Summer is on its last leg. I can tell by the long shadows, the crazy wasps, the shorter days and the cool mornings.
An Artist paints Buon Giorno restaurant across the street at Tompkins Park, Calgary Alberta
In these parts August, is the month with the highest range of temperature in a day. It can be anywhere from 4-10c (40-50f) in the mornings to 20-30c (68-86f) in the afternoon – Perfect for sleeping!
Speaking of crazy wasps, I have discovered that if I burn incense while I’m outside the crazy fermented fruit-eating wasps go away. I watch them come at me like fighter pilots and then make sudden U-Turns and high tail it out of there.
A girl plays with the water at Olympic Plaza across from City Hall, Calgary Alberta
Another cool discovery through my BFF via her daughter is a cheap and easy way to treat unfinished wood. I have a southern exposure. My balcony always has sun and the little wooden table out there looked like a relic from the pioneer days.
This little recipe fixed up my table and also my BFF’s deck in the backyard. Are you ready for it? Go get a pen…
You should have seen it before. It’s like brand new now!
It’s 3 parts Canola Oil, 1 part vinegar… that’s it, that’s all – just use a cloth to rub it in…
In other news, my Dad is still recovering well from surgery. He has this beard thing going on and I swear he is one of the few guys in the world who still has more than his share of hair at age 79. With the growth of a beard, he is looking all scientist-doctorish and I’m thinking I need to be calling him Doctor Father Schwenk, PhD or something.
As for work on my future plans and The Other Bottom Line, I continue to make progress when I’m not distracted by sunny days, crazy wasps, long shadows, fix-your-wood recipes and the odd stabs of who-the-heck-do-you-think-you-are thoughts.
If you like summer. If you like Jazz. You need to click below. That’s it, that’s all.
~ THE HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~
talktodiana 
Those crazy wasps, you have those in Canada too?
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yeah lucky us. Ice, snow and crazy wasps LOL!
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They come out in my wood shop when it gets down in the 70s – it’s like they are drunk. We can have some brutal winters, but the ice and snow come in batches, we get lots of great weather between storms.
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That’s it I’m moving in with you! BTW I think they do get drunk on fermenting fruit!
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LOL! I hadn’t thought about what made them drunk. I get them on those warmer winter days, they are harmless, it’s like they were woke up too soon. The Ozarks has a wonderful variety of weather, sometimes all in the same day 🙂
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Summertime and Norah, yeah. Two of my favourite things! 😉
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I like Norah but I gotta say, summertime is way more my favourite! 😉
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Sunny days and long shadows distract me, too. In northern climates, summer is so short, and I feel a real need to find the time to enjoy it.
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Exactly!
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Summer isn’t here yet but trust me you would think otherwise, it is bloody well hot, tomorrow it’s suppose to be around 29°C yeah that bloody hot and it isn’t summer yet
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I’ll be right over! haha
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I have heard lots of ways to catch wasps including the old jar jar trick…..never heard of them running away from incense.
I do, however, know all about those ‘who-the-heck-do-you-think-you-are’ thoughts that intrude on the progress that the other side of my brain makes.
🙂
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I wonder…do women hear those thoughts more than men??
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I think with many dreams and new ideas, it can be harder for a woman because of branching out from the stereotypical role expected. You don’t have the comfort of protocols and procedures already laid out in front of you. So even though one side of you may let out a defiant ‘yes-I-can-do-it’, the other side says ‘who-do-you-think-you-are’, with no-one beside you to answer ‘magnificent’. So I think you have to make that call yourself and say ‘I am magnificent’.
(Or you can get it from fellow bloggers …… I think you are magnificent …… and you can do it……. I believe in you)
🙂
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Thanks Elizabeth – I think you’re pretty amazing too and I believe in you!
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Thanks 🙂
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burrrr….. 🙂 – plenty of time for soup and thinking soon 🙂
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so true – thinking about tropical vacations and such!
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I hear Costa Rica is wonderful 🙂
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I bet it is!
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where would you like to go ?
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anywhere south, specifically when it’s freakin’ cold here, that has a clean beach and warm ocean. 🙂
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Cleveland has a lake and a beach, and it has to be warmer than the frozen north 🙂
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and it has a Foodie/Tour Guide! 😉 Wait…would I have to ride a bike 20 miles for a beer though…?
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through a volcano 🙂
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Is that all? Whew. Thought you were going to take me heli-cycling…you know where a chopper drops us on a mountain and we off-road all the way down…
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Yeah, it sure is getting colder over here too. The other day my hubby and I accidentally even said we miss snow…ups…a statement I know I’m gonna regret. Enjoy these last summer days and I’m so glad your dad is getting better. ps. how do you fight those who-the-heck-do-you-think-you-are thoughts?? I have the same problem. ;D hugs
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Not easy to fight those thoughts. One thing I have done when I’m at the top of my game is to list out my strengths and accomplishments. I read these when those nasty thoughts come. ❤
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The crazy wasps had been driving me crazy! For some reason wasps like mussels. My boyfriend had eaten mussels the other day and left the shells outside on our balcony to keep from making a smell in the house. The wasps were going crazy in there, fighting and every now and again an angry wasp would come flying towards me. I finally picked up the courage to somehow get the mussels (and wasps) into a dustbin bag and then got rid of them in the dustbin (to get to our dustbin is not as easy as you would imagine otherwise that’s where they would have gone straight away).
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They are kamikaze this time of year! Glad you were able to come away injury free (I’m assuming)!
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Yes thankfully, I’ve never been stung in my life. When I was a child I didn’t used to be scared of them either, but as I get older I seem to be getting more and more afraid of the little beasties. Maybe I need to get stung once just to find out what it feels like.
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I was never stung until I was in my 30’s and let me tell you it &^%&(^%*& hurts! And the pain grows more intense as the minutes go by. I was more angry than scared in that moment. I grabbed the wasp off my foot between my thumb and index finger and squished and ground it to paste while cussing like a trucker. I can still see my daughter’s eyes (she was little then) grow big like a saucer! 😉
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Hahahahaha!
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Norah Jones, yeah!
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I love her voice!
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Did you see her in My Blueberry Nights? If not, you’ll want to rent it, trust me!
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no, I didn’t. I haven’t rented a movie in over 20 years LOL
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Not a fan of the cinematic arts?
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I have the attention span of a gnat. I can’t sit through an entire movie, I always get up and putter.
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Our summer came late…..but will leave as quickly as it has arrived, am sure. SOOO glad to know your dad continues to improve! AND ~ I am going to try you 3:1 mix on a project I have in the garage. Thanks! ♥
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Thank you so much. Let me know how your project turns out!
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I will!
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Yes… summer slipping away too fast.
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sigh…well. must. go. out and. enjoy. it. (said with William Schatner voice) 😉
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dancing to the song now 🙂
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It’s awesome eh? I love this song and all the versions I’ve ever heard it in!
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