It was a pleasant valley Sunday in our neck of the woods. We. Did. Nothing. That’s what God tells us to do on His day, right? We got the mowing done during the week. We changed our travel plans to stay home. The Big Birdhouse is in the Camper Hospital so no camping. And besides…it was WAY too hot to do anything. When it’s even too hot to eat, you know it’s too hot to do much of anything else either.

Little has been nursing a sore tooth the last couple of weeks. It’s nothing they can’t handle, and there are plans to see a dentist as soon as they get back home. There was a little more discomfort yesterday, so the lay low day came at just the perfect time. By the end of the day, it was much better and today we’ll be back at it full speed. We all need a down day from time to time, right? Especially when it’s too hot and you’re tired and don’t feel your best.

Today’s big adventure will be a trip to town to hunt for some half-runner beans. Little wants to learn how to preserve food and we’ll start with canning beans and making jelly. We might also make a blackberry pie if I can find some good berries. This is something I’ve always wanted to teach little because my grandma taught me. I remember sitting out on the front porch at the farm, stringing beans, then canning them in quart jars. There were shelves packed full of yummy food to eat over the winter. We don’t know what the future will bring so I believe it is imperative the younger generation learns how to grow and preserve their own food, make their own clothes, build and heat their own homes. And Little is all about the pioneer spirit involved in leading a simpler life.

I finished knitting the cute little Christmas stocking yesterday afternoon while watching a Monk Marathon as Mr. FixIt snoozed in his recliner. Our family room was once a garage so there aren’t any vents in there for the central AC. It’s literally the hottest room in the house, unless you count the kitchen when I’m cooking. We have some fans set up to draw the cool air into the room, but it’s not enough to make a huge difference. The first year I was here, Mr. FixIt had a HUGE window air conditioner in there, but it roared so loud the TV had to be blaring to hear it. Honestly, it’s really only bad for a couple or three weeks and then it’s just the late afternoons. It’s nearly impossible for us to put that AC unit in by ourselves, the kids are always busy, so we just suck it up. We drink cold beverages, add another fan, and before we know it, the cooler days will come again. It’s actually supposed to rain for the rest of the week here so hopefully that will tamp down the temperatures a little and break this terrible heat wave.

We’re trying to be creative with our summer meal planning to keep from heating up the house anymore than we have to. But canning is definitely going to tax our ability to keep the house cool. Back when I was growing up, Grandma had a cook stove down in the basement where she did the majority of her canning. Some people here and in the south have “summer kitchens” when there’s a covered area to work in the shade and not heat up the house. Maybe someday I’ll have something like that. But for the time being, I’ll set up the window fan and exhaust the heat out of the kitchen that way. If I had an electric canner, I could set it up on the covered porch, but I haven’t found one that’s big enough to make it worth my while. 

I hope y’all are managing to keep yourselves cool and safe from this terrible heat wave. If you have any helpful hints for beating the heat, please share! Maybe we haven’t thought of it or tried it yet. Prayers for cooler days ahead! Little and I ended our day with a long swim in the pool under the market lights. It was refreshing!

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“Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”

Psalm 150:1-6 ESV