When was the last time that time got away from me this thoroughly? I had no idea just now that it was already midnight. We had dinner with T and A (I feel weird using that set of initials, but it's who our neighbors are), and after dinner and a card game, T and Mr S-P retired to the drawing room, as it were, for manly pursuits like Call of Duty, and A and I sat at the table and talked about a little of everything. I don't remember a time feeling this animated and engaged in conversation. I missed this. But eventually the guys got tired of losing at video games and came back out. Everything broke up almost immediately after that, and the spell wore off. Now we recognize how very weary we are and how ready for bed. We got a good glare from Jackie and Harvey as we walked in, like parents who waited up for wayward teens out past curfew.
We dropped in briefly for baby time this afternoon. There were a few things the kids wanted us there for. Valerie, on the other hand, was not interested in playing around. She was being fed when we arrived, and she spent the next hour bouncing between feeling fussy and being mostly asleep. She didn't want to do the cute, photogenic kind of sleep. She wanted to be nestled face first into the curve of our necks, or nothing. We all tried to soothe her in turn, and she mostly tolerated us. It wasn't until her grandfather was switching hands with her and managed to push just so on her belly that the burp that had been distressing her finally loosened and escaped. She was much more charming after that, but I had missed my window on good photos. I had attempted one while we sat on the deck, and she was having none of it. I'll share it regardless.
I think we are making promising advancement on this year's projects. Last summer (or the one before it?), on one of his trips through the building salvage warehouse, the Mr found a whole house fan that they were ready not to have lying around anymore. They slashed the price and gave it plus a handful of little things he had come to obtain for a grand total of about 45 bucks. It has been taking up space in the garage ever since. I desperately want this installed, to cool off the house in all but the worst of heat waves. I would rather not replace the actual air conditioner unit until I can do the full remodel/addition of the back patio that I have wanted for a couple of years. Summers here are warm but not brutal (except a few weeks when upper 90s are possible). After trips into the attic, and some designing, Mr S-P has come up with a way to install the fan that will be the least disruptive to my original plaster ceilings. He whipped up a contraption out of scrap plywood, and as soon as this week, I will have multiple improvements around here: a cooler house with lower utility bills, a little less wood in the scrap heap, and a few square feet of clear space in the garage. Fingers crossed that the whole thing gets completed soon.
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