Summer living is easy

Good morning, Don!

I read your "summer season"  should be a slowing down and chilling out and had to laugh. When I was a child, that was so true! Summer was a time for bike riding, climbing trees, playing in the ditch, running through the sprinkler... as an adult, summer is running from building to building with hopes of not getting too hot in-between or diving into the car to turn the AC on. I remember everyone told me to become a teacher so I could have my summers off. I teach year round – have for many years. Even when I taught public school, I worked summers.

Ramped up is really not the word for my adult summer mode. I am amazed at how the concept of a "fulfilling day" has high-jacked my very concept of relax and have a good day.

Sorry to hear that you and yours experienced what sounds like a ground zero start of a tornado. We've had several form over our neighborhood and they are not fun – they are scary as in "I have no control now what?"  Did you lose any windows in the truck?

In a world where Wi-Fi is available almost everywhere, it is difficult to conceive of places where it is not available. The cloud thing has me a bit spooked. If ever there was anything that was easy to break into, the cloud is it. Having my records available to whomever wants to look at them is like creepy. Not that I have anything that someone would want to read or steal, but it is like voyeurism to the nth degree. 

I've been learning how to dictate to my computer and how to better use Dragon for voice recognition. I'm having a bit of a problem with microphones at the moment and the dictation process is definitely slower than typing  it myself – and I'm not a fast typer... all of this is in anticipation of basal joint arthroplasty surgery that I'm going to have next week. I will have the thumb joint of my right hand replaced using tendon strips from either my first finger or from the wrist area. I will be unable to use my right hand for about 3 months, and then I'll be 3 months in physical therapy.

This has caused quite a flutter here – like how do I get in and out of the house with all my stuff? I'll have to have a different container for my coffee as it takes 2 hands to open the thermos I am currently using. How do I peel potatoes? Cut tomatoes? We bought a salad shooter which is very helpful, but there are some things that it won't cut up. Thankfully it is summer and I'll be wearing sandals so I don't have to tie my shoes. 

And then again, because it is summer, the cast on my arm might just be hot and sweaty.

Grading is a consideration, as well as writing on the board – writing with my left hand is possible but not always readable. Guess the students are just going to have to step up and help out. The stamps that have "run on" and "punctuation" and "fragment" and "reference" on them are looking to be well used over the next quarter.

The biggest concern is driving. I have an automatic, but it is on the floor, on the right, and requires a strong thumb to engage the shifter. I practiced last night with my left hand and I have to say that I imagine that once I get the right hand back  in shape, the left thumb will have to be done. Turning the car on is quite the contortion!  

I marvel at how medical science has advanced over the years. How we have found ways to help people like me control the pain and lessen the damage of time and usage on the body. For this I am very thankful.

While you were reading Captain Jackson, I've been getting Lisa's The Search ready for July. Lisa's done a lot of work on the original story and it is tighter, clearer, and the sense of impending doom rings well through out the whole story. It is one of those stories that you're bound to ask: "Aren't you listening to the music?" It is a work she should be proud of.

My guess for your riddle is a high power line. Again I don't have one. 

Have a great week! 

Carolyn 



 All images downloaded from Google.com

Fig 1 – Summertime the living is easy retrieved from cheezburger.com

Fig 2 – Summerliving retrieved from www.flickr.com

Fig 3 – Rafting dog retrieved from www.kulfoto.com

Fig 4 – 50GB Cloud – Speicher retrieved from bestboyz.de

Fig 5 – Potatoes retrieved from everydaylife.globalpost.com

Fig 6 – Loop, swoop and pull retrieved from nspt4kids.com

Fig 7 – The Search picture manipulated by L. Varvel