4th of July

 I "only" had four things to do and it almost killed me. Nothing seemed to go right. 

Saturday night, I cut up the hotdogs and put canned baked beans and hotdogs in a glass dish. Sunday morning, I baked the brownies and let them cool in the pan. I painted toe nails after feet were clean...lol. I wet my hair and put shampoo on a small section and remembered I decided my hair needed color, so I rinsed it off and just let it dry. I cut the brownies and put them on a blue plate with white stars. Then, I was too late putting on the color. I was going to use a curling iron, so I just went crazy with the hair dryer after I combed out the tangles. 

I got really frazzled! Tommy tried to help. Every time I asked him to find something, he brought it to me in the bedroom. I just wanted to make sure I had it--like my makeup bag I carry in the big blue bag we carry to the car, the Vaseline I needed for my ashy arms, and my camera that was not in my purse anymore. 

Well, then I could not find the curling iron and I had this wild covid cut that needed cutting again. So, that is how I arrived, looking like a wild woman. I put nail polish on at stop lights once we got near UAB and stoplights. I was so exhausted.

Instructions were--ring the bell at the gate and someone will come out and open the door in the gate. Okay, the whole place was surrounded by wrought iron fence about eight feet high. We were on a street four lanes wide. Everything in sight was asphalt or concrete or bricks. A few pieces of grass did nothing to mitigate the heat. We rang and rang and rang and rang again. I called two friends I knew were there. After 30 minutes of standing in the heat and sweltering 3 pm sun, I could feel my scalp sweating and the sweat running toward my forehead. UGH 

Finally, a very nice woman just walking by told us how to get it and it was not at the gate with the button we were supposed to push! So, we got in the gate and had no idea where was a habitation. This looked all commercial. It was wonderful to finally get indoors and get a glass of unsweetened tea. 

There was an abundance of food including baked beans with brisket or something in them. It sounded better than mine. The brownies were the only chocolate and very popular. So, we brought home most of the beans and franks. I will freeze enough for a meal for Tommy. 

I am not a baked bean fan, although these were pretty good. I read the can and found out they were made with Navy beans which I love. So, I tasted them.  I hate all the other beans used in baked beans. So, if I can get past all the carbs, maybe I will taste a bit of these baked beans. I know I was going to make the baked beans myself, but the can worked. 

My friend's "house" was full of art all over walls, covered to the ceiling. Even the tables were art. I went into her husbands "garage." It seems he used to fix cars and now he fixes watches. He had a couple of thousand square feet of art in his part of the house. It is not garage dirty, very clean and full of art. He called it a garage, but it was not very garage-y. My friend is an attorney--mitigation specialist. They lived in Vestavia until his kids graduated and then moved to his business. They eliminated a mortgage. They are so smart. Vestavia Hills is a very ritzy place to live, but money saved is better. 

We finally got into the house about 4 pm and left at 6 pm, plenty long for me after being exhausted by heat radiating off everything around. By the time we arrived home, I was ready to lie down. I did and might have gone to sleep except the fireworks started, the noisy ones that are not pretty.

Okay, after an hour I got up, no sleep, no nap. We are listening/watching the Boston Pops and seeing fireworks from the park behind the houses across the street. This was a tame 4th with about 20 people. Quiet.

I love the heat, but too much sun drains me as I have grown older. Does sun drain you? How was your 4th of July? 

Yes, I am posting twice today.