awake but in bed

Mom's awake, but she's still in bed and is contemplating getting up. Dad's out on a quick errand and will be back in a few minutes.

It's cool enough outside that we've killed the air conditioner and have left the windows open throughout the house. Were we in Nantes, France, we could do this with little fear of mosquitoes and other nasty creatures flying in; such bugs are rarely a problem in Western Europe (my experience in Switzerland was similar). Here in ol' Virginny, though, you don't open a door or window without first having some sort of mesh in place. Our sliding glass door is currently open, but the screen door has been closed.

I know from harsh experience that Seoul in summer is far, far buggier than Virginia-- the mosquito problem is horrific (big city, plenty of standing water), and the Koreans do the European thing by not placing mesh over their windows (there are exceptions). When I lived in Seoul, I almost never opened my windows during the summer; I generally waited until late fall, when the mosquitoes had been beaten into submission by the temperatures, to open my studio/dorm to the outside world.

Tomorrow, we're off to Texas, so today is a day of trip prep. We'll be gone for only a few days, so there isn't much packing for me to do, but Mom's packing requires some care and forethought.

Hard to believe we're on the threshold of September. I can't wait for fall.


UPDATE, 1:25PM: Mom's covers are back on and her eyes are closed. She's napping. Pastor Kim is supposed to visit at 2PM; I may have to cancel that, as Mom hasn't had time to wake up, wash, and get ready.


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