So long hot dry July...

July is leaving in a blast of hot dry air and August isn't promising anything different. I'm always happy to say so long to July, even though it is my birth month. Summer is my least favorite season and July offers all that I dislike about summer...stinging and biting insects, hot weather, no rain, snakes, etc. At least with August I know Autumn is just around the corner.

I went out this afternoon in near 100 degree heat to pick my green beans. Sadly, July was not kind to the garden and the green beans are not worth picking. They are dry and tough with no beans inside. The cantaloupes are done, the cucumbers have withered away and all that is left are some very small bell peppers, spindly tomato vines with small tomatoes and butter beans that have gone nuts. Yeah, I'm pinning my hopes on those crazy butter bean vines! I tried to dig up a carrot to see how large they were, but the ground was so hard I needed a jack hammer to get it out!

So long July and good riddance! I'll see you next year and I can promise one thing...next year will be too soon for me!

Sneaking up on those senior citizen discounts...

Fifty-two years ago today Frank and Edrena welcomed their first baby into the world (that would be me). They were a young couple and had been anxiously awaiting their baby's overdue arrival (funny how that trait has followed me through life...I'm always running late) which finally happened two weeks past Edrena's due date. I was a beautiful baby and a joy to be around (that's obvious in the photo above, right?) so every year on this date the whole world rejoices!

Okay, enough with the fantasy stuff...I was an average baby and a major pain in the rump in my teens, but fortunately I've outgrown my teen angst. Now I just have old timer's angst...achy joints, white hair, wrinkles, and forgetfulness. At least I have something to look forward too...senior citizen discounts! I've been getting those AARP membership envelopes in the mail for the last two years and in a few more years I'll be able to fill one out and mail it back. YIPPEE...not.

All in all, it's been a good birthday. Don got me some books and THREE birthday cards...one from him, one from the cats and one from the dogs. My in laws were in town Wednesday and treated me to dinner and brought a gift...a lovely musical figurine of a mama bird and her babies. My wonderful daughter, son-in-law and grandson sent me a card with a Kohls gift card in it so I went shopping this morning before Don went to work. My sister-in-law sent me a funny card and my son called me to wish me a Happy Birthday. Oh, my dear little grandson called and sang Happy Birthday to me! That made this Granny very happy!

So thank you Frank and Edrena for giving me a birth day and being great parents. I really appreciate it and think I'll give my mom a call now and wish her a happy birthday too. After all, it's as much a birth day for her as it is for me!

Little gestures that touch my heart...

During my lifetime I've come to realize it is the little gestures that mean the most and make life special. Don is good at little gestures, which is one of the reasons I love him. Today he brought me a cluster of Trumpet Vine blooms and wished me an early Happy Birthday. Isn't it lovely?

Of course, it will probably be the only time he ever brings me Trumpet Vine since I informed him (after thanking him for it) that it is toxic and can cause a skin rash. It's even known as Cow Itch Vine! On the other hand, it's also known as Hummingbird Vine because the hummingbirds love it and that makes it a welcome plant on our farm. I also think it's quite pretty and am not to concerned about it being an invasive weed.

In the years we've lived on the farm Don has brought me quite a few wildflower bouquets, plus feathers, turtle shells, snakes (which is a bit disconcerting, especially when he brings them in the house), moths, and small bones. He usually wants me to identify the bones.

I love these little gifts. They let me know that when he is out walking the property I'm in his thoughts and in his heart every day. For me, this sprig of Trumpet Vine is far more special than a bouquet of flowers delivered to the door. This little toxic twig tells me he paused during his daily routine and thought about me, instead of making a hasty last minute save the day call to order something. No, my piece of Trumpet Vine is far more personal and I truly love it.

Creatures of the night...

I love creatures of the night...the moths and bugs that crowd my porch light! Whenever I see an interesting one I have to snap it's photo and then learn all I can about it.

Above is a Walnut Sphinx Moth perched on a dog food bag. The larvae feed on walnut and hickory trees, both of which we have here on (or near) the farm. In my research I've read that they make a squeaking sound when disturbed. I guess I wasn't disturbing the one above when it sat on my hand because it never made a squeak!

A couple days ago Don came in with another Walnut Sphinx Moth he'd found in the garage. It was much larger than the one pictured, but was the same color. (They come in a variety of colors so it's easiest to identify them by the unique shape of their wings.) After we admired the moth's huge body, bulging black eyes and beautifully marked wings Don took it out and set it free.

I guess old habits never die. When my son was a small child he had a little green lizard. We would leave the porch light on and then catch moths to feed the lizard. Here it is 24 years later and I am still out on the front porch most nights looking at moths! I continue to be amazed at the variety, the color and the beauty of nature's night creatures.

Rain, glorious rain!

It rained today! Not a glorious amount (actually, barely enough to tamp down the dust), but the storm that brought the drizzle was quite glorious with all the lightning and thunder. Gave the dogs quite a scare and I spent several hours this afternoon with dogs huddled around me. My pitiful beagle, Tadhg, shook like a leaf.

Things have quieted down now, inside and out. The dogs are snoozing and the thunder has given way to the happy sound of singing birds. Best of all the temperature dropped to 79 degrees which makes me want to sing too! Ah, it feels nice!

For the second time since we've lived here there was a double rainbow in the eastern sky. I can never get a good photo of it, but hopefully you can see both in the picture above. Superstition leads me to think a double rainbow must mean double the luck. If that's the case maybe it's going to rain twice as much tomorrow! However, according to this old poem, my double dose of luck may come in another form:

A rainbow in the Eastern sky,
The morrow will be fine and dry.
A rainbow in the West that gleams,
Rain tomorrow falls in streams.

Hanging on...

I just came in from giving the outside critters some fresh cool water. Told each of them to just hang on like the grasshopper and find themselves some shade in the grass or under a tree. They all seemed grateful for the cool drink and a misting down.

You see, it's hot out there. To look at the weekly temps for next week one would think this is a fairly mild summer since we're only predicted for highs in the low 90s. It's the heat index and humidity that's making us so miserable. No breeze doesn't help either! As I type it is 93 degrees, but the heat index is at 108 degrees. We have a predicted 50 percent chance of rain tomorrow and I sure hope it happens. There's been no rain in over a month now, other than a few fat drops several days ago.

The dogs refuse to go outside. They're all sprawled around the house napping. The chickens look absolutely miserable with their mouths agape and their wings held out. They were grateful for the fresh water, so were the backyard dogs.

The rabbit is snoozing next to his bottle of ice and the ducks are now happily splashing in their fresh water. They love to be sprayed with the water hose and it is hilarious to watch them trying to catch the spray in their mouths as they lean into it.

I was only out there for 20 minutes, but I swear I could feel my skin burning. I do believe it's time for me to have a bowl of ice cream and chill for a bit. Yep, that sounds like a good way to hang on in this heat!

Cantaloupe anyone?

We're drowning in cantaloupes! This year I planted a row of breakfast cantaloupes (small size when ripe) and they are producing more than we can eat. Well, I guess we could have cantaloupe for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but feel sure that approach would burn us out on cantaloupe eating very quickly.

So, I am asking for cantaloupe recipes! Anyone make cantaloupe pickles? Is there such a thing as cantaloupe casserole? BLECH...just the thought of that turns my stomach! I'm sure I've seen recipes for cantaloupe soup and cantaloupe ice cream. Hmmm...wonder if I could get Don to eat those?

If I can't find any good ways to use these up I will have to feed them to the ducks and chickens. Ducky, my old Pekin, loves cantaloupe. I think she could eat her weight in cantaloupe and she's chubby duck. The chickens like cantaloupe too so it wouldn't go to waste. We also have a dog, Drake, who loves cantaloupe!

If you have a great recipe using cantaloupe, or a favorite way to eat cantaloupe, please feel free to leave a comment and share with me. I'm desperate here! They're taking over the kitchen! HELP....