now rare disease pellagra. Read my review here.
• The Sound of Letting Go by Stasia Ward Kehoe. Written in verse this is a story of what it is like to live in family with a profoundly handicapped member.
• One Day by David Nicholls. A couple meet on July 15th, this is their story as told on that day each year. I think I will rent the movie today and stay in from the heat again.

Currently reading:

• We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. A mysterious head injury has wiped a part of Cady's memory. A Mock Printz possible.
• The Story of Owen: Dragon Slayer of Trondheim by EK Johnston. A fantasy novel set in modern times. Can you imagine if we had dragons today? Another Mock Printz possible.

Have a good week. How will you keep cool this week?