Had to happen sometime

Summer is finally here. We're in for highs in the hundreds for the foreseeable future. Last year our highest power bill was in August, and this year is shaping up to be a repeat. This is why August is among my least favorite months. (The heat more so than the power bills.)

We went to see Sunshine yesterday. It was all right, but the end was strange. Sci fi movie lovers will really enjoy it. There were some loose ends that apparently no one thought enough of to tie up, but I can't tell you without spoilers. It was a little scary in some places, but now that I think about it, there wasn't much swearing, almost no gratuitous violence, and the only nudity was a guy's shoulder. It even had some good explosions for the guys! We all agreed that we should have just gotten it from Netflix! The theater was cool, though, and there were four people in there besides us (no kids!) so that was something at least.

I'm busy the next week or so. I'm working today and an extra shift tomorrow, lots going on at church on Sunday, and Monday we're going out of town for a few days. Our hiking boots arrived yesterday, so it's just a matter of packing so we can go caving next week. I'll have the laptop when we're away, so I may be around, but maybe not. Maybe I'll have cool (no pun intended) pictures to post!

“When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.”

If I believed in reincarnation, I'd say Erasmus is alive and well and living in my house.

Last year, we started giving our kids a chunk of change twice a month and turned over responsibility for buying clothing and other necessities. We showed them how to make a budget and suggested line items for clothing, saving, church, and fun, but we let them make their own. Alex's budget is fun heavy. That's one reason he gets Kohls and JC Penney gift cards for his birthday and Christmas. Putting money aside is sporadic unless he wants something big, like now. He's gone into tightwad mode to buy a new guitar.

We were in the car the other evening, and he asked me how I had two children who handled money so differently. He's a spender; Vicky's a saver. I told him that his parents were the same way--one spender and one saver--but we've rubbed off on each other over the years.

He did find *his* guitar on-line, and they offer a payment plan. He asked me if he could do it, and I said no. I was about to tell him he is not going into debt while he lives in my house, but he asked if it's because he's a minor, so I just said yes! It's a close enough answer!

Speaking of on-line, I found hiking boots, and L. L. Bean does 2 day shipping. They should be here (hopefully) Friday. No luck on summer dresses, but I'll take what I can get.

Still around

There hasn't been much of note going on around here lately. I've been doing stuff around home, harvesting tomatoes like crazy from my garden and dehydrating them. My first class is done and I'm working on the second. Books are on order for the third. It's a joy to be studying to gain knowledge and not studying to maintain my GPA. (It's 4.0 right now, by the way!) I've been writing, but taking the time off when the Boys were here put me behind and I haven't caught up. It's something I need to get a grip on because we're going out of town next week for a few days, which puts me in a similar situation--little or no writing for several days at the beginning of the month.

Today I realized that my idea of seasonal is apparently different from the world's. I went shopping for simple cotton dresses for when it's really hot, and hiking boots for our vacation. What I learned is that girls don't hike in the summer. I did look at men's boots, but I need a 6 and the smallest I found was a 7. I may be hiking in running shoes next week. I also learned that natural fibers are not "in" and polyester is not a option in the heat. Dudley's Rush performed in an outdoor festival yesterday and the top I was wearing was a polyester/spandex blend. I was so hot! Honestly, if it hadn't been for the fact that I got to sing bluegrass I'd have been downright cranky. Even after I cooled down I still had to take a shower to wash the salt off my skin. Natural fibers are a deal breaker!

So that's pretty much what's going on around here. What's new with you?