12 Oakdale

We turned the air conditioning off yesterday. Day temperatures under 78°; nights in the low 70s. However, the humidity is running at about 94%. The AC may get turned back on. With it being less hot, I’ve been able to shift my gardening to later in the morning, giving me time to paint first. Better for my brain and energy level. I’ve also started knocking off some of the projects I’ve been avoiding,  First up was making the buttonholes in the Halloween shirt Stephanie made for Kyle. That began with a search for the shirt, which I remembered as a cream color, but was actually black. Overlooked several times in the hunt, but eventually found in one of my craft stashes. Next was reading the online manual to re-learn how to use the automatic buttonholes on Steph’s machine. Neither she or I could find the right pressure foot, but luckily she has inherited another machine which had one. For the life of me, I could not get the machine’s buttonhole lever to stay down, and the computer would...

I have to learn the all words to the US armed forces hymns. It seems Central Florida is very patriotic, and at every musical event, a medley of the different military songs, including the Coast Guard’s, is played. I can sing the first line or two of all of them, except the Coast Guard’s, then I “humble”, Rev Amy’s word for humming and mumbling, which she rightfully claims most people do in church when they don’t have a hymnal. In any case, the military medley was played by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra at last night’s Music Among the Lakes, a free concert sponsored by Windermere Wine and Dine, with an opportunity to donate funds for Second Harvest Food Bank via a QR code. Very efficient. When the $10,000 goal was met, we all got to light up our free wrist bands to blue, (at half way, we turned them on to glow white). We’d already made our annual gift to Second Harvest, but decided to cough up $50, since we liked event and wanted it to happen again.  The show started with the O...

Blue Moon over Lake Down   I’d say that Grant just gave me the worst haircut I’ve ever had, but it wouldn’t be true. The absolute worst was by Bob in Wilton Manors. Normally a fabulous hairstylist, he was just getting started cutting my hair, when he got a phone call from either the IRS or his lawyer, I don’t remember which. As he became more and more agitated about the state of his taxes, my hair received crazier and crazier chops. Eventually he hung up, declared me done. I looked like I’d been attacked with a weed wacker. I actually paid, probably even tipped Bob, and left. I was too shocked to say anything, and he had sharp objects. I never returned, and Bob never called to apologize. Maybe he went to tax prison.  I’ve ordered hair clippers and will give Grant another chance. I may end up looking like a Marine recruit heading to boot camp, but better than it looks right now. Steph and some of my friends are going to hair salons. Others are having beauticians come to their h...