Hotter than a ---- --------

Shawn and I know a lot of expressions for severe cold, having lived in Maine. "Colder than a witch's ------," "Colder than a well-digger's -------" "Colder than a dead -----" etc. None of these similes is pretty or poetic, but when you're freezing your backside off, you almost have no choice but to say it bluntly and crudely. However, neither Shawn nor I, as veterans of the Cold Country, know any expressions for severe heat. "Hotter than a pepper sprout" is the only one that comes to mind. There must be some good ones out there. "Hotter than the devil's -----" perhaps? I'll have to do some research.

The heat of the day is inspiring my search for expressions. It's hot today. I've not been motivated to do much except the usual daily routines, and the fewer the better. This morning, I felt sluggish, even with the air conditioning, so I sat down in the Lazy Boy and read an entire book. I was finished by one oçlock. It was a memoir by Alice Eve Cohen entitled what i thought i knew, and describes a forty-four year old woman's shock to discover she was six months pregnant with an unplanned child. She hadn't felt well and had consulted doctors, but they found various causes ranging from bladder infection and menopause, to declining muscle tone and underwire bras. Since she'd been taking estrogen for fifteen years for some low estrogen condition and continued to take it unknowingly during the pregnancy, the child had a congenital disability which could have been caused by the hormones. The expense of raising a disabled baby, which required legions of interventions and therapists, was more than they could handle, so she sued her OB-GYN, who had examined her thoroughly and had not found a fetus or even consideredd that possibility, since the author had been diagnosed as "infertile" when she was thirty. It was a "wrongful life" suit, which won her a settlement to cover the medical bills for years to come. It was an interesting story and a quick read.

It's July 17. Teacher planning days begin Augusty 4th! How can the summer have gone by so fast? I've loved the routine of sleeping in every day, staying up late every night watching episodes of Law and Order, and taking care of household business as it comes up. The days go by fast even when I'm doing very little of any significance.