1) Way back in the summer of 1977 we took our “Roots” trip to meet Mother’s family (long story for another time). The day we started our return trip, ferociously hot, we stopped at the home of Mother’s Uncle Bob to say farewell. This was the first time I’d ever been to a Land with No Air-Conditioning, so I was very surprised when we climbed the long flight of stairs up to his front porch to find, stretched out on a plastic chaise longue, this octogenarian man wearing only a bright red pair of Jockey briefs with white piping.
1a) I have now become that Old Man in Underwear, as there is almost nothing better in the summer than to sit on my back porch in the very early morning for my first cup of coffee and devotional. It’s still cool then.
2) Speaking of devotional, Jeremiah 7. Wow! Substitute “Trump” for “Baal” and you have quite an indictment. Jeremiah 7:9-10: “Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto [Trump], and walk after other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?” Read the whole chapter.
3) Yesterday morning I trudged through the morning heat to run errands, most particularly to collect from the framers Mother’s sketch portrait from her college years. So happy to have it done, but this is not the weekend to be toting things about in the heat.
4) Beat the heat at the MFA with Craig, including a swish luncheon near the Chihuly tower of lime icicles, Toulouse-Lautrec, Renaissance painting, jewelry, musical instruments, and Jackson Pollock.
5) This time of year I continually congratulate myself for installing central air in 2003 when I moved in, “to be true to my Southern heritage.” That makes it easy to forget how people kept cool before air conditioning, like soaking in a cold tub. I added that to my prevention of overheating yesterday, and it was invigorating.
6) Today hang-drying all the laundry on the back porch. It’s not just saving energy, it also takes less time.
6a) Did you, as a young child, run through clean damp sheets that your mother hung on a clothesline? Happy memories . . .