Whew!  It's been hot here!  The first week of summer we had a heat wave and we are already in the middle of what's predicted to be an 11 day marathon of 90+ (35C) days.  (Our record is 18 days of 90+ degree days in a row.  That was in 1988.  I remember it.  Well.)

Pk and I have been good about going to the gym.  Our goal is to ease ourselves back into the routine and as long as we make it twice in a week, we're good.  We went this morning and I can feel it in my shoulders now and I know tomorrow my abs will protest.  I managed to do 45 situps (with weights) and that made me feel good.  We know going to the gym is good for us both mentally and physically but it's not our favorite thing to do. 

After the gym today, we got on the train and went to Philadelphia to pick up our "share" for the week.  This was a good week.  We got some corn on the cob, some peaches, some onions and zuchini, some Damask plums (slightly larger than cherries but definitely plums), eggs and chevre cheese, green peppers and dill.  I've never seen plums like this but they're tasty!

I used the peppers and zuchini in dinner tonight.  I made sort of a pasta primavera with bay scallops and vegetables.  It was delicious.  Standing in front of a hot stove in a hot kitchen is not fun but when the results are as good as this was, it's worth it.  I'm putting some sausage and tomatoes and peppers in the crockpot for jambalaya on Saturday.  It's supposed to hit 101 degrees and I'm crying Uncle.  The crockpot will save me.  (this should not be taken as complaining.  I am well aware of how lucky we are that we didn't get hit by the violent storms last weekend that knocked out power all over the east coast in the middle of all this heat)

We had lunch with one of my coworkers who is at work today and then came home.  Pk worked on a computer program that he is debugging and I spun and plied for my Tour challenge.  I have these few days off and I'd like to get my tour spinning done before I go back to work on Monday.  I spun 4 ounces of fiber since June 30 and have plied about a quarter of it so far.  (I still have two ounces to spin into singles but I only have so many open bobbins!)  It's still not as thin as I'd like it to be but it's pretty.  Plying thing singles takes a while but it's a meditative process.I sit in the spare room in the morning before it gets too hot with a fan on.  It's pleasant and sunny.  I could be a woman of leisure so easily. 

We have three days left of vacation.  Since they're going to be warm, we'll be doing as little as we can get away with.  Pk will work on the car in the mornings and I'll sit outside and keep him company (I also help.  I hand him things although by the time he gets done describing what he wants, it's probably quicker if he just gets it himself).  

I just finished listening to an excellent book called Defending Jacob by William Landay.  It's a mystery (kind of) and a story about parental love (kind of) and a legal thriller (kind of).  It's hard to categorize.  I can tell you there are no zombies in it.  It was a bit heartbreaking at the end.  I think it's a good summer read. 

It seems like our budget cuts at work might not be as drastic as we originally thought.  The state legislature passed a slightly less draconian budget.  We'll still have cuts, but they won't be as deep. 

So, there you have it.  A more optimistic ending.  I am a firm believer that things work out in the end as they're supposed to.  And as Gandalf says, "there is some comfort in that thought".