More small excitements

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r lobster lunch

My major accomplishment of the day was wrestling with a cooked lobster that Jordan brought home from the market because it was on sale. Fortunately, she had an old-fashioned nutcracker and the pick to go with it; otherwise I would never have gotten that claw meat out. I got enough for one generous lobster roll or two skimpy ones. We decided to split the one and side it with cottage cheese, a favorite of both of us. Pardon while I brag, but the salad I made out of that lobster was really good—and so simple. There’s one more lobster in the freezer, and because Jordan liked our lunch so well, I’m going to give her a lesson in extracting meat from the shell when we decided to eat that last one.

We’ve had other little excitements around here. Yesterday, it was the lawn crew that dug a trench and moved a sprinkler head. Jordan was driving herself crazy watering and worrying about the grass turning brown. To a certain extent, it just will turn brown in August, especially with the beastly hot weather we’re having (105 as I write).

The lawn crew was followed immediately by the tree crew. The wonderful pecan tree over my patio had grown out of bounds—beautiful, but it was on the neighbor’s roofs (a garage and a guest house) and on mine, plus it was over the power lines. I was most anxious to get it trimmed before Oncor comes and butchers it. Now I wonder about fending off Oncor, if and when they appear. The guy Christian hired did a good job, but oh my! The difference in the light in the cottage is amazing. At certain times of the year, the western set is going beam straight at my desk.

It tells you a lot about my days whenthe lawn crew and tree trimmers are the big excitement. Sophie thought them exciting too. She had a field day barking at all these men in the yard. Wore herself out, missed her usual morning nap, and slept all afternoon. It is so hot these days that we have abandoned the patio. I even have closed my French doors to keep the cool air in—to the dismay of my family, I usually leave them open with the a/c running. Now, Sophie cannot go in and out as she pleases.

She doesn’t understand that and around five in the afternoon barks at us as if to say, “Come on! It’s time to go outside.” We’ve had this extreme heat most of the week and expect 105 again tomorrow, a tad cooler Sunday and then cooler early in the week. It will be a relief to be back in the low- to mid-nineties.

Meantime I read on one of my listservs a note from a friend who is experiencing 107 without air conditioning in California. She had pulled the shades and shut the doors. When I read that, I vowed not to complain about Texas anymore.

A small bit of vicarious excitement: we were sitting in the cottage one evening, ignoring the TV which was on but muted. All of a sudden, Christian said, “That looks like my fraternity brother!” It was indeed his fraternity brother who is today our family physician. He was in an ad for the health network his office belongs to. We told him we were thrilled to be treated by a celebrity.

Here’s to cooler weather, better mail service, and happier days!

Cricket among the pentas