The Heat is On

Today and tomorrow St. Louis is under a Heat Advisory, which means that the Heat Index is expected to be 105 degrees F or greater. The warning lasts until Monday evening. Our neighbor and her company went to the ball game today. She said they sat in the sun and it was hot! (She's a Cubs fan, though.) The Cardinals beat the Padres in dramatic style and are only one or two games out of first place in the NLC. Will they repeat 2006? Time will tell.

One way to beat the heat if air conditioning is not an option is to visit the deep shade underneath our huge maple tree in the back yard. We of course DO have working air conditioning (for the moment, until the next power outage, anyway) but the maple is still a blessing as we go outside to water the gardens or move between house and garage. We try to brighten the shade with colorful foliage plants such as these coleus and caladiums. The caladiums are in their third year; they overwinter in their pots, sans foliage, on a window sill in the basement and when it gets warm we bring the pots outside, add water, and wait for the miracle of caladium awakening.

Right now all of our travelers are back home, and we are thankful. Don and Kay report a great time in Guatemala, with success in putting a floor in their friends' church and a roof on a school, plus some sightseeing. Mike and Debi say they had a great time in Las Vegas but gave few details so we figure what happened in Vegas is staying there... getting home was a challenge for them when a flight was cancelled and they spent some time in our airport, unbeknown to us, because I had turned my cell phone off. They'll be here in two weeks to visit us and we are looking forward to it.
Update: Debi gives an accounting of the Las Vegas trip on her blog: click here.

And The Boys arrived in Edwardsville tonight after a 2-day drive from SW Florida. They'll be in the area for the next two weeks and we are anticipating some great times visiting with them and especially our grand-dog, Sam.

We continue to work on de-cluttering. Last week we took at least 100 pounds of old magazines and paper to a recycling bin to benefit Mike and Sandy's church. This week we will have more. Sometimes I look at stuff and shake my head as to why I saved it. As some of it is cleared away I find I feel a certain sense of relief that I won't have to shuffle it around any more. This week the carpet cleaners are coming so we will have to get the last of the little stuff out of their way, and wash the throw rugs. Then it will be time to shop for some new linens, lay in some provisions, and in general get ready for The Party on August 2. Anticipation is building.