Been too hot to spend time at the computer, even with the fan directly on me.

Made refrigerator pickles on...when? Monday or Tuesday (What day is today?!?) with the sweet little yellow heirloom cukes -- I need to get more of them. Also with one of the white onions (tastes like a scallion, looks like a scallion on steroids) cut into chunks. Had another of the onions sliced thin and sauteed on top of a burger on Sunday -- delish. (Can you tell I've been reading Philip Craig and William Tapply lately?) And yesterday we made pesto because we couldn't put it off any longer. (Probably should have made it Monday.) Kitchen, especially with the extra light on so Tom could see a bit better, was the hottest room of the house, but we survived it. And the pesto is really good. Going to saute up a bunch of mushrooms and chicken tonight, add the pesto sauce to it and serve over spaghetti. Will make some pesto mayonnaise, too, for something tomorrow.

Just got back from a big loop to Barrington, Somersworth, back through Barrington, store at Lee (limes, tonic water, black cherry ice cream, coconut water pineapple pops -- see a theme here?), home.

Sigh. Hoped to get the emissions part (it's already passed the safety part) of the car inspection taken care of, finally. Took the car to be scanned at my car guy's -- fine. Everything checks out. Took it over to the place in Somersworth, no "check engine" light. Nada. As soon as the guy took it into the garage, he came back and said no go today -- check engine light came on when he turned the car on. (So...maybe scanning it makes the damned light come on?!? gimme a break!) The catalytic converter had been replaced, but that's the code that comes up. So I have to call Peter and see what the next step is. (I just really want SOMETHING to be wrapped up. Medicaid thing is still causing complications, too, since nobody returns phone calls or emails and they're not paying the bill they said they were going to. Arghhh!)

I just don't have the energy or the patience in this weather.

I made the poor person's version of "Hot Girl's Pearls". Can't afford the real thing, so I took the re-usable ice cubes I had, rolled them in a chiffon scarf, tied knots between the cubes, and froze it. Got it around my neck right now. Helps a bit. Think I'll take a tall G&T (light on the G) with lots of cubes in it out on the deck and get caught up on free papers.

Linn