Five Things to Remember from July

For several months, I've been keeping track of five things I'd like to remember from that month. Here's what came up in July. 

One. Ginger ale actually tastes kind of … peppy. Peppery. Almost spicy. In fact … Gingery? I hadn’t noticed before, in all these years. I love it.

Two. I like being able to learn new things (that are NOT like insurance, estate planning, getting bids for something etc.) at my “advanced” age. See ginger ale tastes gingery, above. Still getting to know smoked paprika, for example.

Time, it passes. Make a wish.

Three. Same “learning” category: I actually enjoy legumes, oat-based cereals, and getting more exercise, and good news: so does my cholesterol score.

Four. From January through April and into May, I dream about the warm days in June (ha! that's a pipe dream, and the reason for the invention of the Spring Sweatshirt), July, and August. Here are the things I always forget: the tenacity of the smells of bug repellant and sunscreen, the fact that I have/want to wash my hands about once an hour for one reason or another, there’s often a mysterious oily stain on the “good” t-shirt I was planning to wear, it’s impossible for me to make it through a day keeping a white tee white. For example. Not that these things are bad, necessarily—they’re just part of the package.

Five. One of the most excellent parts of July—opening windows and sliding doors, and thank goodness for screens. Feeling the air move through the house is one very lovely part of July I very much want to remember. 

Periodically (sometimes weekly, sometimes not) I post on Instagram about a book I've read. Here are books since the last time:

Favourite Daughter, Morgan Dick / Blue Sisters, Coco Mellors

The Northern, Jacob Arthur Mooney

Wolves on the Road, Ulrich Wendt

Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott: I read this with a new quarterly-ish book club I'm enjoying: Writing Craft Book Club. Here's a link to the website, where there's an "official" general review.