Strike up the band, make the fireflies dance

The scurs noticed a cable stuck on the Weather Eye and lubed it up. Does the heat and humidity stop or are we stuck on broil for another week? Starting Thursday, sunny with highs in the upper 70's and lows in the upper 50's. Mostly sunny Friday with highs in the upper 70's and lows in the low 60's. Sunny on Saturday with highs in the mid-80's and lows in the upper 60's. Sunday, sunny becoming mostly cloudy late with a good chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 90's with lows in the upper 60's. Partly sunny on Monday with lingering forenoon showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 80's with lows in the mid-60's. Tuesday, partly sunny with highs in the upper 80's and lows in the mid-60's. Sunny on Wednesday with highs in the mid-80's and lows in the mid-60's.

 

On July 25th we begin losing daylight at just over two minutes per day. The normal high for July 25th is 81 and the normal low is 61. The scurs are scraping Farm and City Days Tootsie Rolls off their soles once again.

 

The Full Moon for July will occur on the 29th and is generally known as the Full Buck Moon. It's at this time of year one can begin to see antlers growing on whitetail bucks. This Full Moon has several other names such as the Feather Molting and Thunder Moon. Geese and other waterfowl are molting and, as we recently noted, there can be a lot of thunder. The Anglo-Saxons noted this as the Full Hay Moon. They must not have received the forage quality memo regarding earlier harvest. The Ojibwe knew this as the Raspberry Moon and the Sioux, also liking their fruit denoted it as The Moon when Wild Cherries are ripe. At the ranch it has become the Zucchini Moon. When we don't give them all away, the sheep are happy campers.

 

What a surprise the rainfall event from Monday morning was! The heat was starting to take its toll on humans, but for the most part the crop had taken it well. It helped that the high temperatures tended to stay below the forecast highs. There was little breeze, so it was like being in the doldrums. That and the mosquitoes hunted a person down if you dared to set foot in a field and remained stationary for any length of time. The rainfall typically amounted to over 2". That's enough to easily get us through another couple weeks, and maybe more, given this week's cooler temps. We're well ahead of schedule on GDU's, so slowing down a little isn't the end of the world. More heat appears to be in store for the upcoming week, so best enjoy the cooldown while you can.

 

Weeding the garden was about as miserable as I can remember this past week. A couple of hours' worth of hoeing and pulling weeds Friday and Sunday was enough. Since there was some breeze that helped, but once it died, the sweat poured off of me and frequently into my eyes. Not only that, with no breeze I was instantly fair game for mosquitoes again. The garden has just started to produce. The zucchini are roaring along as they usually do. I even improvised and grilled one with some pork chops from my Studebaker mechanic. The few snap peas that made it served as treats when weeding. The vine crops had been enjoying the heat and with this latest rainfall plus additional heat on the way, it should be like throwing gas on a fire. Some of the snacking tomatoes are just starting to bear.

 

Hopefully the cooler evenings will allow them to set more fruit as they did back in June. BLT time!

 

I forgot to mention hearing my first cicada of the season back on June 30th at the ranch. During the heatwave, their buzzing became more intense. This past week we also spotted a cicada killer wasp at the office. They're large and look menacing, but like most bees, if you leave them alone they'll leave you alone. Lots of bumblebees on the salvia and other flowering plants in the planters recently. This spring there were several queens apparent on many of the early flowers such as the perennial purple salvia. That salvia was also a favorite of the tiger swallowtail butterflies.

 

In the evening the fireflies continue their nightly show, perhaps not as extravagant as a few weeks ago, but still captivating, nevertheless.

 

Probably the biggest draw in the backyard during the dry spell was the birdbath. With no puddles to bathe in or drink out of, the birds emptied it daily. Recent rainfall gave it a respite, although it still had plenty of use. Many of the birds have remained faithful throughout the summer, including a male rose-breasted grosbeak. The cardinals have been faithful visitors with the male adding outstanding color and vocals. Others we never see at the feeders also contribute to the song and celebration that is our backyard during the summer months. House wrens are probably about done nesting for the season, but their song remains etched on my mind, saying, "It's summer." Likewise with the common yellowthroats. Working in the garden and hearing their "witchety-witchety-wichety" call from the thicket tells me that, while seldom seen, they're doing their part.

 

It was a long week with Mrs. Cheviot being in Maine. I can fend for myself, but the chores get to be a drag when it's hot. When I get back in the house to the AC though, Poppy is glad to see me. She's become a good little weather spotter too. Sunday night the Monday a.m. forecast was for a tenth to a quarter of an inch, so I didn't think much of it. At around 4:15 a.m. there was a Corgi pawing at the mattress, telling me something was afoot. I could see lightning, so I let Poppy out to do her business. I decided it was a good idea to close the door down on the barn, so the fan didn't get wet. About 4:30 that first wave came through with heavier rain than anticipated. I climbed back into bed and briefly listened to the rain on the roof. Within minutes I was sound asleep and so was Poppy, stretched out by the bed. All was right once again in our little world.

 

See you next week...real good then.