Friday Mishmash

With our high humidity and hot temperatures, there's pretty much always a chance of an afternoon thunderstorm happening here during the summertime.  That said, we got a storm on Tuesday that surprised me with how intense it was and how long it lasted.  I came home after my run and quick trip to the grocery store, and was so pleased with how pretty all the pink flowering plants looked in our front yard that I walked out and took a quick picture that morning:

The oleander is having a good year, plus that yucca plant in between the two oleanders is loving life.

And then, around 1:30 that afternoon, I heard a loud BOOM, followed by a crack of lightening, and the sky got so dark that I ended up turning on the lights in the house:

Nervous dog is anxiously awaiting to see where I'm going next, because he was hot on my heels all afternoon - moreso than usual.  BTW the "light" outside of the windows is actually sheets of rain pouring down.

We got close to two inches of rain which makes sense because I watered my pot plants that morning.  The storm went on all afternoon and our power kept going off and coming back on, so I finally ended up just stretching out for a nap and some knitting...and I had company:

Seeing this picture makes me really want to get new slipcovers for this couch, so that the cute running shirt quilt that my mom made for me is set off better.  Orange and red really don't look all that great together.

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This is a little random, but a day or so after I gave Jeff the hammock for his birthday, I snuck in some time on it, and Kip joined me - of course I had to take a picture and post it on Facebook with the caption "shhhh...don't tell Jeff":

Kip always looks mad when I take his picture...I swear, he was just chilling here. 

But then I noticed that my toenail polish went so nicely with the colors of the hammock, so (naturally) I took some more shots once Kip had tired of the paparazzi in his face.  And while I realize that a good part of what I'm going to say has a lot to do with the angle of my legs in the hammock, I was shocked and happy to see that they were looking better - more firmer, if you will - which made me feel like all of the extra running and walking I've done this month is paying off.  It's been a great motivator to keep on getting out there, because honestly, coming back from a run completely soaked through with sweat, worn out more than usual thanks to the high humidity, and feeling like a slug because I'm trying to only run can all contribute to a rough go of it, mentally.  So seeing progress, ANY progress, is a win for me:

My legs will never be long and thin, because I'm short and stocky.  But firmer?  I'm good with that.

Oh, and then of course, you know Paco had to jump in the hammock with me:

 

Dis bery nice.  

Sure Paco, show me up with your slim legs!

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An early Happy Fourth of July to my fellow Americans!  We are planning on a little cookout on Monday with hotdogs, grilled corn on the cob and lemon icebox pie for dessert - and then we'll hunker down with the animals inside because all of the illegal fireworks that are sure to be set off will scare them more than a thunderstorm.  I'll be back on Wednesday with a regular post; in the meantime, enjoy the long weekend!