The Northeast is again blanketed with wildfire smoke said to be extremely unhealthy to breathe. For the most part, I've been wearing a mask when having to run out for an errand, and not spending any unnecessary time outdoors, though yesterday I joined a friend for lunch and we were enjoying each other's company so much that as we walked out, I suggested we go for a walk, and so we did, with her dogs. We were in woods with a lot of shade, so I'm hoping the dense canopy above us helped to filter that dirty air. It smelled fine to me, but then, small particulate matter doesn't need to smell to be harmfull.

My self-enforced don't go out routine here is reminding me of what it felt like to be cooped up during Covid. Very isolating.

The day we went for lunch was the ONE day local forecasters said we would have a day of clean air, but the National Weather Service issued another unhealthy air warning at 3:30 pm that day, to extend through Sunday, and we were out walking from around 5-6:30 pm. Oh well. The cheesecake dessert was the best part of the meal.

I successfully switched my Medigap policy carrier from Cigna (aka, HealthSpring) to Aetna (aka, FirstHealth). I was facing a rate hike from Cigna starting next month and since the coverage provided is by law identical for every Medigap Plan N (or whatever plan you have), it made sense to switch, and I'll be paying a few dollars less each month than what I'm paying Cigna now even BEFORE their rate hike becomes effective.

My back door(s) replacement project will take place next week. I'm not at all looking forward to the process, since it took them 5 hours to do the front door last year, the entryway was mostly open during that time, letting bugs in, and no use running the AC then, so it could be really uncomfortable. And I don't relish having them tromp around, in and out, through other rooms. It is what  it is. I told them to come as early in the am as possible, because by noon, the back patio, where the doors are, really bakes. It's in the shade before then.

The back patio...I have an umbrella for that table but must've taken it down for a rainstorm when I took the photo.

Like many communities across my state and the US, my town is having a big debate over the use of Flock cameras. Most people are against them because unlike normal traffic enforcement cameras already operating at key intersections, the data collected is not quickly erased but possibly shared with other law enforcement agencies, like ICE. Some towns here got them, then backed out after the outcry.

Dad and I enjoyed another nice lunch at Mercato's the other day. I like taking him there because there are no steps and it's relatively uncrowded if we go a little later. And the food is pretty good.

I finally got a chance to get my hair cut. It was getting rather long.

I am feeling super obligated to help my plant group do something this morning that involves probably an hour or two of outdoor work. Even though it's at 9:30 am, the heat is still oppressive. So I don't think I will, although I feel very guilty about it because 2 people already said they can't make it, so that leaves just 1 other, besides me, and I would feel bad if the 1 person has to do it alone. 

So, postscript to my litter group that disbanded last year. Our board's accountant offered me the cleanup supplies he had as he knew I was still organizing cleanups in my hometown. I picked them up the other day, set aside a few for my own trash cleanups, but arranged to have someone from another trash cleanup group in a town about a half-hour from here pick them up. They seem to have a pretty active group, so these supplies won't go to waste. I just don't have the room to store large quantities of stuff like that.

I guess cataract surgery is sometime in my future. I was at the eye doc yesterday. They had mentioned I had "microscopic" cataracts in both eyes a few years back, and she mentioned it again. She said I might begin to  notice it tomorrow, or years from now, but she suggested getting a refraction since it has been 2 years since my last, and that could alert to any visual changes I haven't noticed. 

I had no idea that along with cataract surgery, you have the opportunity to correct any visual issues like astigmatisms or near-sightedness, both of which I have. But Medicare will only cover the basic fix, so you could be on the hook for thousands of dollars if you want an "upgrade." So a lot to consider and think about, though I think I have time.

I saw this bobcat in my backyard two days ago.

She pondered life for about 5 minutes under my magnolia tree, then sauntered across the lawn and disappeared into the brush.

I am often active in my town's Buy Nothing group. When I first joined probably 4 years ago, I was always eager to acquire "stuff," but most of it I did not keep forever, for various reasons. (The things I did keep and still have include outdoor patio chairs, a tiled coffee table, several large plastic food storage containers I use for my birdseed, a small wood cabinet of drawers, some workout clothes I wear at the gym, 6 large outdoor planters and some pottery.)

These days, i use BN a lot to unload other things I don't want or no longer use. And I decided to offer my barrel composter on it next, along with a flashlight, some brand new window screens that were never used cus my contractor got the wrong type and some teas. One incentive for gifting things on Buy Nothing is that with our town's new trash policy, if you want to dispose of something that doesn't fit in a trash bag, you may end up having to pay to dispose of it if it's considered demo materials, for instance. And it would be a pain to transport my composter in my small SUV. So gifting it is far preferable.

I made it through another scary storm last night, the kind where an emergency alert suddenly lights up your phone and tells you to get to the basement NOW. At the peak of the storm, I watched the top halves of some very big trees on my property violently swaying to and fro. That's when I went to the basement. Yet this morning, I noticed that an empty plastic nursery pot lying on its side on my back patio had not rolled away. 

The "feels like" temps in the 100s with high humidity has been replaced with temps in the 80s, still high humidity, and more t-storms are expected this afternoon/tonight, bringing with them possible 6" of rain.

Most of my garden plants appeaer unscathed, except for some especially vigorous cosmos that were especially enthusiastic growers and about 3 feet high and ready to flower. They flopped over, so I just finished staking them ahead of the next storm so they don't get permanently bent over. I used very soft and bendy rubbery stuff that I think is used to fill gaps or joints in a wall before you spackled over it. Or maybe as weather stripping in a door. I just happen to have used it for years to seal a big void between my basement door and the wall since it's easily removable, but now I have something else more conventional.

I'm really so tired of every other week, another weather "event." We need to do more to combat climate change, and we can't afford to wait until Rump is out of office.

A friend in town was going to come over for lunch today, but given the continued storms, and the fact a friend of hers who was going to see fireworks with her lasts night was stranded at her home after a few trees came down on the road, I've decided today is not the day for lunch.

In other news, I'm giving myself a big pat on the back for making it to the gym on Friday in the intense heat. They are stingy with the AC there. With those tall exposed ceilings, I imagine it must cost a fortune. I will be returning there today. When it's that hot, I tend to not want to leave the house. The heat will hit you like a wall when you venture outside, and then opening your car door is another blast from the heat furnace. 

One of my fellow board members from the litter cleanup group that disbanded has arranged with me my pickup of some grabber sticks and these large round things you can clip a bag into to keep it open. I wasn't absolutely sure I wanted these supplies because I have very limited storage space, but I will take half of what he has and then offer the rest to litter cleanup groups I've met in other towns. I don't anticipate doing another cleanup in town until probably September due to high temperatures.