More Muggy Monday Musings

Happy Monday to you -- the last Monday in July! Two more days, and it's August. Wowzers! Summer is whizzing by!

The weather has turned decidedly more summery...ie. it's much, much more humid. Still, we've been so blessed with a "mild" summer.

The kids had a lemonade stand on Friday and made out quite well. They wanted to earn some money for our upcoming vacation and had a good time doing it. Edward discovered a state quarter in the monies they earned and came running up excitedly to me, exclaiming, "I have a New Hamster quarter!" I was laughing too hard to correct him. But last night in the car, I explained that it was really New Hampshire. Edward was confused and said, "Remember in that Istanbul song (by They Might Be Giants) when they say, 'Even old New York was once New Hamsterdam.' Isn't that where it came from?" *grin!*

I've changed the video on my sidebar player to a Rocco Deluca and the Burden song, in honor of our going to see them in concert this Wednesday. Yippee!! Speaking of the group, two of their songs have been featured in the new K-Swiss ads. Check 'em out here (click on "TV spots" on the right of the website). They're very good!

Let's see...my countdown to Season 7 of 24...should be roughly 5 1/2 months? Yeehaw!! Back to wings and episodes of our favorite show. I just ordered the first season of The Closer with Kyra Sedgwick. I really, really like her. (She's in one of my favorite Kiefer movies, Behind the Red Door.) I cannot wait to watch it. The third season of Prison Break begins in mid-September. I think that should be interesting...especially since I know how Season 2 ended. Mmm-hmmm.

We had a fairly quiet weekend. Stuart has a bunch of house projects that he wants to finish before too long. He worked on ripping up a 12 X 12 square foot section of our kitchen floor on Saturday. It took him 3 hours! There are 9 -- count 'em -- NINE layers of floor in our kitchen. (You have to love the "idiots" who lived in our house before us -- and by idiots we group together all the former tenants who thought they were clever enough to do house projects.) He still has about 75 square feet of floor to rip up...but he'll keep plodding along. All part of the "joy" in owning a 90-year-old house.

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5 THINGS TO BE HAPPY ABOUT

• bumper cars

• fragrant honeydew melons

• cattails and bulrushes

• a weekend trip to Prince Edward Island

• four o’clock tea

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There's something special (warm and fuzzy) about having afternoon tea.

Before I moved to England, I liked the idea of drinking tea, but I don't think I did it often. Then I moved there and was offered a cup every 20 minutes or so. Suffice it to say, I grew to love it!

Funny thing is I really enjoy it in the afternoon only -- maybe a little earlier than 4 p.m. I'm a coffee-drinking person in the morning and early evening but need my "cuppa" in the afternoon.

Emily and I enjoy doing her literature lessons with an afternoon cup of tea...and cookie or two. Both kids even have their own teacups.

One day, I plan to open a tea shop and offer "proper" afternoon teas. I host a Valentine's Tea Party every year and love the pomp and ceremony around it and sharing it with friends. It might be fun to do that daily...for a while.

A teabag and hot water...who knew something so simple would bring such pleasure.