Gadgets and Gizmos

The day went by quickly yesterday even though it was so hot. Today it will be hotter. A friend has lent me a spray mister that has a small, but powerful and effective fan for trial use. (I think I am going to buy one.) When I first saw it, I thought it looked kind of weird and awkward. It is an absolute Godsend. Everyone should have one. It is low tech, doesn't require electricity--survival in case of a power outage and is portable.

Right now at around 8:00 am it is cooler outside by five degrees than it is inside. Cool air is blowing in on me thanks to one of three box fans of varying age that I have in the house. These are fairly low tech too, actually. Faithful and simple in design they plug along year after year. Of course, they don't get used all year round. It doesn't feel like it could possibly become as hot as it is slated to be, but it will, so I need to run around the house closing windows behind me as I go. (Image a slightly elderly lady wheeling around her house wielding a cane. No she is not bats, nor is she chasing anything, the cane allows her to reach her window cranks and open and close, close and open. Tedious, but low tech, adaptable and effective.)

The "new" --nearly ten years old now, but I still think of it as new--furnace came with a programmable thermostat. I am tempted to put a piece of tape over the display. Do I really want to know how hot it is at the end of the day? Won't make me any cooler, but I can't resist looking at it.

My last gadget for this post is a lovely absolutely darling, kitchen toy er tool that scoops cookie dough in just perfect balls to plop on the baking sheet. It is a Pampered Chef goodie and may be ordered by clicking on the link to the right that goes to my niece, Jennifer Knapp's Pampered Chef site. (Shameless plug over.)