Can You Watch the Baby?
Tuesday morning, my telephone rang. The caller had a 602 area code, which is Phoenix. Still, I make it a practice to not answer phone calls from unidentified callers. I figure if it’s important, they will leave a message. And this caller did, indeed, leave a message. The message was from Rob, who is the boyfriend of my niece Jessie, both of whom recently moved to Denver. Jessie had three wisdom teeth pulled this morning, and she really shouldn’t be left alone. But I have to take my mother to the airport. Is there any chance you could come by for a little bit this afternoon to stay with Jessie? Well, hell to the yes! I haven’t babysat Jessie since she was a little girl. It was an easy gig, with no temper tantrums or diapers to change. In fact, except for a few minutes right when I arrived during which she ate some ice cream, I didn’t see her at all. She went back up to her bed, and never made a peep. When Rob got home, I had a flashback to being 12 years old and babysitting. But I didn’t get the 35 cents an hour that I took home back in those days.

Is It Hot Enough For Ya?
The temperatures have been hot this week. I can’t complain to my Arizona family, however, because their temperatures have been hotter, and they don’t see an end in sight. I can handle the 95 degrees, but unlike usual, the temperatures haven’t been dropping when I’m ready for bed. Usually the temperature is in the mid-70s, and I open our bedroom window and turn on the whole house fan. Our bedroom cools off nicely. The past couple of nights, I have just had to turn the air conditioner low and hope for the best.

Thirsty Plants
A few years ago, Bill pulled up the juniper trees in our front yard and made the area into a berm of sorts. By definition, berms provide a separation between land and a body of water. Ours, however, only partially separates us from our neighbor. Anyhoo, I planted some wild grasses, a miniature evergreen tree, and some perennials (including Black-Eyed Susans earlier this summer that I am hoping will bloom in the fall). But it wasn’t hooked to our sprinkler system, so it had to be watered by hand. That, of course, was difficult enough that I didn’t water as often as I should. We had a man come out this week to fix one of our sprinklers which looked more like Old Faithful than a sprinkler. At the end, Bill asked him what would be necessary to get a sprinkler for the berm. The man went out, and 5 minutes later, he came back and said DONE. I don’t know what he did, but I am a happy woman now that my plants will be watered.

Memories 
My blog post from yesterday about my grandpa got some favorable remarks. I think as we age, we become more nostalgic about our past. That’s about the time we start wishing we had asked more questions. And, of course, by that time, it’s too late. I really mean it when I tell people to ask your parents and grandparents lots of question now, when they’re able to give you good information.

Ciao.