Back to School / End of Summer Heat

JT started 3rd grade this week. So far, so good. He only forgot his water bottle twice, didn't brush his hair once, and forgot to put in his retainer once, but otherwise has been able to get up and get ready everyday pretty much on time.



The chinchillas were picked up, right as the heatwave started. (Which is good because they need cool temperatures and it is 85 in our house right now at 8 pm, so I have no idea how I could have cooled them down.)

JTwas glad to discover there are others in his grade with braces or retainers. (His is not 'retaining' but expanding and moving the front teeth in-line. Which reminds me, how do you like the invisalign, Sister 3?)

I cut out most of the crazy tomato plant and we ate some green (unripe) tomatoes. What do you do with your unripe tomatoes? I made a tomato soup with rice and some Easter ham I found in the freezer and also made a yummy dish with chicken thighs and green olives cooked in the oven.

The kids are suffering from Minecraft wthdrawl and JT has a new goal - create his own private server and invite all his friends, post videos to youtube, and eventually become as famous as his new hero, Etho.* (*Etho is a Minecraft player from Canada who posts videos of how-tos and various escapades using screen capture as he plays. So far his videos are the only Minecraft videos the kids are allowed to watch since he doesn't use any bad langauge.)

 

 The limes are ripe! I made a lime bundt cake for Mr. Burli's work party but did not win the $100 prize. That went to "snicker's dip." Apparently a refined dessert will not win the award with the engineers...

And now our naked ladies have finished blooming and the annual back-to-school heat is back. We even had humidity the last few days, which, for San Diegans, is nearly fatal. We are used to dry heat so everyone complains as the humidity reaches ... oh, 40%. (If it would just rain it might help. The eastern part of SD did get rain and the flashfloods caused all sorts of problems. Luckily we haven't had any power outages or fires close to home. But still I am sitting here dripping sweat onto the computer.)

 I am back to school and need those hours out of the house without children in order to retain a few shreds of sanity. I listen to NPR or turn it off for part of the drive and have time to think or not to think at all.
Meanwhile, my former TA has family in Damascus and I hope you will keep those in Syria in your thoughts. Looking back at some of the changes that have occurred in the US in the 50 years since MLK Jr's "I have a dream" speech, I am hopeful that good changes will eventually come to others and that we can continue working to a better future for everyone in the US as well.

(And on a lighter note, I owe you some giraffe pictures. I will get right on it.)