Canola with farmhouse in background, taken August 15 |
Long
story short, we trapped two more mice, one of them a baby, so I fear an
infestation. Nevertheless, we set traps and left for the farm on Saturday (Aug.
15). Mike volunteered to return to town in a day or two to check on things. We
applied sealant under the kitchen sink last year. I think we need to do it
again.
We
arrived at the farmhouse fairly late in the morning, finding it pleasantly cool
in the house, and what’s more – no mice! Mike set to work organizing his new
shed, and I checked the raised beds. Fortunately, the two summer squash plants weathered
the past week thanks to the “plant nannies.” AND, as an extra treat, I picked
two cups of beautiful little strawberries. We had strawberry shortcake for
dessert.
It’s
August, and the change is noticeable. The sun is lower in the sky, the shadows
stretch long across the yard, and the days are noticeably shorter. The high
temps are still hot, but mornings and evenings tend to be pleasantly cool (some
exceptions apply). It’s the first hint of autumn – harvest, “back to school,”
and yes, even Halloween. It’s an enchanted time.
Canola, taken August 7 |
But
August can still be hot. In fact, our region is under an “excessive heat warning”
from noon today until 8:00 p.m. Tuesday (Aug. 18). It seems silly to warn us
about excessive heat. It’s the summer! If the forecast is for temps in excess
of 100, we know it’s hot. We should exercise in the mornings, says the
warning, so this morning I walked up Plank’s Pitch with Mike and Bess. At the
top, we saw a rattler in the ditch, and on the way back we saw a different one
and heard at least one more in the grass.
The
fluorescent yellow of blooming canola faded to green as the blossoms dropped,
and now the green is turning brown. Our farmer isn’t harvesting in this
neighborhood yet, but surely it will happen soon. I saw them harvesting on
Central Ridge last week. KW
Yes, August has its own rules for sure. Hope you are staying cool these hot couple of days. Reminds me of the old days!
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