Scorching the World

7/31/16                Sunday He had me help him with his 3 rd hour presentation, and I think it went pretty good. I also have started playing organ  in Sacrament meeting because the usual pianist is out of town for a few weeks, and it went ok; my problem is that I get soooo nervous that my fingers just can’t remember what they are doing. I think the only solution is to keep playing until the nervousness wears off, so I'll do that.. We went to Tanya’s for dinner, after which we took a nap while Tanya was in a meeting, then we played cards  until we were ready to come home to relax. It was a nice Sunday, especially since Tanya has good air conditioning.

7/30                       Tanya went to the beach today but I didn’t go with her, even tho I can’t think of many things that are more fun than the beach. Tom had things he wanted to do in the yard and I was recuperating. He did go to the hardware store first thing in the morning for the breaker, but they were closed! They are never closed, but there was a sign that they had a death in the family. It is apparently the ONLY hardware store that carries that breaker. So now we wait for Monday. It was so hot outside that Tom couldn’t do much work till evening when he could get wet, then he would work till he was dry, then jump in the pool again. Obviously, he didn’t get a lot of work done, but every little bit is progress. He’s happy to have a yard to work on. Tomorrow he has to give the 3 rd hour presentation to the yo0uth tomorrow, so he worked on that before bedt...

7/29                       Tom worked today, and I sure meant to have him take the offending breaker out that is causing our a/c to flip off every day. But I forgot. If I hadn't forgotten, I could have gone to the hardware store to buy the replacement while he was at work. It would have meant I had no a/c all day, but it would have been worth it in the long run. But I forgot and he promised to go buy the replacement first thing Saturday morning. When it got hot, I got a headache cause that’s how it is. I got Tanya to bring her family over to swim in the evening and I got in and enjoyed the water on my head. We swam till almost 9pm cause it felt so good.

7/28                      I’m getting tired of thinking our a/c is all fixed and then having a hot house again. I very much enjoyed the cool house until it wasn’t anymore. I checked the breaker box and, sure enough, it had shut itself off again. The electrician had warned us that it might be too worn even though we bought it not too long ago. We flipped it back on, and fortunately, it stayed on the rest of the night. Tomorrow I'll have to go buy a new breaker. Tom went to work and I did my usual routine. After he got home we went swimming (after the sun had gone behind the trees) and LOVED it. I have wanted to swim all week, but there has been something happening in the evening every day, so it felt really good to get in. I did almost an hour of aqua aerobics and showed Tom some he can do. I don’t think he was very impressed, but it was really fun. We are beyond grate...

7/27     I was so happily enjoying the air conditioning, secure in the knowledge that we had spent enough money, focus, and energy, and finally got every issue resolved so that the air conditioning would stay on! Peace of mind and coolness of body! Hallelujah! The electrician returned about 8am to fix the pipe from the water heater that came crashing down yesterday. We reimbursed him for the supplies, but he did all the labor for free. It took him over an hour and wasn't easy. It even involved going into the very hot attic for a little while. Poor guy! As he has spent more time here, I'm coming to like him. I found out he is one of 11 children, all born at home, and he and his new wife are expecting their first any minute, who they hope to deliver at home. He's super nice. Tom had to go to work, and I still had some fun things I wanted to get done in my nice, cool house. It got up to 111 today so I was glad to be inside an air conditioned house. Unfortunat...

7/26       It was nice that Tom was only gone one night; I was super happy to wake up and know that today I would get him back! At 8:30am, a guy came to fix our wiring problem that has caused our a/c to shut off whenever it gets over 90 outside. He spent about 2 ½ hours and was done. It’s so nice to know our a/c will work for the rest of the summer! It's supposed to be 111 degrees today. What a silly temperature! So the a/c is a true luxury that I will never take for granted. I felt great, so I got busy. I painted a couple of walls in the laundry room; haven't decided whether to paint the other two walls. Then I added some décor elements that I like a lot. It’s happiness to have a fun laundry room. Then I rearranged the office. This is the 2 nd or 3 rd time I’ve rearranged the furniture. I can’t seem to find an arrangement I like, and since all the pictures are on the walls and the large bookshelves are in place, i...

7/25                       Since I was pretty sick last night, I knew I wouldn’t be able to give Tom a ride to the airport at 5am today, so we arranged for Tanya to take him. He took my Miata to Tanya’s house and she drove him and dropped him off. It was so nice to be able to sleep a couple of hours longer, so I REALLY appreciated having a wonderful daughter who was willing to get up so early for her dad! My headache was mostly gone, but my stomach was hurting, so I did nothing today. Nuttin!  I’m so grateful that I’m retired and don’t have to go to work when I don’t feel great! At bedtime I felt much better, but still had to find a way to sleep without Tom. It was my first time in this house sleeping alone, and was interested to see if I would feel safe enough to sleep. I did feel safe, but had a hard time forcing myself to go to bed alone. It was a lonely ...

7/24                  Tom’s Bishopric meetings start at 6:30, and I felt good enough to go with him. I wanted a lot of time to practice the organ, now that I finally know where the organ key is. It felt good to play the organ again, and I sure needed the practice! The meetings were all good, and we’re still impressed with the people in this ward. It seems most members are well-educated, faithful, and kind. After church we ran home, had some leftovers and took a short nap. There was a baptism at 3:30, so we left for that and got there just in time. It was a good service. It started on time, and ended on time! It was less than an hour long! In our other Spanish ward, the baptisms always started between half-hour and 2 hours late, and lasted at least two hours, so this was quite refreshing. The only glitch was that the one conducting forgot Tom was a member of the Bishopric and didn’t give him tim...

7/23                       Tom worked all day Thursday and Friday because he has some kind of work ‘retreat’ out of town next Monday and Tuesday. I stayed home, but didn’t really do much. At least nothing I can remember now. Saturday there was a Stake Pioneer Day thing that I wanted to go to. Tom had lots of other things to do, but we decided to fit it in. He left early to take our old air conditioner, which has been sitting in the back of his truck for the past week, to the recycling place. The Pioneer Day thing was from 8am to 11am, to avoid the heat of the day. We got there shortly after 8. The event was impressive. They had breakfast of pancakes, sausage, eggs, grapes, and strawberries. There were plenty of tables set up under tents; there was plenty of watermelon available through the whole thing. They also had cotton candy, donuts, and snow cones. To keep people fro...

7/23                       Tom worked all day Thursday and Friday because he has some kind of work ‘retreat’ out of town next Monday and Tuesday. I stayed home, but didn’t really do much. At least nothing I can remember now. Saturday there was a Stake Pioneer Day thing that I wanted to go to. Tom had lots of other things to do, but we decided to fit it in. He left early to take our old air conditioner, which has been sitting in the back of his truck for the past week, to the recycling place. The Pioneer Day thing was from 8am to 11am, to avoid the heat of the day. We got there shortly after 8. The event was impressive. They had breakfast of pancakes, sausage, eggs, grapes, and strawberries. There were plenty of tables set up under tents; there was plenty of watermelon available through the whole thing. They also had cotton candy, donuts, and snow cones. To keep people f...

Today Tom needed to work in Pleasanton, Geneva needed a ride home, and Caeli was going to spend a couple of days with the McGills, so we gave her a ride, too. I decided to go along for the ride just for the fun of it.  We left a little late, and there were quite a few stops to make on the way, the last of which was Tom's actual work. When we stopped at Trina's house, we managed to just go to the bathroom before we hugged her and left again. At Tami's house, we found she had half a truckload of stuff of ours that we had left at the lake house, so we loaded all of it up and kissed them good-bye. Tom was successful in what he needed to do for work, but we got home too late to make it to Mutual and Relief Society. It was a fun day in the car, though, spending relaxing time with Tom. The other reason I went was that our air conditioner still isn't fixed. We got a brand new air conditioner put in, but it still blows the breaker, which our electrician swore wouldn't ...

7/19                       When everyone went home yesterday, Geneva stayed to play. Because of that, Caeli was willing to come over and play, too. They actually slept at Tanya’s house because Caeli had piano lessons in the morning,  so I picked them up after the lesson. I had a project for them to do – making kits for homeless people, so we went to the dollar store and bought some supplies, then went home. First we needed lunch, then we worked on putting the kits together. The girls thought it was a great idea and were pretty excited about it. In the end, they each had 3 kits to take home, and I kept a couple. A little later I had another project: I wanted to make paper mache heads for Tom’s hats to sit on in our closet. So I mixed up some flour-water glue and tore some newspaper, and we got messy.  I’ve made paper mache things lots of times, but it was the fi...

7/18/16                Two of our visiting kids with their families spent the night so they could continue the fun on Monday. It makes more sense to spend the night since they live 2 ½ hours away. Marc and Alissa, the Pettus’ and the McGill girls all stayed. It was sooooo fun! Tom made his famous breakfast and we had so many griddles and grills going that we blew the circuit twice.  We had spuds, bacon, sausage, tortillas, and French toast. Delicious, and it all got eaten. Some kids were in the pool before breakfast and STAYED in the pool, getting out only long enough to eat, until they had to leave for home. During the day we fed them watermelon, tuna sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches, peanut butter and jam sandwiches, potato salad, fruit salad, quesadillas, arroz con leche, and on and on. I’m pretty sure nobody starved, and many of them ate without completely getting out of the water. T...

7/17/16                Once a month we get together with all our kids and their families for a Sunday dinner together. We just started it a couple of months ago, and it has been a huge success. In the past we always got together for birthday parties and holidays, but it wasn’t anything very regular. This is working much better. We celebrate all the birthdays in the month in one party with lots of good food. The little cousins have a ball playing together, and the adults really enjoy having time to talk. Anyway, this month it was our turn – Tanya and Tom and I decided to host together because it’s asking a lot for everyone to drive out to Fresno for us and then again for Tanya. Not everyone made it, but we sure had fun with those who came! Trina and family arrived very late Saturday night. The McGills and Marc and family arrived right after we got home from church. When Tom got home from his meetin...

7/16                   Yes, I know that I haven’t posted for three days. That’s because every day was a matter of surviving the heat. It wasn’t pretty, so there wasn’t much to post. Basically I tried to get things done in the morning when it was cool, then I just survived the afternoon/evening.  After too many days of this, I realized I was in a serious rut. I was too hot, so I didn’t want to do anything that required any effort so I didn’t get hot. But then at bedtime, I’d be too restless to sleep, and not able to fall asleep for a long time. The next day I’d feel hungover, and be too tired to do anything, and also not do anything because it was too hot, then I wouldn’t be able to sleep, and so on and so forth. We got a treadmill from Trina last time we went to Fremont, and we set it up on the back patio, alongside the exercise bike and an easy rider. So Wednesday, while it was cool o...

Well Tom's friend got back from Mexico Monday, so Tom asked him when he will be able to install the air conditioner. He said he will try to set it up for Saturday. He also agreed to come on Tuesday night to upgrade the wiring to the breaker box, which is the real reason our air conditioner keeps switching itself off as soon as it gets hot outside (or in the house). Unfortunately, he didn't show up on Tuesday night. Tom is sure he will follow through, tho, so I must have faith and patience, too. Tom had to work Monday and Tuesday, but Monday he ended  up waiting all day for a report he needed from his office which never came, so he was unable to do the work he needed to do. He did what he could from home and then worked on the chicken coop. I  didn't feel so good Sunday night and all day Monday because of who knows what - maybe the heat. Tuesday I felt great and had fun scrubbing the floor in the family room. I also made a banner of flags from my Chilean fabri, along wit...

7/10/16             Our Second Sunday in our New Ward I went with Tom when he had to be at the church 2 hours early for his meetings. I spent the whole time practicing the piano, which was really fun! I can see what a blessing it has been for me to be required to learn to play the hymns for the various wards we’ve been in. I love playing the hymns! They bring joy and peace and comfort. I did end up playing in Relief Society so I was glad I had been practicing. The meetings were good, and we’re still impressed with how friendly and nice the members are.   After church we went to Tanya’s for lunch, then came home for a quick nap before having the missionaries over for dinner. It was hot in the house, but we all survived – it was probably about 84, which is bearable with fans blowing. We had all four missionaries over for dinner and I invited the Knudsens to join us because that would be fun for them and us. ...

7/9       I still spent most of the morning in the house, but I was able to clean, dust, and vacuum the whole house before it got  too hot. I love our new house! Tom began working on the chicken coop as soon as it was light, allowing time for the neighbors to wake up. We have a tight group of friendly neighbors in our little cul-de-sac, so they've been asking what all the construction noise has been about. Anyway, Tom worked on it allll day. In the afternoon, Tanya and family came over because they wanted to swim, but mostly because the kids were dying to see the chickens! Our house is becoming a grandchildren's' happy place! We swam for hours! It was so nice in the water that none of us wanted to get out. When I say "none of us" I mean the Caeli, Cannonn Kaden and me. Todd never got in, but helped Tom with the construction, and Tanya was only in the water a short time. At least the kids know how to have fun! Kaden finally got brave and began learnin...

I've spent the last two days just trying to not get hot. I don't start or work on any projects, don't exercise, and I hardly move at all. I have a fan blowing on me all day; I've watched a lot of tv, played/worked on the computer, and stuff like that. We’re still waiting for Tom’s friend to get home from Mexico so he can install the new air conditioner. He’s supposed to be back by next Monday, but we don’t know how soon after that he will have time to do it for us. I’m obviously very anxious to have done it as soon as possible. At the same time, Tom has been able to work from home both Thursday and Friday and has spent all day both days building our chicken coop. We already have 4 chickens who need a home, so there is an urgency to it. I feel bad that I'm not helping at all because a lot of what he's doing would be easier with two people - one to hold the board while the other screws it up, and stuff like that, but I'm sequestered in the house. ...

Above the fireplace, the board surrounding the TV has bugged me because it is such a stark white. Although I'm really into lots of white accents, it just seemed to me that it needed softened a bit. So I went to Michael's and found the perfect stencil. I mixed white, silver, and some white sparkle, and put it on. I really like how it turned out and it was super fun to do: When we were in Chile I bought a ton of their patriotic fabric, having no idea what I would do with it when we got home. I finally decided to use it as decor in the back yard. My first project was a tablecloth: I love how it turned out! Now I'm not sure what else to do. It seems logical to do something on the chairs, but they would be hard to put covers on, so I have to think about it some more. Tom got home about 7:30 pm, and handed me an egg. I was puzzled, then he said he had a surprise. We went to the truck, and he showed me 4 chickens! We have a friend in Napa, a neighbor, who had bo...

7/5         I've been waiting patiently to build our headboard for our bed. I needed Tom to cut a board and put legs on it, but we needed to finish tiling the fireplace hearth first. Now that that's finally done,  and we think it turned out beautiful, he was able to cut the boards and build the frame for the headboard.  I had made the cover for the headboard while we were in Napa. It matches the pillows on the bed, the bedspread, and the curtains, so this is really what ties it all together. I think it turned out pretty good! I think it really finishes the room and gives the bed more presence. I like it! For anyone interested, the hearts are made from a pretty blouse I found at the thrift store. I loved the fabric, but didn't like how the blouse fit, so I cut it up and made the hearts for the headboard and pillows. I love it! The ward had scheduled a Ward Family Home Evening for tonight, for the purpose of teaching those ...

7/4                         It was a fun, but untraditional 4 th of July. We planned to stay home all day and get lots of things done on the house. Tom had planned to go play tennis with the missionaries at 6:30, but at Church yesterday a member offered to come over with his son and help take the new air conditioner off the truck where it has been ever since he bought it a week ago, so he stayed home to be here at 7am when they came. They came right on time, unloaded, and were gone within minutes, like it was nothing! But it was a huge blessing for us! Tom wouldn’t have been able to use the truck until his friend comes back from Mexico to install the a/c, so he’s glad to have the it off of the truck! A couple of hours later, some friends from our old Madera ward called to invite us to go to a movie with them. We were in the middle of grouting the tile on the fire...

7/3         Sunday I admitted to myself, my husband, my daughters and my blog that I wasn’t exactly thrilled to be called back into a Spanish Ward. It constitutes a sacrifice that we’ve been making for the past 17 years or so, and I was ready to rest from that particular one, at least for a while. I would have loved to be able to speak English, be with people who I can always understand, and in a culture that I know and love. But Tom was called (we were both called) back into a Spanish ward, and we have the faith and good sense never to turn down a call from the Lord. We got to the church half hour early and began greeting people as they arrived. They were all very nice, and as the day progressed, I think everyone there introduced themselves to us or me. Everyone was so incredibly friendly! The big surprise was that it seemed at least half of the members of the ward speak English. I kept trying to talk to people in Spanish and they would ans...

7/2 Again I used the morning to do things outside. I moved all of the paint cans and supplies that I’ve used over the past month from the laundry room to the garage. That helped the laundry room look much better. I don’t remember what else I did but soon it was too hot to go outside. Actually, I mean it was too hot for me to go outside. Tom is fine working out there.   We finished mudding the tile for the hearth and planned to grout it in the evening, but never got to it. So the fireplace is still ALMOST finished. Tanya and family czme over to swim just after 12. We were both supposed to take a fruit salad to the ward picnic in the evening, so we decided to combine them, but I hadn’t bought any ingredients yet! I should have done that yesterday when we were in Fresno, but didn’t think about it. After we fed them some lunch, Tanya, Tom, Caeli, and I went swimming while the boys and Todd watched a movie. It was really hot outside – over 100, and I was too warm, even in the ...

7/1 I t was 108 today. I’d like to know who invented hot weather and why! And I’d like to know why I live in it….hmmm. Did I find out the answer today? I was really hoping to find someone who could fix our electrical panel today so the a/c will stay on, but the quote we got was way more than what we hoped, so we will wait until Tom’s friend can fix it in a couple of weeks. Until then, the plan is to survive the heat, one day at a time. Tom worked on cutting the tile for the fireplace mantel while I kinda did nothing. There wasn’t really any way for me to help, and I didn’t have any other project that I could do in the heat. At 1pm we had the appointment with President Farley of the Stake Presidency. He chatted with us for a long time, getting to know us, then he dropped the bomb. He called Tom to be a counselor in the Bishopric of the Spanish ward. Here we go again. I’ll admit that I was sad. It’s been so fun to feel like I have some friends – people I can do things with and ...

6/30                 I had called our home warranty company again yesterday and was waiting for a call back from the company that was supposed to come look at our electrical wiring, which seems to be causing the a/c problems. I’m not very good at waiting, but there were lots of other things to do in the mean time. While it was cool outside, I re-programmed our garage door remotes. We got a pushbutton one for the outside of the garage, and when I attempted to program it yesterday, I managed to un-program the ones we carry in the cars, so none of them worked. So while it was cool, I got all the instructions out and worked on it while Tom was preparing to leave for work. I was so proud of myself when I got them all to work! Hooray for being able to follow simple directions! I’ve been trying to get the pool sweeper timer fixed ever since we moved in. We finally got it diagnosed as a problem with the timer mot...