This and That.

Right now, I have the dishwasher running, the laundry going, cleaned out the cat litter boxes, juiced a bunch of lemons for juice freezing, and I just finished making Guava/Passion/Orange homemade popsicles.

My swims this weekend have been peaceful and at 45 minutes each, feel like accomplishments. In addition, the pool is now being heated to 85 degrees. I know this because when I swim in the early morning hours, the pool thermostat reads 84 and the heat is kicking on. I was told the pools in our community would only be heated to 75 this summer. I’m sure not going to ask about it, I’m just going to count it as a blessing.

Particularly since we invited the Steve/Marigold/Huck/Milo Show over for the 4th of July, with enticements of a swim in the pool, since it’s so warm — 1st time for Milo. Oh my, it was good to see them and I enjoyed observing Milo’s analytical approach to the whole pool thing — he stared it down, not even splashing until he’d been in there for at least 15 minutes. At that point, he started making noises and pointing at pool toys — like, “Hey you, bring me that so I can drop it to the bottom again!” And THEN, finally, the smiles, the hard earned smiles came forth from Milo when his brother’s silliness became too irresistible. This is really their mom’s story to tell, I suppose, but it was just so good to see them! You can’t be focused on serious grown-up stuff when the littles are around.

When they went home (the kiddies were tired), we went down the street to see the fireworks over the lake. Every year they do this show, but this was the first time we’ve attended. It was kind of a spontaneous thing, staying home, because normally we head over to a city where we can legally set off our personal fireworks (I think the plan is to save what we bought on Thursday and didn’t use for New Year’s). The fireworks show here at home was a fun experience and quite a production for such a small town event. I climbed a low slung tree for seating and viewing comfort as lots of people turned out for it, even double parking along the street!

I hate that my husband has had to work this weekend, particularly in this heat. It’s been hot, nearing 100 in the shade. Exactly the type of weather one would expect for the 4th of July weekend. But he works outside on the weekend, on asphalt and dirt — doubly hot. Please keep my man in your prayers and/or thoughts. I don’t know how he manages to keep going sometimes…

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Hair Update — Week 7, no shampoo.

I think I pretty much have this thing figured out. I only use the Baking Soda Rinse (BSR) every 2 to 3 days now. I use the Apple Cider Vinegar rinse (ACV) every day.

I adjusted my ACV recipe a bit this past week. It’s now as follows:

1/4 c ACV (reduced from 1/3 c from last week)
1/2 c aloe vera (increased from 1/3 c from last week)
10″ sprig of rosemary (no adjustment)
In 1 QT bottle with tap water (no adjustment)

I’m just playing with the mixture to maximize moisture. Chlorine is very drying, ACV acts as a clarifier — which removes chlorine, but also moisture… at least that’s what it seems to be doing to my hair. Thus the increase in aloe vera and decrease in ACV. I used Scalpicin once this week, due to my scalp feeling inflamed. My hormones have been a bit more dramatic in their changing this cycle, and the inflammation coincided with that, so I think that was probably the problem.

Ohhh, I keep meaning to mention that I’m now only using baking soda to cleanse my face. I keep a container of dry baking soda by my sink. When I wash my face, I rinse my face, then pull some baking soda out and make a paste of it. It’s very effective at removing makeup and is gritty enough to exfoliate dry skin and cleanse pores. I’m on week 3 of that, so things may change as hormones change… we’ll see.

Taken today, natural lighting (no flash).

This week is work, of course, but it’s another 4-day work week for me since we’re taking Friday off to go to San Francisco next week. My mom will meet us there and we’ll go to Alcatraz at Night, and then Alcatraz Morning Garden Tour. Probably some other stuff, too.