July In Numbers

Clockwise from left: (1) Perhaps the most important thing I did in July - register to vote in Florida; (2) My newfound appreciation for tools; (3) The latest creature to invade our marina - vegetation that's floated down the canal from Lake Okeechobee; (4) A pouch for my iPod made from scrap material; (5) A padded case for my laptop made from more scrap material leftover from throw pillows and slipcovers on our settees.

It’s time for my usual recap of the past month in numbers. It’s a very random assortment of things that I got up to in July.

• 20 – Number of vegetarian days during July. I find that by keeping tack of my veggie days, I have a lot more of them.

• 2 – Number of days I ate beef. After four months of not eating any red meat, I broke down in spectacular fashion with taco salad one night and steak on another. While the taco salad was amazing, the steak was so-so. I can probably easily go another four months without red meat. 

• 29 – Number of days I went without any chocolaty treats. I know, I don’t believe me either. But, seriously it's true. I went on mini-chocolate cupcake eating binge for a couple of days, but then they weren't anymore left and the binge was sadly over.

• $3.25 – How much it costs to do a wash and dry at our marina. Some larger boats have washers and dryers onboard. That wouldn’t be us. I’ve got a bucket and a plunger for when we’re out cruising, but happily use washers and dryers when they’re available on land.

• 3 – The number of crafty and practical sewing projects I magicked up on my Sailrite sewing machine including a tool roll, a padded laptop case and an adorable little pouch for my iPod. iPods are tiny and can easily get lost and scratched up, so I keep it in it’s pouch when not in use. It makes me feel just a bit like a mama kangaroo, putting things in pouches to keep them safe.

• Unknown – I’m not actually sure how many things I bought on Amazon Prime Day and I probably don’t want to know. In my defense, most of the items were practical bargains and on my “to buy someday list” – like a thermometer, a solar powered light, portable water-resistant speakers for my iPod, a dry bag and batteries. I also got some colored pencils for $9.99. Not a necessity, but oodles of fun. I did show some restraint and skipped the 36 roll pack of toilet paper which surely makes up for the pencils.

• 24 – The number of wrenches we have. Ever since I did a bit of car repair, I seem to have a newfound fascination with tools. I find it disturbing. 

• 11 – The number of books I read. The usual eclectic mix of thrillers, mysteries, sci-fi and non-fiction.

• 30 – I met a woman, probably in her 80s, at the VA hospital the other day. Her son has been there for 20 years, and in other facilities for 10 years prior to that. He’s blind, can’t communicate and only has limited movement of one arm. His mom has been visiting him regularly for the past 30 years, talking to him and giving him hugs. What an amazing lady. If you ever think your life isn’t all that great, just keep in mind there’s probably somebody who has it a lot tougher.

In case you missed them, here are some of our favorite blog posts during July:

Shopping Lists | What Do They Say about You?
Happy Birthday Mr. Blog!
Wordless Wednesday | Car Repair in Thailand

How was your July? What are you looking forward to in August?

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