Summer hits hard

These past couple days have been the hottest of this year so far. (I am now wondering if the tree guys rejiggered their schedule to do my work ahead of the indoor plumbing job they had so they could avoid the Death Hot we had Friday, Saturday, and Sunday).

Sunday after church I pretty much just sat at home in the airconditioning. I didn't feel like I could do much. It was *extremely* humid (at one point we had a heat index of 116, because the humidity was so high). My chest hurt - it often does when it's humid - and I just didn't feel like moving. (And last night I ran the window air conditioner as an 'assist' to the whole-house one, mainly to try to suck some more humidity out of the air)

(The upside? I finished the body of Queen Chrysalis, crocheted the neck, and attached head to body. I also just barely started on one of the legs)

It's still humid today and I feel headachey. Not bad enough to justify staying home, but enough for it to be annoying. (I took a dose of ibuprofen, but that hasn't really altered the headache any). I'm trying to rewrite the soil invertebrate paper; I'm about halfway through the introduction.

I've also off and on felt lightheaded. I can't tell if that's the weather, the fact that my blood pressure has been lower than it was in a while, being out of a regular schedule, allergies, or what. It's not bad, but it makes me feel not like running around a lot outside. (Though if I feel up to it I'm going to try to kill the poison ivy late this afternoon. I found an herbicide that was specific to poison ivy and while I hate using herbicide, pulling it out is not an option and leaving it is not an option)

I'm starting to think about take-along projects. Part of me wants just to FINISH all the long term stuff hanging around (like the Little Ice Age socks) but part of me wants to start a bunch of new stuff. I do know I want to take the Belvedere Cardigan to work on, and also to try to get buttons for at the dressmaker shop up there. (I'm not going to try to take Chrysalis; she's too huge and would be hard to cart home if I finished her. I'd either have to strap her to the top of my carry on - and probably get some strange looks - or bury her in the suitcase.) I do want to do some kind of toy project; that's kind of tradition while on break, but I have a couple small options - I bought the v. cute Farfalla pattern a while back. Or I have an issue of one of the British crochet magazines that has a cute unicorn in it. (It also has its "free gift" kit - a tiny dreamcatcher sort of thing - that I want to make some time, so that would be two projects in one).

I also dug out my copy of the Aestlight shawl pattern and yarn I had put aside for it, with half a thought of starting that. (Though I have another sockyarn shawl tucked away that I need to finish).

I think some of these things - especially the Aestlight Shawl - are sort of part of my desire for it to be fall and for it to be cooler out. We have had an unusually cool summer this year (for some values of "cool") but still, I'm ready for it to be done.

Also, the grasshoppers are out in force, and I don't like having grasshoppers jump on me or squashed all over the sidewalks, so I'm ready for that to be done.