Temperature 104

Mark it down as crazy, or perhaps simply not knowing any better, but Steve, Natasha and I spent much of the Fourth of July holiday working in the family garden, weeding, hoeing, mulching—and sweating. In the shade, the cabin thermometer read 104. 

Every part of me dripped--my nose, my arms, my forehead—even the tips of my fingers (okay maybe not the tips of my fingers).  My shirt was soaked from the collar to the shirttail.  After an hour or so of hauling straw mulch for our 50 tomato plants, I must fess up to looking for a shady spot to rest, catch my breath and avoid drowning in my own sweat.  But Steve and Natasha motored on—hoeing, weeding, mulching, and drinking gallons of water—it seemed like gallons.

What fine weather for killing weeds.  Once out of the ground the weeds immediately died—similar to putting them on a hot woodstove. Our sandy, sun drenched garden soil indeed felt like the top of a hot woodstove.

On the plus side, the first planting of sweet corn is about ready for harvest.  The first fingers of zucchini have appeared, so have the first little cucumbers.  The beets I planted in March are the size of golf balls—tasty to eat at this size.  The early potatoes are about ready.  But the lettuce is sputtering—too hot for lettuce.

Of course we’ve been irrigating—lots of irrigating.  Without the water our garden would look like our lawn—golden brown.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Hot weather is time to slow down—but not stop. Doing something productive takes one’s mind off being uncomfortable.

CHECK THIS OUT:  My one day workshop: “Writing From Your Life,” October 13, 9-4. The Clearing, Door County. For more information go to. http://theclearing.org/current/index.shtml

UPCOMING EVENTS:

July 7-14.  Rhinelander. Writing Retreat—and vacation.

July 10, 7:00 p.m., Eagle River Public Library, Garden Wisdom.

August 5-11, The Clearing.  Writing Workshop: Writing From Your Life.