TheBanyanTree: It's Summer Time and the Livin' is Easy

[Margaret R. Kramer]

It’s very humid and I probably should turn on the air conditioning, but I’m
always reluctant to shut out summer.  Even though the air is thick, I love
the sultry breeze blowing through the open windows.  I like opening up the
back screen door to sit on my deck and read for a while, with a cool glass
of water by my side.  I love walking in the muggy air to my garden and
picking some ripe tomatoes, broccoli, green peppers, and onions. 

When the air conditioning is on, then it’s too hot to contemplate leaving
the house and the summer day goes on without my presence.

Well, let’s summarize this past week:

I had my annual mammogram on Monday and I’m happy to report that the results
were normal.  My breasts are safe for another year.  I also got the results
from my blood tests and I’m positively normal in all those categories, too.
No diabetes, no high cholesterol, no high pressure, and no drugs.

On Tuesday, Joe and I joined other neighbors on my block and participated in
National Night Out.  Oh, we had a fine time.  They had a great band, some
dancing, lots of eating, and good camaraderie.  Next year, we’ll bring
chairs and Joe will bring a couple bottles of beer.

I went to yoga on Wednesday.  Because of a teacher shortage, the gentle yoga
people had class with the intermediate yoga people.  The class was the same,
but more spiritual.  It was a wonderful spiritual opening for my yoga, for
me, going beyond the exercises for the first time.

Joe and I took September to the vet for his shots on Friday.  He’s killed
two baby rabbits in the past week and Axel the beagle has eaten them.

I’ve been going to the gym in St Paul at lunch time for workout.  I can
sleep in and stay up late, just like we should do in the summer, and then
get in my workout at lunch.  However, they’re closing the club downtown St
Paul, because they cannot come to a lease agreement with the owner of the
building.  Friday, August 13th will be the last day the club is open.

They were giving out gym bags and T-shirts, so now I have a new nice gym
bag.

My building has a very nice gym and locker room, which is free to tenants,
so I signed up and I should get an access card on Thursday.  Problem solved.

Joe and I went out to dinner, a very rare thing, last night.  We had a good
time; great food, good conversation, and a break in our routine.

Today, on this warm, muggy afternoon, we took Shadow and Axel to the off
leash dog park.  This is the first time we’ve done that.  We kept the
renegade beagle on the leash, but Shadow did very well running down the
paths just far enough ahead of us.  It’s a very woodsy park and it’s like
being in the middle of nowhere.  We had a great time.

The dogs were very hot, especially Axel.  We did bring water for them.  We
took the flower van and that worked well.  Axel sat in the very back seat
and Shadow sat in the middle, while Joe and I were in front.

The last few weekends, Joe and I have been cooking together.  Most of the
time we cook here, and we use my gas grill.  Joe has lost his fear of it
(he’s always used charcoal before) and now watches over the grill like a
mother watches children. 

We grill up chicken, brats, burgers, and tonight we’re grilling steak.  Then
we sauté different combinations of vegetables, some from my garden, and
maybe add a salad or corn-on-the-cob.  It’s fun to cook together.  We play
our menus, gather our food, and off we go.  I match up the wine with our
food, and we have a delightful dinner.

Joe went home after the dog park, so he could be in air conditioning for a
while.  I have to remember not everyone enjoys hot summer days like I do.
The humidity was extremely hard on Ray’s lungs and I know by now, I would
have had the air conditioning running if he was still here.  I’ll turn it on
after we’re finished eating dinner.

We’re supposed to have strong storms tonight, in fact, we’re in a tornado
watch, so it’s just as well the windows will be closed.     
        

Margaret R. Kramer
margaretkramer at comcast.net
www.linkedin.com/in/margaretkramer

Never be afraid to sit awhile and think.   
-Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun