June 25 - July 4th....BORING!

June ended with the weather hot and dry! Jim and Kathy were back in town and we met at Calvin Rockets for tenderloins. They are working on genealogy and I love to hear their stories. Wanted to drive down to Centerville for the Great Tractor Ride, but after spending the weekend in Maquoketa, thought it best I not try another 100+ mile trip especially with “iffy” air conditioning in the truck!

Didn’t do much but try to stay cool! We did get some rain but it was not enough to make up for the moisture lacking in the fields. I'm sure the farmers would take all they could get -- and I was not-so-patiently waiting for my sweet corn vendors to show up in the parking lots around town.

July started with hot, sticky and no rain. Strange, most spring/summer weather I’m dodging wind storms and tornadoes – but this year I’m just praying for some wind (gentle breeze!!!) and rain!

It’s too sticky to sleep without my A/C. l tried sleeping with the fan -- worked for awhile -- but didn’t take long for the trailer to ‘overheat!’ I knew it was too hot when I got up and Li'lBit was sleeping on the floor (not even on her rug!) Turned on the A/C (I thought) but it didn't seem to cool off much. Woke up in the AM to find, in my 1/2 awake-1/2 asleep state, I'd just turned it on FAN and not to cool! Gonna have to put some florescent paint on the A/C spot, I guess. This was not the first time I did this! I try to sleep without the A/C when possible ‘cuz I cannot run the A/C, oxygen concentrator and CPap at the same time – so A/C and CPap running means no oxygen!

Sweet corn vendors started appearing just before the 4th of July but the corn, although sweet, was not moist enough to dribble down your arm while eating it! And what good is corn on the cob if it doesn’t drip down your arms and chin!

Just can't believe it is nearing 100 degrees by noon most days. Wonder how we survived before we had all of these "heat advisories' and "heat alerts!" Heavens, I remember when we didn't have A/C! WHEW! Thought it was a luxury to have a box fan in the window! My travels have been curtailed since the A/C in my truck gave up and finally died. The earliest appointment I could get was Friday the 13th. Hope there is no significance to that day!

Most mornings, when I take Li’lBit out, I try to leave the door open and open the windows, turn off the A/C – just to get some fresh air into the trailer, but the heat has been stifling.  Kathy gave me a bunch of Iowa travel magazines so they kept me occupied. When tolerable, I sat at the picnic table, pencil in hand, making notes of possibilities for day trips (when the A/C is fixed in the truck!)

It’s really getting routine when the most exciting thing I can say that happened in a day is that I emptied the kitty litter and had a nice visit with the owner of the park at the Dumpster!! Water the plants, feed the birds, take my ice tea and book and magazines and go outside -- as long as there is a breeze and it is still overcast, being outside is tolerable. I know it is too hot to be outside when Li’lBit abandons her shady spot and sets on the steps waiting to go inside! At least with all of this dry weather, it isn't bad setting outside during the day -- the skeeters are way down!
July 4the was brats and chicken on the grill at my sisters. I took all the ingredients and made her lemonade pie when I got there – just not enough room in my RV fridge to store a pie! Besides, I forgot to pack my mixer and didn’t even have one of the oldie but goodie hand mixers! Definitely need to get one to keep in the trailer.

The evening news on July 4th brought sadness and news of an unbelievable tragedy to Marshalltown.