Dog days of summer a bit early this year

Well, folks, I feel like I have been beaten squarely about the head and shoulders with the lazy stick today. I cannot seem to force myself to move in any direction that doesn't lead me directly to a chair (preferably a chair with a computer in close proximity). Between the heat and the seven some odd hours spent in the kitchen yesterday, every ounce of my energy is totally zapped.

The canning yesterday went well, for the most part. I used my pressure canner for the first time and succeeded in NOT exploding my kitchen with steam, shrapnel, and glass shards, so I count it as a win. It was pretty scary at the beginning though, for sure. I ended up processing ten pints of squash and six pints of pickles (only the squash in the pressure canner, pickles get boiled), and man, it kicked my butt. I don't know how these people put up dozens and dozens of pints of stuff in one day. It simply blows my mind.

I also made two loaves of bread...which kinda flopped. This is the first time my loaves have ever fallen. I had two perfectly domed, beautifully arced, wonderful to behold loaves of dough when they went into the oven. When the came out, however, not so much. I blame all the other activity. I was canning during the baking, so I think I just rattled the oven or bumped it one too many times for my delicate little loaves to withstand. But, they are still pretty tasty. And I always say ugly food tastes best anyway.

With all the kitchen activity yesterday, I finally broke down and turned on the AC. First time this year, half way through June...not too bad!! I promptly turned it off once the cooking was done and it stayed nice and cool all night and hasn't been too bad today, considering it's OPPRESSIVELY hot outside. Today it's the kind of hot that makes it difficult to breathe. I went out to feed all the animals at 7:30 this morning and broke a sweat before I even filled the first feeder. I definitely need to start getting up earlier in the summer. And forget working outside at all after around 10am or so, that's just asking for sunburn and dehydration. So, while I've been working on making a plan, it seems I'll have to revise it before it was ever put into action. Get up earlier, get back inside before I turn crispy...or Krispy, as a dear friend's family called me when we were kids. It's WAY too early in the summer to be this kind of crazy hot. What's up with that, Nature??

I guess the lazy stick I was beaten with included blogging too. Sorry no revelations or insightful commentary today...or ever, really, for that matter.

I think I'll go eat some ice cream now.