Estoy Nueces

It's been a good week, even with working every day and the heat. Yesterday I looked out at the big thermometer on the back fence and it was closer to 120 than I've ever seen it. Granted, it is in the SUN so it is going to register high. I went to check the one in the shade on the front porch and was shocked to see that it was 113.3. I had no idea it was that hot or even supposed to get that hot. I had not set foot outside the door so I hadn't felt it. Or we're really getting used to it. My worst fear is that in five years we'll look back and think, "What? We thought 113 was hot? We were so lucky back then."

I guess my luck ran out last Sunday, too. I had "bragged" to my friends Saturday night that my AC has held up since I moved here two years ago. Yep, Sunday afternoon I was sitting at the desk working and had sweat rolling down and I thought, "Wait, I shouldn't be this hot!" I checked and the house was at 85. I got the name of the AC guy my sister has had replace two units this year. Evening with a fan wasn't so bad, but sleeping was hard to get to. Even with the fans blowing, I couldn't get cooled enough. I read until about 3 a.m. and then the outside temperature had dropped to 85 and was getting cooler so I opened a window and got the fan blowing in outside air for a while and I slept a few hours.

The repairman didn't make it to the house until 8 p.m. but it didn't seem all that hot in the house while I was working and had a fan...until about 2 p.m. I went to my sister's then for a break for a few hours. It was the capacitor, as I had diagnosed from YouTube videos, and he replaced it quickly and I was back in business and about $350 poorer. I know it could have been much worse.

I am not broke, but the $350 sure took a chunk out of my available money, so payday yesterday didn't do a lot to shore up the finances. I'll still need my radio check just after the first to make the mortgage. I'm not scraping because I do use YouNeedABudget (an app) and it "makes" me set aside any money I use on credit so the bill will be paid monthly and avoid interest. So there is money there that can be shifted for more urgent needs, but that might mean I incur some interest. Or not....another real payday comes along before they are due. I used to never be this hyperconscious of where my money it ... and it showed. I/We spent a LOT of years borrowing from Peter to pay Paul and accruing interest and fees and going down a very dark financial path.

This November will be the two year anniversary of actually buying this house and wrapping up the big move to Dallas. I moved in August, sold that house in September or October and then finished buying this one in November. When I had the money from the Austin house sale I paid off the debts I'd built up with the move (the move itself, new carpet and flooring for the old house, staging the old house, etc) and was almost debt free. I want to be in that exact same position when November gets here again. I still owe on my car (but only until June!!) and I owe my 401K some money I borrowed to be able to refinance the old house. I need to see how many more years that goes on and maybe I can rush it up after the car is paid for. But, all in all, I'm very happy I have been able to support myself and not have debt and not have that worry. I've always been the financial brains of the household and it turns out, maybe I do have some!

My new coffeepot has been a bit of a disappointment. It is lovely and has all the features I want. Thursday night I cleaned it and filled it and put in the coffee and set the program so I would have coffee ready at 7 a.m. I got up and---no coffee. There was no water in the reservoir, but the coffee was dry. I KNEW I filled up the reservoir. Then I realized the counter was all wet and I had cleaned the kitchen well the night before. The water was leaking out. So I filled the reservoir again and made coffee and it made fine if it didn't sit there and leak out. I tried it again last night, just putting some water in to see. It was gone this morning and the towel I had it on was soaked. Good coffee and I still like the features, but I'll send it back to be refurbed again. I'm sure they didn't test it for overnight leakage. Why would they think of that?

I do think this lions mane and other things coffee (including coffee) is making me a bit more focused. Not in the morning, still scattered while I'm trying to start work, but later I get some energy and I've cleaned house more and taken care of business better. I'll keep trying it for a while.

Anything else this week? Oh, lots of politics, for sure. I've kept up with it all. I usually make a few notes of national things in my handwritten diary for the future historians to see. I would hate for them to check the day and see me worrying and fussing over a coffeepot when our former president was booked into jail and I didn't take note of it. It has certainly continued the surreal nature of everything that has happened in politics in the last almost ten years! I doubt there will ever be any feeling of finality with that fool. Whether he's in jail or acquitted, re-elected or soundly rebuffed, and even once he passes on, there will still be such divisions in the country that may not go away until a couple of generations pass on. Or more. Just like the Civil War is still being fought by way too many people ("it wasn't about slavery, it was about State's rights!" Yeah? Go read your State's constitution after secession). And that's been 150+ years.

Side note: When I visited the cemetery in Newburg, the Sons of the Confederacy had put Southern battle flags on the graves of those who participated. I easily removed the ones from my great-great-grandfather and his father. Yes, both were part of the Confederacy's western forces that fought Indians. They didn't go to battle against the Union forces. But they both lived a lot of years post-reunification and I prefer to think that they fully supported the U.S. government and were glad the war was over.

I'm going to my sister's for a family lunch today. I'm so glad we are having one with the entire family again. In fact, this may be the first time we've all been together since Mother died. We had a gathering in July for birthdays, but one daughter-in-law was missing. One of the reasons I wanted to live up here again was to not miss these family lunches. They were so much a part of my life growing up and then when we all lived in Dallas (parents included), that I hadn't thought they might end! With some ill will between some members of the family it has been a rough 9 years, but I think we are getting on track maybe. I'd love it if we did this once a month.

My aunt that died in April (a week after mother) had her family over for lunch EVERY Sunday. Can you imagine? Some of her grandkids ate at her house every Sunday until they married or went to college (or even continued then in some cases). Her meals were fabulous. Her daughters and granddaughters contributed and brought great food, too, but that never meant she cooked any less. I ate with them many times and even if it wasn't an occasion she would have at least two cakes and two pies and probably two meats and many many side dishes, along with homemade rolls. I'm making myself hungry. Today's meal will not compare, but I am glad to see all the kids and be their old cranky Aunt.

There is actually rain in the forecast for today and several days this week. Only 20% but maybe I'll be one of the lucky ones. Dallas hasn't had measurable rain since April 26, 2023. I've begun raking up the dead grass in some parts of the lawn (when it is cool enough). I'm hoping that I can turn a lot of those areas into mulched beds (perhaps with nothing planted for a long while) and reduce the amount of grass in the yard. The St. Augustine is just not made for full sun, but some of it is holding on. The previous owner spent thousands resodding around this house a few years ago. Most of it is gone. The front yard has survived because it gets some shade. But Bermuda grass has found its way in and it loves sun and I guess it gets along fine with less water because it is green and spreading fast. It can be very invasive in beds and such, but to have a soft green carpet of easy grass, I may just let it spread wherever it wants.