HOT

(I saw this weather vane moved to a decorative salvage newel post as a focal point in a garden on June 23.)


Rise and shine all! It cooler earlier in the day.

On my Facebook page, a misguided friend commented there are a LOT of HOT women in Wisconsin today.

Misguided...ugh!

I woke up and was completely awake before 6:00 A. M. this morning. I walked outside to move my watering head so another small bed can be drenched in moisture for a couple scant hours. The humidity was down. So oddly as it seems, I still have lush green grass, so I decided to mow my grass at just after dawn. It was already 78 degrees. Luckily for my neighbors, my lawn mower is electric. It makes less noise than my room size air conditioner. As it is corded, I can't mow in the rain, but there are trade-offs. Who has seen any rain anyhow, lately?

Today the heat index is supposed to be 107 here in central Wisconsin. It's 11:20 now and I'm done with being outside for the day.

I dead-headed some Knockout roses, which typically don't need dead-heading, but had bloomed so heavily that when the heat hit it looked like they all went by the same day.

While the humidity was lower this morning, I also weeded a bit of the long border that spends a few brief morning hours in the shade. Right now I can hear the chirp of a hummingbird out my window in this section of border castigating me for pulling out an errant bit of deep red Jacob Cline bee balm. He probably intended it for lunch. Well, there is more, and water, and a deep red Princess Diana clematis in bloom. Move along.

(Not my Jacob Cline, but you get the idea.)

Last night here in central Wisconsin it was 88 degrees at 8:30 P. M. All the tall glasses in my kitchen were dirty. That's over 24. I was gone half the day out to my sister-in-laws. A lot of the short glasses were dirty, too. Handsome Son is obviously working hard at staying hydrated. I hope all of you are, too.

Yesterday, before it got beastly hot, I cultivated between the rows in the family garden, hoed a bit. Checked out the potatoes as they and the stuff that reminded me of a deer or rabbit repellent did battle with the Colorado potato beetles. Not sure if it is the stage in their life span the effect of the heat, or the spray; but the beetles are basically gone. Gone, without striping the leaves to nothing. Between this repellant, less desirable to the COB cultivars, the timing of the planting, is it a 100% success? Not sure, but a good outcome at this point, for sure. We'll see how the crop looks, which is the ultimate decision point for me.

Lots of basil ready for drying, freezing, or eating. Sweet corn is tasseling out. 'Contender' beans are in bloom. Dill and oregano to be dried in my potager. I still have a lot of lettuce, as I planted it in a bit of shade. With the heat, I expect it to bolt, though.

Stay cool all!