Storms, sun, sand and sweat...a little 'pickin' anyone?

Seems the first thing I do after putting the coffee on anymore is to check what the storms in our area are doing. Amazing that I've become such a 'weather addict'....hahaha. If it wasn't for knowing we have a major category hurricane sitting so close, I wouldn't even bother with the tv. I really prefer the silence in the house to the background racket of the television. Hubby is the tv hound. The close proximity of all the storms is really unnerving after the third or fourth one....especially with flooding and water still standing.

Ike's path is still uncertain, although, from what I've been seeing on the news, it sure is tearing things up around Cuba right now. Glad I don't live beachside...I'd really be crazy! The people in the FL Keys have been told to evacuate and the tourists have pretty much left. Only the die-hard residents remain...can't blame them, I've seen how long it takes to get back into hurricane struck areas. In the twenty two years I've lived here, I've never evacuated for a storm...but I've also never lived real close to the beach either. The wind I can deal with....its the storm surge that tends to wipe stuff away. Our old house was about five blocks west of the predicted 'storm surge' range....and we were a good five or six miles away from the beach....and at least three miles from the river. Storms can really put you on guard....must be why I'm feeling so exhausted lately...pulling 'guard duty' for the past month...LOL.

Today is predicted to have temperatures in the mid to upper 90's once more....isn't this September??? We are usually beginning to see temps drop into the 80's this time of year. More steam equals A/C cranking at my house. It was about 97 degrees yesterday, and it sure felt that way even in the house with the A/C....it topped out inside at just under 90 degrees during the hottest part of the day. Sitting inside, sweating your eyes out with the A/C cranking is ridiculous. Once the sun dropped back, around 5:30 pm, we began noticing the A/C was finally beginning to cool the house. So sad...walk in from the heat and it felt wonderful...for about ten minutes...then you begin to feel the heat falling from the ceiling where the sun is just blazing on the roof....
UUUUGGGGHHHH!!!! I hope it doesn't get quite that warm today.

Picked up a load of red sand from the shop Saturday...its the stuff they use on construction sites around here...our driveway around the culvert needed a bit and we also put some down in the chicken yard to help soak up some of the muck. The remainder of the 2 1/2 yards of the stuff went to the friend who borrowed our pump....anything to help keep the muck down where there is black dirt.

Since I've pretty much felt 'confined' to the house because of the heat and mosquitoes, I've been taking the oportunity to practice more on my guitar. After almost 40 years, I'm back to trying to learn the guitar....ooowwww, the fingers just aren't as tough as they were when I was a kid....hahaha. Not to mention that the hands and fingers are nowhere near as limber at this age. So far, I think I'm doing pretty fair...I've managed to learn a couple of chords while I'm getting my fingertips toughened up. I don't expect to be a rock star...hahaha. Hubby says he can hear the difference...says I'm getting smoother with it. HA! He should hear me when he's at work!!! I just play until my fingers are so sore they can't take it anymore and by that time, my shoulder can't take being in the position for picking/strumming any longer either!! Hazards of getting older... I really like the guitar, drums and keyboards...of the three, I think the keyboard was the easiest to learn. Drawback for that though, I need electricity. At least with the drum (djembe) and the guitar (accoustic), they can go anywhere. One of these days I might finally get it.

Time to go sweat my eyes out and finish the house chores...not doing much as its already over 80 in here and the A/C is barely keeping the heat out. Come on cooler weather....