A WELCOME BREAK FROM EXCESSIVE HEAT

Mid-day, July 29

 

Evening, July 29 -- smoke is worse

Afternoon, July 30 -- after the rainstorm

Our return to the farm was briefly delayed when a dental issue arose for me, but fortunately, my dentist was able to work me in on Monday morning (July 29). We loaded the Jeep and stopped off at the dentist on our way out of town. Unfortunately, that night a tooth chipped, and this time the appointment is a week out, which means we will stay in town three extra days. (This will be my fourth trip into the dentist office for maintenance and repair since my last semi-annual cleaning.)

Cottonwood Butte in distance -- July 31

I often think that if we truly lived at the farm, we would manage differently. People do live here, you know, and they travel to town more readily than we do. Some of them even have jobs in town. We tend to feel that once we’re here, we should simply make-do, and it doesn’t hurt us a bit.

Anyway, a stretch of the river road was still closed on Monday due to the Gwen Fire, which meant that the whole road just as well be closed as far as we were concerned. We drove back by way of our alternate route. When we arrived at Gilbert, it was plenty smoky, and by evening, it was even worse. However, from Monday night into Tuesday, we had a good soaking rain here, which seemed to dispel the smoke. However, we understand it didn’t rain much in the Valley where air quality and heat alerts are still in effect. Another fire burns west of Lewiston now.

Teakean Butte, July 31

A high-pressure system is moving in, says the forecast, and we really will have another spell of excessive heat – triple digits in the Valley.

I’m joining a group of P.E.O. sisters for dessert tomorrow afternoon. The date was set more than two months ago, but as it happens, tomorrow (August 1) is “National Girlfriends Day.” Fun! KW

SUMMERWEEN

Friday, July 27 -- Cottonwood Butte obscured by smoke

I had never heard of “Summerween” until I saw the term on a quilting website, but I like it! It fits my mood and the eerie look of this smoky world.

It was still June when I said to myself, “I need a little magic, right this very minute,” so I decided to bypass my summer home dec display and set out some Halloween magic in advance of the season. I thought I was so clever and imaginative. I was thinking outside the box and doing something just for myself. No one else would even think of having Halloween in summer.

So – imagine my surprise when I walked into my local JoAnn store and discovered three aisles of Halloween home dec. Again, this was June! So, I could see that instead of being unique, I’m really abreast of current trends, which is almost as good. (And if they’re setting out Halloween, can Christmas be far behind? No!)

Well, you won’t find me complaining. If you’re a crafter, you need the lead time. In past years, this stuff didn’t appear until it was too late. I was always a year behind. I’m still behind, but never mind. I love the extended holiday season more than I love the season itself.

Anyway, as we drove back to town Saturday morning, we observed harvest activities. The fields are at readiness. The shadows grow longer, and the sun is dimmed by smoke. It’s Summerween.

Mike and I agreed that when we return to the farm, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see that our place has been harvested.

[Note the flying witch and moon in my display. I recently bought this retired Department 56 piece from an Etsy seller. These so-called collector items have become so expensive to buy new that I now seek used pieces. I enjoy the hunt.] KW

BRRRRRRR!

 

Who would have thought that in a matter of a day or two the temp would drop 20 degrees? The high was 93 one day and 73 the next. This morning’s low actually dipped into the 40s. Is summer over? I would guess it will be warm again, but the excessive heat spells are probably over. It certainly feels like fall right now.

I wonder what the garden will think about this change. Perhaps it’s relieved.

Mike dug a sweatshirt out of the bottom of the clothes hamper this morning, and if it’s chilly this evening, I might need to switch to my winter sleepwear. We slept under a blanket last night for the first time in weeks.

Yesterday, I took advantage of the cooler day to bake cookies and chocolate zucchini bread.

We need to go to town to check on things and get supplies, but I read in today’s paper that Hwy 12 is closed until further notice from the Spaulding bridge to Peck (24 miles) due to the “Gwen and River Fires” burning near Juliaetta on the north side of the Clearwater. We can take an alternate route, but I wonder about tourists traveling Hwy 12 who don’t know the territory, especially motor homes and camper units. Hopefully adequate alerts are provided to travelers.

In fact, after cycling the ridge this morning, Mike reported he had never seen so much traffic on Old Hwy 7, and we realized that people would have to come this way to get to Lewiston. And he also said that they are now harvesting on the ridge just south of here – the other side of the cemetery. Our farmer is probably harvesting someplace – just not here yet.

The National Weather Service also provides an air quality alert for the Valley until July 27 at 10:00 p.m. I guess at that time the air will magically clear. The paper says the Valley air quality is rated as “hazardous, stay inside.”

COUGAR STORY

Bess gave a low growl from her perch on the front porch early yesterday morning, so I stepped to the window to check. I was startled to see a cougar standing at the barn, staring back at Bess. I called to Mike to come quick, but as he was coming, Bess leaped off the porch and took chase. I screamed for her, but she doesn’t hear and probably wouldn’t have heeded anyway. The cougar disappeared around the back side of the pond and Bess nonchalantly turned back as if that oversized cat had been dispatched due solely to her efforts. The cougar was gone by the time Mike arrived at the window, so he had to take my word for it.

Mike reported this incident to our neighbor, but turns out he already knew the cougars are “in here.” Apparently his family even hunts them. Who knew? KW

STICKY STUFF

 

I make a pint of nectar for the hummingbirds every day, and carrying the feeders from the porches to the kitchen and back inevitably results in some droplets of sugar water spilled onto the floor. It’s hard to clean up sugar water.

But it’s even worse when we service the wasp traps that we hang next to the hummingbird feeders. The purpose of the traps is to attract the wasps and yellowjackets away from the feeders, and it works fairly well. It’s almost as much fun to watch the wasps as it is the hummers.

We fill the traps with a concoction of sugar, vinegar, and apple juice, and I think it’s stickier than the sugar water. The routine is to bring the traps into the house first thing in the morning. Some wasps will have drowned in the potion, but a few are still alive. Rather than risk getting stung, Mike puts the traps in the freezer for a few minutes to quiet the live wasps before flushing the contents. Wasps don’t like to be cold. But as he carries the traps to and from the bathroom, some of that gooey concoction will land on the floor – and other places.

Mike picked a few serviceberries this morning. He wished he had thought to do it last week, but it was so hot! No matter. I made juice for jelly and put it in the freezer to be added to the haw or elderberry juice later in the season. Serviceberry jelly is not as strong as elderberry. Some people prefer it. The black hawthorn berries are quite mild but lemon juice gives it some interest.

Yesterday I went out to take pictures, looking for some different views. The photos here are a few of my favorites.

THE HOTTEST DAY YET

Harvest will likely happen soon

Sunday (July 21) was an excessively hot 102. I don’t recall ever seeing it that hot here at the farm. It was still hot at 9:30 p.m. – 88 outside and 85 in our bedroom. Too hot for comfortable rest.

Boy, would my dad be impressed! When he was staying here at the farmhouse, he would call Mother in the evening, and they would discuss the temp at the farm compared to town (the valley). My dad enjoyed weather-watching.

Suffice it to say that we had a cooler morning and welcomed the opportunity to air the house, but by noon it was heating up again to a more seasonable 93.

And it’s still smoky. I can’t see Cottonwood Butte to the south and while I can see Teakean Butte to the north, it’s somewhat obscured. Regional fires are still burning but progress has been made.

We heard that it was quite cool in Seattle yesterday (Sunday) and even cooler this morning, so we hope for more tolerable temps. As I say every year about this time, fall is in the air.

And how have we coped here where we have no air conditioning? Well, the ceiling fans create a nice breeze. And of course, we don’t turn on the oven. I cooked huns and “baked” banana bread in Crockpots placed on the sunporch. “No-bake” cookies are the order of the day. And Mike made ice cream.

We know a rooster pheasant roams the property – probably an escapee from the hunting club in the canyon. We hear him more than we see him, but this morning I looked out the bathroom window to see him in the grove. Well, he moved on, but then Mike and I watched a pair of huns with a brood of twelve little ones as they breakfasted in the front yard. I suspect they live in the cattails at the pond. We also see doves, but the quail seem to have moved out toward the canyon. I can still hear them in the distance. KW

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE RANCH – ER, FARM

 

People seem startled when I refer to our place  as “the farm.” They seem reluctant to use the word, like it has a bad connotation. But it IS a farm. Actually, my dad encountered the same attitude. People seem to prefer the word “ranch.” However, my dad explained to me that our place is a farm, not a ranch. A ranch involves livestock. We have none.

Remember that song from Oklahoma:

“Oh, the farmer and the cowman should be friends.”

I’m just sayin’ that the farmer and the rancher aren’t the same and neither are the farm and the ranch.

Anyway, we’re back, having arrived during the noon hour. It’s stuffy in the house, but it was already 91 and too hot to open the windows. Late afternoon, it was 93, and 84 in the house. A nice breeze blows at 5-10 mph, and Mike remarked that it was pleasant on the porch. KW 

HOT – HOTTER – HOTTEST

Smoke and Heat, July 16

The prediction was for a record-breaking spell of 100+ temps in the valley. However, they say that yesterday’s official high was only 99. Well, let me tell you, it was 100+ at our house.

The forecast for hot temps continues. And now we have smoke, too, from various wildfires. The world looks strange when you see it through smoke. Let me just say here that given the great weather destruction we see other places, we live a good life here, despite the heat – and the smoke.

We came to town on Saturday, the 13^th. After ten days on the farm, it was time to check the town house and restock our food, especially dairy and produce. We expected to be here a week, including a 3-day staycation for Bess and me, while Mike and his motorcycle buddy made a 3-day trip to Canada. However, the trip was postponed due to the excessive heat. A saner mind prevailed – not sure it was Mike’s.

So, we’ll return to the farm sooner than we expected, and that’s good. I worry about my little friends the hummingbirds, and we hope the garden survived.

Maybe you’re wondering how I’m coming along with my Tunisian crochet. Since you know me, you’re probably thinking that I didn’t keep up with my goal to crochet one row a day. You probably think I gave it up and put it back in the shed where it will languish for another 25 years. As a matter of fact, I’ve done well. Often when I crochet one row, I’ll do a second row or even more. I’m at Row 151. Only 36 to go. Then there’s the edging and the embroidery. I find that I can set the bulk of the afghan off to one side as I crochet.

And I finished this little doll outfit. The purse was difficult to make. I kept telling myself that Lexie didn’t want a purse anyway – truly, she doesn’t – but since it was part of the kit, I made myself do it. And I did decide I don't need the potholders. I'm moving on. KW