Some HodgePodge

Ask me about the weather and one word will cover it: HOT! Forecast is for continued heat and even more intense heat by the first week in August. Well, that is a lot to look forward to after a steady steam of July hot days. I feel summer speeding by and that makes me sad. Today’s mailbox had magazines with pumpkin recipes and autumn decorating tips. I am just not ready for that yet!

Yesterday while it was actually four degrees cooler than it had been, I convinced DH to take a ride with me. I thought we had been on the property long enough and had read enough, that we needed a break. I suggested making the rounds of the thrift stores. He thought I was crazy because I wasn’t hunting anything specific. I told him I would know what I was hunting when I saw it in a store! So we took off, and he tolerated my sniffing out prizes for pennies. I spent $11 which including $3 for a book for him; I brought home seven other items for that price. Can’t do that at Wal-mart! These two white items were some of the finds, as well as this brand new Tetley tea pot for $1. (EBay has them for $10) It is not that I needed the tea pot for sure, but hey, a dollar for a new tea pot!

Early this morning I forced myself to ride my bike four miles, and yes, I felt better for it. Then DH and I settled on the deck for some reading in morning air. I took a stack of memos out to sort through first and never did get to my book. Two things popped up as writing opportunities I had set aside for myself. One was a magazine titled Still Crazy, and I felt the name definitely had me in mind. It is for people over 50 and the reading period ends on Nov 15. For more info go to www.crazylitmag.com.


The second is a literary journal titled Natural Bridge and its reading period ends August 31. I need to get in gear if I am going to follow through on this one. I have never seen an issue, but it has a mailing address of St. Louis. I am wondering if my St. Louis pals have any experience with this one. For info go to www.umsl.edu/~natural.

After lunch, I gathered up magazines to take to my friend, Agatha, who just recently went into assisted living. It was a hard thing to do, but at 94 she has done well without help for many years. She is independent, but she is kind, charitable, and thoughtful of her kids by taking the worry about her well being off their shoulders. Agatha has always read, and she wrote her own stories in family letters back when people stayed in touch through handwritten mail. Her new place is darling with all her own furniture including a huge floor clock that her husband gave her one year for their anniversary. Visiting her there was like seeing her in her own home. She gets three great meals a day and companionship. If I could afford it, I would rent a room across the hall for taking mini-vacations!

It was a crazy busy when I got home, but when I took time to check the email, I found a note from High Hill Press. I had sent two stories to their Write Us a Story contest and they are going to print both soon on their web site. What fun to hear! You can visit High Hill at www.highhillpress.com.

This day is about finished…I need to make a list for tomorrow, set up the tea pot, lay out bike clothes, and make sure there are many trays of ice in the freezer waiting for yet another hot day.