Wednesday, July 6, 2011

And So It Goes

The word that comes to mind every day this summer is HOT. It seems Biblical proportions, miserable, nasty hot. We are up to 30+ days of over 100 degrees, some days it has been waaaaaay over the century mark. The garden is dying even though we water daily, the lawn is brown, the pasture holds no green native grass for the animals. For the first time I have lived on the farm, there are no insects to speak of.

Have they left for wetter climes, or just died of the heat?? It's weird.

The weather has naturally changed how we do things. Keith is out of school for the summer, but there is no sleeping in. If we want to see a little cool air, we have to get up early--six a.m. early. I've gotten used it, this getting up earlier in the summer than we did during the school year. It is the only way to comfortably enjoy a cup of coffee out on the porch. Other things seem to have the same idea: there are always several jack rabbits a
nd three deer on the wheat-stubbled 5-acre plot beside the house, and a parade of peacocks and guineas looking for the few unfortunate and delicious flying insects that met their demise in the bug whacker.

Everything is thirsty, and the small water tanks are dry by noon.

It is still 93 degrees at midnight.

and I long for Fall....

On a lighter note, please meet Pearl. She was born into the heat of a July afternoon. She's a marvel of soft, baby donkey fuzz, big brown eyes and unprecedented trustfulness. She will sit in my lap for a long petting session. Maybe that is a practice I should limit. Pearl will be a big girl someday.