Summertime, and the living is NOT easy

Oops, hang on, just have to wipe my brow and push the a/c down a couple more notches.............that's much better.

I always drink my coffee hot and black............except on days when the temperature hits triple digits..........then it's long, tall iced coffee, with a touch of heavy cream so it coats and sticks on the ice cubes for a minute before swirling into the dark java below. Today the heat index was 107 degrees, tomorrow will be worse, perhaps 111 degrees. I'm fortunate I don't have to leave the house, I can stay here in air conditioned comfort, fanning my lounging self on the love seat, sipping more iced coffee, frosty lemonade, chilled water - looking at cool October back issues of magazines, humming "September Song", dreaming of pumpkins, falling leaves, my much loved shearling vests, a chill in the evening air, the bracing early mornings with dew on the grass. Roll on Fall say I - my favorite time of year.

Today, after two steamy hours of hand watering to keep the garden going, I looked around the house for cool things to put me in a frigid mood.

My pretty beaded bowl.

The quaint birdhouse with a crystal perch - sorry birds, you'll have to make a housecall to get into this one.

Crystals dangling from the front porch chandelier.

A shimmering mica star on the cool blue bedroom wall.


My sterling necklaces and bracelets - too hot to wear but cool looking just hanging around.

The gorgeous Italian bath crystals in the frosted bottles ~ though I must say a cold shower is better in this heat.

Mid-afternoon snack - after ice, lemons are the coolest - and a mix of these two is even better.

I rarely drink beer - just like the first cold sip - but this English beer mug straight from the freezer looks, and feels, so cold.


And this evening..............after a bowl of chilled cucumber Gazpacho, what could be more refreshing than a glass of this fabulous Italian LIMONCELLO liqueur, served over ice in Edinburgh crystal after 15 minutes in the freezer. Mamma mia, Italians certainly know to squeeze their lemons!


Hope you are staying cool. Just think, in a couple of months and we can gripe about the cold. Of course we should be grateful for every day, no matter what the weather. It's certainly a subject we always seem to have plenty to say about.