Sunday, June 27, 2021

Three Beautiful Things 06/26/2021: Window A/C Unit Installed, Chillin' at the Lounge, Perfect Rice Salad

1. I pretty much knew that when I buzzed down to Ace Hardware first thing this morning that they'd be sold out of window a/c units. But, I gave it a shot and I was correct. Craig informed me that they are sold out in Wallace, Kellogg, Wal Mart in Smelterville, and in St. Maries. I smiled and quipped that maybe I should try Chicago and he quipped back that I might try Alaska. 😅

I was mentally prepared to make the combination of floor fans and window fans I possess work, but I thought I'd just see if Christy might be able to get by with using one of her window units -- she has two of them, thanks to Lura and Lyle giving her one last weekend. If Christy needed both of them, no problem, I'd make what I have work and call around to places in Coeur d'Alene and see if anyone has a window unit in stock.

Well, Christy, told me she thought she could get by with one unit. I had asked Paul earlier if he could assist me in putting it in and getting the living room rearranged.

He did both! The a/c unit is in. It's cooling the living room down nicely. I put the two window fans in the bedroom where they can pull warm air out during the day and bring in the somewhat cooler air at night. 

The living room is kind of a mess. Interior design/arrangement is not a strong suit of mine. But, I'll figure things out one way or another. 

Right now, keeping the room somewhat cool for Luna and Copper and me is the primary concern and, right now, that's happening.

2. Not long after wrapping up the a/c project with Paul and Christy, I called Ed and told him I was free to go uptown and visit the Inland Lounge. Ed picked me up, pointed out some of the finer features of his Camry, told me how much we were going to enjoy our new car, and we strolled into the Lounge and had a good session with Cas. 

The beer at the Lounge is super cold and I am really enjoying Miller High Life these days as my go to mass produced American beer and the two bottles I drank were perfectly refreshing and our time at the Lounge was awesome -- good stories, good laughs, and solid relaxation. 

3.  In preparation for the hot weather, I made a pretty good sized rice salad on Friday morning. It combines cold jasmine rice with sliced cucumber, tomato, almonds, cilantro, feta cheese, chickpeas, and olives. I dressed it with a combination of olive brine, rice vinegar, and olive oil. 

I served myself small bowls of this salad all day long. I have a bit more left over for later. I love this salad whether it's hot or cold out, but as we begin life this week in the heat dome, this rice salad is perfectly nourishing and comforting. By the way, a person can put all kinds of stuff in this salad: red pepper, red onions, cold meat, or anything that sounds good -- also, it's a flexible salad as far as how it might be dressed. 

More cold salads to come. 

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