Weekend Sick Day

We had been planning on going hiking yesterday, but I finally succumbed to SodaBoy's blight and took a weekend sick day instead. Plus it was so hot! This horrid nasty sticky oppression is no good for doing anything anyway. My garden needs weeding, too, but go out in that? I need a little more fortitude to face such heat. So I laid around on the couch much of the day, reading Anne Fadiman's book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Fascinating stuff.

We also popped out to run a few errands. Early afternoon took us to the pet store for a collar with bells for Elijah. He has developed a nasty little habit of bring live chipmunks onto the back porch. The porch is screened and the poor little creatures easily climb up out of his reach, but they can't escape with the feline jaws of death hovering below, so we have lock Elijah up and then catch the chipmunks and take them back outside. The whole thing is very traumatic for all involved. Except the cat, of course. Cats are far too haughty for empathy. Surprising enough, he hasn't inflicted any visible wounds on the chippies. Just possible internal injuries and definitive mental trauma. No more... now he must suffer the humiliation of being belled. Ha! That will show him.

I also did a load of laundry and a quickie run to the grocery store last night. Evening runs are so much easier, no fighting to get the cart down swarming aisles. In and out, get what you want, no fuss and muss. Only problem is the specialized departments are closed, so no seafood or patisserie goods. But every time I go at night, I think I should always do this.

So we are going hiking today instead, to a Nature Conservancy preserve up north. I still feel a little wonky, but one day of laying on the couch is about my limit. It's quite a drive, so we need to head out into the infernal heat sooner rather than later. We were supposed to get a storm pass through, but it never showed up. Well, there was thunder and lightning last night, but no rain, and no relief. It is hard not to wish for a cold front in times like these. I hope everyone is having a good weekend and finding ways to stay cool.