summer gifts

There are some who might get upset, say, if their air conditioning broke on a Friday afternoon. I might have been one of those people, but somehow, I was so lucky. We had a cold front come through last week, and for the last few days, the temperatures have been, well, temperate. Lows in the upper 50's (Fahrenheit) and highs in the 80's. Almost like summertime in upstate New York instead of Kentucky. So, once it was determined that we couldn't fix things on our own, I opened some windows.

An old house with good cross ventilation is a joy. We lack screens for some of the windows, and some don't easily open--the weight system in the window frame broke, or it was painted shut long ago. No matter. I set up some fans. Within hours, things were deliciously cool, even upstairs.

It's hard to catch the pleasure of sunny, low humidity summer days, so these photos will have to do. Imagine the cool breezes, please...and contrast this with the heat and humidity indexes of 97-102 (40 Celsius) we had last week. Ahhh. The relief.

Today, the problem with the fan motor was fixed by some wonderful repair folk. These are my favorite repairmen. They come early, they work until the problem is fixed, the bills are reasonable and they're kind. We tested the fan and air conditioning--but in the end, I left the windows open. You have to catch these amazing days while you can.

To pass along some treats to you, no matter what your weather:
Have you seen this article about Prince Charles and his gift for Camilla's birthday?
I've linked to this sheepy photo for a hint:

While spinning and knitting, I've been listening to a free audio book from Librivox. It's a British mystery called "Whose Body?" and it's by Dorothy Sayers. You can download it here for a little summer time entertainment.

I'm waiting in line for my chance to read the latest Harry Potter...the professor has first dibs. I'm struck by something--there were lots of complaints about reviews and spoilers, yet every review I've heard or read has been so careful to keep from spoiling all the surprises for millions of excited readers. So, instead of focusing on who DID leak the book early, I'd like to turn that notion on its head. Think about how many people, in media, in your houses, or on the street, are carefully keeping Harry Potter's secrets for the rest of us. Thanks for helping us preserve our innocence for just a little while longer, until we've all had a chance to read and it enjoy it for ourselves.