It has not only been miserably hot here, it has also been humid. And even when the humidity dropped, it was till too hot for my taste. If I never saw temps above 75 F, I'd be perfectly happy. As a matter of fact, I would rather shovel snow than deal with the heat.
My garden is suffering too. Last year, with rain nearly everyday, the astilbe were just gorgeous. This year the flowers never opened. There was just no way I could keep them wet enough. It is so dry here that I would have to leave the hose running constantly it seems. Even when it rains you can hardly tell the difference. So, I finally went out and cut all the flower stems off.
Add to that my animal problem and I am about ready to rototill the entire yard. The rabbits and squirrels have been just breaking off stems of plants and leaving them on the ground. I know this because I have seen them out there doing it.
And try as I might to catch a rabbit in the live trap, I have never had any luck. So much so that I even forgot one of the traps was still set. It sits in a rarely used walkway behind a large flower bed.
I was out pulling some weeds early on Monday morning before the sun came up and out of the corner of my eye I noticed that the doors on the trap were closed. Thinking I would find something dead inside since I hadn't checked it in so long, I noticed black and white striped fur. And I really didn't want to find out if it was dead or alive.
I called my local animal service guy and he said he would come out and take it away - for a not so nominal fee. Later that afternoon he arrived and transferred Mr. Skunk to one of his live traps. Fortunately, the skunk never sprayed so the trap did not need to be deodorized. I guess this was better than the time the skunk was in the garage. And definitely better than the time a skunk sprayed my dog.
The daylilies are about the only thing around here enjoying the heat. Oh, and the sedums which do not require much water. Everything else, including yours truly, is drooping. Ah, to remember last November's early snow storm.
Both sides of the spectrum can be relentless, cold frigid weather or hot brutal weather. Having lived in Montana for 8 years, on hot summer days I would say "I wish I could bottle one of these up and open it when it is -20 degrees out." And conversely in winter, "I wish I could bottle one of these days and open it when it is 116 degrees out." I truly think the high humidity plays a factor in comfort. We were at the store tonight and it was 108 degrees out but very low humidity. It almost felt pleasant. But for the most part during the times the sun is out in the middle of the day we are hermits inside, as are a lot of people, and like vampires we seem to come out at night.
ReplyDeleteGlad the skunk didn't cause too much damage. I was thankful the dog when we had him never got sprayed by one, what a mess that would be.
Take heart, each passing day draws you a little closer to winter!
betty
Oh, I forgot to mention the poison ivy. You don't get that in winter either.
DeleteI am most definitely a fan of autumn and winter rather than summer. Summer can be downright miserable. You never feel clean or comfortable. For me, winter is magic :)
ReplyDeleteI end up taking lots of showers and that increases the humidity inside.
DeleteI'm with you! These hot humid summer temps are just about breaking me! I'm fortunate that I don't *have* to be outside... except if I want to keep the garden alive. So, yeah, I spend minimal time outside keeping things watered enough to limp through to the next rainfall. Thinking fondly of cool fall temps. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd don't you just hate it when some one says they love the heat and humidity as though we are a bunch of wimps.
DeleteI've found I get that way, too, if I don't drink enough water during the day. I go to the gym and walk on the indoor track and then go straight into the heat. The thing is, if I drink a lot of water before/during the time I'm at the gym, I have to pee 20 times during my walk and that involves getting my stuff, going downstairs, going to the other side of the building to the restroom, then coming back! So I try not to drink too much water until I'm leaving and that SO can cost me!
ReplyDeleteI am no stranger to dehydration. I was taken out of Cedar Point Amusement Park by ambulance after dehydrating. It's the 'pee' thing. I have three functioning kidneys - a birth anomaly - and the world's smallest bladder. So I do not drink enough when I am on the go.
DeleteIt is relentlessly hot here too, but not having any gardening to do, I have been staying inside or going from a/c to the car, more a/c and then to a building with a/c. We did have rain on Sunday night, in fact we had a hell of a storm during the night which frightened the bejasus out of me. Never seen quite such a storm. Don't think we got anything like enough rain out of it though.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure you could measure the small amount of rain we have had this year. I am sure my water bill will be several hundred dollars.
DeleteNow that is one animal I will agree with you about not wanting in my yard. It is hot here in Kansas too. And humid. But I still prefer summer to winter!! Stay hydrated!!
ReplyDeleteI have missed this one too! Glad you caught Mr. Skunk without any odour release:) The picture you have here is so inviting and beautiful. Actually it could be. Christmas card
ReplyDelete