DEBORAH CROMBIE: Before we get started I have a
REDS ALERT!
Our next Reds & Readers LIVE event will be July 30th, 5 p.m. EST, celebrating the launch of Rhys's MRS. ENDICOTT'S SPLENDID ADVENTURE August 5th and Lucy's THE MANGO MURDERS August 12th! Mark your calendars now and be sure to join us!
And now back to our regular programming!
I have been watching all the forecasts for extreme heat across parts of the country and worrying about everyone in places where air conditioning is not the norm. (Map courtesy of the National Weather Service.)
Yikes! So check in, dear Reds and readers, and tell us what's happening where you are, and what you're doing to stay cool.
It is hot here in north Texas, but it isn't anything we're not accustomed to as we approach July. We had a very wet and cool spring--we didn't even set out plants until almost the end of April, which is very late for us--so I suppose we shouldn't be complaining now.
Meanwhile, I suggest a cool drink, a good book, and your favorite summer relaxation. It's cool on our shady patio in the mornings, so when I've finished the morning round of watering, I've been allowing myself a few minutes in the hammock.
This is what I see when I look up.
This is only a fraction of the huge old native pecan tree that grows right up against the back of our house. For the last couple of months I've been hearing a Great Crested Flycatcher (thank you, Merlin!) but I have yet to see it. I thought if I just took a few minutes every day to look, I might get lucky. Alas, not a glimpse so far, but this has reminded me how much I've always loved looking up into the trees, and why I have the hammock!
I watch the leaves moving in the wind and the sun glinting through them, and I try to empty my mind of all the busy-ness--my to-do list and my chores and the daily awfulness of the news--and just be for that few minutes. It's amazingly settling, and now I find I'm looking forward to that small break in my day.
Dear Reds, what are you doing to stay cool, and what summer pastime would you like to revive?
