A Midsummer's Day

Happy Mid-Summer to you all! I hope this post finds you sipping iced tea, walking indoors, parking in covered garages and whatever else you can do to stay protected from this insane, unrelenting HEAT! I woke up pretty early this morning and took my pup for a walk. I came home dripping like some saved candle stored away in the attic.

I just bought this Sports Armband called a QuanFun (like, wearing it I will have a quantity of fun?)

The description on Amazon swears it is meant for exercise, ergo sweat, but I venture to guess it will be pretty gross by the end of summer. I've posted the question how this can be cleaned, and I'll keep you gentle readers updated.

Now, here's the crazy part. I only bought this armband because I wanted to read a book. And the book was not available in book form from my library. And I'm trying to have a summer where I don't buy stuff (I'm not being 100% successful, and I'll tell you later about Shopaholic Sanctuary) so I didn't want to buy the book. But my library offered to loan me the book on Hoopla where I could listen to it. At this point, the book had become some kind of Quest with a capital Q. Fine, I'll listen to the book. How do I do that? My husband very kindly explained that some people, not all mind you, but some people use their phone, not just to call people to set up lunch dates, but as sort of a multi media apparatus. I responded like the old people on that SNL sketch, "Hmm, I don't know about that."

My handsome cousin, Josh the Personal Trainer, had just visited me and was trying to sell me on the wonders of listening to books while I exercise. I informed him, as one likes to inform Millennials, that I don't have to be listening to something all the time. I am perfectly content to walk outside or exercise at my gym, or clean my house in some measure of silence. But now I've got this book on my phone, and when better to listen to it than when I'm walking or cleaning.

Y'all, I'm now hooked on Hoopla.

So, what is this book? It is Giddy Up, Eunice by Sophie Hudson, who also authors the blog, BooMama.net

It's a treatise on female friendship, the importance of not just female friends but friendships that span generations. And I'm adoring listening to Sophie Hudson read this book to me in her fabulous Mississippi way.

Friends are my absolute favorite, right after God, Husband, Older and Younger. My friend, Rebecca, told me I collect friends like I collect bracelets. That comment sent me wondering if I could get an Alex and Ani bangle to represent every friendship I have, but that is neither here nor there, although my birthday is in September so something to consider...

I'm about halfway through listening to the book. I would be further along, but I can't listen to this book while lifting weights. Not only do I lose track of the number of reps I've done, but I start laughing out loud at something Sophie has said, and while that should strengthen my core, really it just makes my form fall apart, and Handsome Josh is very strict about form.

Anyway, I'm completely inspired by this woman to venture out of my Gen X comfort zone and make lunch dates with my phone (its intended purpose, after all) with someone much younger and someone much older. Check this book out - I think you will love it!