Please help me be grateful for the seasons and where did my parsley go?

Just like anyone in the south, Memphis is in the midst of the Dog Days of Summer. I am struggling to be grateful to live in a place with four defined seasons. Those who know me well know that I have a budget spreadsheet for ever element of our life. However, it is so hot, I no longer care how high our next electric bill is. I just want to be cold. From my first footstep onto Memphis soil, I have said this place is hotter than any place else due to the humidity. Just last week, I found someone who agreed. Our vet's office has a new vet that grew up in Mobile. Even he said Memphis was the hottest, most humid place he's been, and he grew up within a short drive to the beach where it is supposed to be hellish in the summer. The heat is making running a nightmare. Yes, I am getting up to run at 7:00 am, but the heat index is already close to 90. I've told a neighbor I'll run a 5 mile race in August that is dedicated to her boyfriend who recently passed away. I cannot back out, but am truly getting very worried about finishing in the heat. I've even talked other folks into running with me so I've got to show up AND run!

In other news on Cherrydale Rd., I typically have a large supply of parsley in my herb pot. However, over the past few days, I've noticed the number of leaves decreasing, and decreasing until today there were none. Could someone tell me what to do to keep the squirrels, chipmunks, or the unmentionable Memphis rodents out of plants I want to put in my mouth? I know parsley is just to add some color to a dish but I do have a recipe that really tastes better with fresh parsley and now I have none!

Finally, those (Gary) who are concerned about our consuming processed food and wasting aluminum through getting our dinner from Supper Supers (click here to see Super Suppers post) will be happy to know we've returned to fixing our own dinners. Super Suppers is great for Super busy families but I just don't think we qualify.

One more thing. In my next life, I am going to be the CEO of a high-end, customer-satisfying, mega-home improvement store. Going to the two big-box home improvement stores is pretty much a constant, particularly with our old house. These are two of my least favorite stores. Why? Because on top of facing the challenge of poor Memphis customer service, we have to battle the poor customer service that will come with the big-box store. Case in point: We ordered a small counter top for one of the bathrooms. It was only about 25 x 18 inches. Surely a small slab of rock can get delivered to the store in one piece. Nope. David went to pick it up and it was in THREE pieces. How can such a small piece of rock end up in so many pieces?

Stay cool!