A HINT OF AUTUMN IN THE AIR

Late afternoon behind the house, August 13

We faced record-breaking heat last week. According to the Lewiston Tribune of Saturday, August 11, Thursday’s high was a record for the date of 111 degrees. Friday’s high also set a record for that date at 108 degrees. It was hot, and when it’s that hot, the lows are high, too – in the 70s – so our air-conditioner ran a lot. A cold front moved through on Saturday, bringing the temps down by 20 degrees, to a pleasant 90.

The smoke is visible to the northeast

But the thing is, the lows have been downright chilly – below 60. And the air just has that feeling of fall. I’ll soon trade my summer decorations – Americana and “red, white, and blue” – for pumpkins, witches, and ghosts. Oh! And there’s that unfinished ripple afghan in Halloween colors. With cooler temps, maybe I’ll get it finished.

More smoke

But it’s a little too soon yet for those things. I say cooler temps, but we’ll be up and down for a while. The season is just changing – days getting shorter and slower to warm. A blanket is needed before dawn and a sweater is nice in the morning. Today I did what anyone might do on a cooler day – I baked cookies. Mike has discovered frozen cookies, so most of what I baked went into the freezer. And when son Clint comes over, perhaps I’ll have a bag for him, too.

Bess

They say the cooler temperatures have helped the firefighters bring regional wildfires under control, but this afternoon our valley filled with smoke again. I can even smell it. Mike said he could barely see the Lewiston Hill from the Aquatic Center because of the smoke. And it seems to be moving right up our gulch. KW

 

SEWING ALONG

Inquiring minds want to know: did the mercury reach 114 today? My weather app says it’s 107 in Clarkston, but our digital weather station says it’s 114. It registers high because of its location -- and because it IS hot here in this gulch. Regardless of the official high, it's hot today. Nellie and I got our exer-walk in early -- the first exer-walk we've taken in weeks, but she wanted to go. And this afternoon Mike and I took both dogs to the river for a swim. Tomorrow it's supposed to be hot again and then cooler on the weekend. We'll see.

When I was staycating back in June, I purchased a newly-published book of doll clothes patterns for 18-inch dolls, My Doll My Style, written by Anna Allen, one of my favorite doll clothes bloggers. The book did not disappoint – and I should know. I am a collector of doll clothes patterns.

Then Anna provided an invitation for book owners to participate in a “sew-along.” I’m not much into that sort of thing. You know what I mean – you make your sample, post a photo of it on social media, and then all the other participants rush over to offer essentially the same words of praise – or else they don’t and then – well, your feelings are hurt. I usually protect myself from that sort of thing, but this time I decided to opt in. For one thing, sometimes I need a push to get started, and maybe if I “sewed along,” I would actually use the book and make some doll clothes. And for another, Anna’s designs call for knit fabrics, and she also offers tips. I’ve never sewn much with knits, so I decided this “sew-along” might be a good starting point.

Last week was Week One. This photo is my sample of the “Fringe Swimsuit,” The first one (on left) was okay, but I believed I could do better with a second, so I made another. I even got a little creative and trimmed with decorative elastic. You’d never put that scratchy stuff on a swimsuit for a human, but Molly says it doesn’t bother her a bit.

This is Week 2 – the “swimsuit cover-up.” My first sample, made of a lightweight knit, would be too heavy for these hot days, though a doll never complains. (Dolls are just the greatest that way – always smiling and appreciative.) Nevertheless, I decided to make another out of netting from my stash. I had to feel my way along in order to stitch the seams with reinforcement. After all, I don't know how to sew with netting either.

 

You can’t tell from the photos, but Shirley Anne (Kit) is quite a bit fatter than Molly, especially across the back. Shirley Anne is an old doll, while Molly is newer. The designs fit Molly better than Shirley Anne. KW

SUMMER OF 1933

Ina took this picture, probably in the '30s. Jack is feeding the chickens.

So far, this summer of 2018 has not been hot, and this past week we’ve had several days of unseasonably cool temps – lows in the mid 50s, highs in the 75- to 85-degree range. “This wouldn’t be so good on the farm,” remarked Mike, “but here in town it’s rather pleasant.” (We are, of course,  confined to town this summer while the farmhouse undergoes repair and remodeling.)

The summer of 1933 was evidently a cold one. Early in June, Ina wrote:

Dad [Jack] finished seeding last week and would have been done weeks ago if the weather hadn’t been so bad. As it is he won’t get to planting before Monday and probably won’t finish till the middle of the month. June [Jack’s twin brother on the adjoining farm] is still working his ground. …. We are very busy now with gardening, the lawn, flowers and chickens. I have 135 chicks, all I’ll need and then some. The hens hatched good so that job is over, and we are so glad. Our garden is late and fruit will be scarce.

On June 3 she wrote:

This is the second nice, warm day we’ve had in a long time. Dad has finished preparing the ground and will plant tomorrow or next day.

On July 30:

If your paper still comes, you know that we have had very hot weather the past week, but before [the week was out], it turned so cool that Dad built fire in the heater two A.M.s (Friday and Saturday). Today is lovely and cool with little fleecy clouds roaming through the sky.

The hot weather ripened the grain and hay, so Earle is cutting hay today.

We are canning string beans, peas and beets now. Today we had young fried chicken and cherry pie for dinner. Fruit is very scarce here, no cherries or prunes to speak of, apples scarce and poor, no currants or gooseberries, and only a few raspberries. It was too wet and cold this spring. We had a good crop of strawberries and Al and Pearl surely enjoyed them, both eating and picking them. [Remember – daughter Pearl visited from Canada in July 1933.] We bought three boxes of apricots the other day, and are getting Loganberries of Bill Mussers, $1.50 per crate.

And as Ina was closing her letter, she noted that it was again cool enough for a fire in the heater this a.m.

Some summers are like that. KW