We had a crazy hot spell, over 90 for several days in a row, hotter here than in North Carolina. Now it is cool, though, high 50s, and rainy. It's clearing, though, I think. I spent a few hours this Saturday morning working on the books for the church and I feel pretty good about how everything looks. Still more to do before the end of the month (and the fiscal year), but much better than it was.
Working 5 days a week is good, but it does cut into the time I have for volunteer work and cooking...Last Saturday, we celebrated Molli's birthday (she was 35 June 4, my youngest child). I got up early and baked a chocolate cake at her request. I meant to do it the day before, but after work on Friday is just not a great time for me to do anything! I had stopped at a super nursery and bought her strawberry plants, as well as 3 blueberry bushes for our back yard. It looked like it might rain, so I wanted to get them in the ground right away. And after that, not enough energy for the cake. So, Saturday morning early, I baked 3 chocolate layers. I took them out of the oven to cool. Ray got up and I asked him to take them out of the pans for me in 10 minutes or so.
Then I drove to Molli's house about 7:30 am and found D and his father. D had a terrible cold or maybe bad allergies. He and I played Monopoly. I got a second set of dice for me and had him put his money in a pile on the table, so I didn't handle it after him. His father went to the drugstore for cough medicine and made him take it, a difficult process involving a fair amount of gagging and some M&M's as a reward. He constantly blew his nose and dumped the slightly-used Kleenexes into a bag at his side. Needless to say, I did not get super-close to him, but we did play a game together for an hour or so.
We planted Molli's strawberry plants and showed them to her...she was pleased and set about constructing a chicken wire fence to protect them. It was very hot but she stayed out most of the morning. I scurried home and made the frosting, gathered the other things I needed and Ray and my Dad, and headed back to Lynn. Ray made some cole slaw (Michael made mayonnaise for it), Michael grilled the steaks and burgers I brought. D and I shucked the corn, something he had never done before. He was curious as to what was under the kernels... We had a lovely lunch, with air conditioning of course, and said goodbye. Molli, Michael and D and Tamara went to the Aquarium with Michael's sister and her family. D has no brothers and sisters, so cousins are especially important to him.
Ray and I drove to another car dealership to try to obtain a Leaf. The one we had come to see was gone (it was red). We found it particularly hard to buy a car that was not black or gray or silver or white. We were reminded of how difficult it is to buy a car right now--a combination of things mainly related to the pandemic. In particular, new cars have chips that are suddenly hard to get. We headed home and made some phone calls.
On Monday, while I was at work, Ray and Tamara drove to Medford and were able to lease a dark blue 2021 Leaf. It was pretty extravagant, in a year of deprivation...it has many new technological features, which I hope do not fail (idea for story...all the cars' computerized systems are programmed to fail at the same time...). When activated, the car slows down when it comes close to another vehicle ahead, it beeps and vibrates when getting near the middle or edge of the road...it also has navigation and music and syncs with my phone, of course. It's very comfortable and pleasant to drive and can go over 200 miles before it needs another charge. All for $45,000! I admit to some ambivalence, but it does bring me joy...we won't buy any gas ever and other maintenance is minimal as well (no oil changes). It makes my drive to Newburyport and back much more fun.
