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Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Red Oak House Garden notes no. 20




A drought sky here in North Dakota.  Everyone who has half a brain is worried about the drought.  July has turned hot hot hot.

After a pleasant interlude at Crooked Lake with family for the July 4th holiday, where we talked with our brother-in-law about how sparse few hay bales he's been able to make this year, we returned home to garden chores and a trace of evening rain.  The thunder was nice too, and the storm cleared away in time for the fireworks and symphony festivities on the Capitol lawn.

ND State Capitol July 4, 2017

Liberty Memorial Building
Yes, we are proud of be Americans!

When I turned on a fan in the kitchen just now, memories took me back to the keen little window fan we had on the Slope County ranch, one of those rectangular units that would pull the hot air from the upstairs room outward.  In the heat of the summer, we would erect our pop-up camper and sleep out in it, desperate for cool air, since we did not have air conditioning (only a "swamp cooler" we'd brought from El Paso).   When one would make the trek to the camper in the darkness, the smell of skunk would sometimes enliven the evening.  We co-existed with any number of critters.

I don't deal well with heat.  I guess this is from so many years living in a northern climate.  My daughters suffer from heat as well.  I just saw some research last night about how heat makes people cranky.  I'm really not certain how I survived the time living in Nashville when I was in graduate school.  I know when we were at Fort Bliss, we kids practically lived at the swimming pool.  Thinking about how hot it was in Slope County and how hard we worked baling and stacking hay puts it all in perspective though. We couldn't wait for the days when we'd get a reprieve from field work to go to the Deep Creek swimming hole with our inner tubes.  Nowadays, I'm very grateful for my relatively cool house and all the luxuries electricity and natural gas provide me in the 21st century.  It was in the high 90s here today, but I'm hearing 103 in Williston from my brother-in-law.  That is, simply put, too freaking hot. That said, I can't help but tell myself I'm just whining about the heat.

A few of my daylilies are making an appearance and this heat is going to cause them all to starting popping.

Another Day daylily

Stella's Ruffled Fingers, a re-bloomer and a favorite

Siloam Baby Doll daylily

First Bird Daylily

Happy Returns Daylily

Sunshine and Lollipops Daylily


The shady front yard continues to please us.

Visions in Red Astlibe


Dancing Queen Hosta

Sedum

Northern Exposure Hosta

Bittersweet


Jim has gone to the store for Juneberry Ice Cream.  Life is good!

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