Dog Days of Summer
07/08/16 07:18
Back in the saddle here at home after a nice trip to Bristol. We did not overstay our welcome and that is always a good thing. It is now early August and the days seem shorter and they surely are judging by the number of hours of daylight we get each day. The mornings and evenings are already cooling down and there is the slightest hint of Fall in the air. A gently rain falls outside and the alert on my iPhone tells me that there is an 82% chance of rain in the next 15 minutes. I was hoping that the rain might hold off so I could get an early morning bike ride in before the roadways become jammed with locals and tourists alike making for a more difficult ride. It goes without saying that since I fell off my bike on Memorial Day weekend along Ocean Boulevard that I have been infinitely more leery of obstacles that I once paid scant attention to. I wouldn’t say that I embraced my fleeting mortality in any real sense of the word when I took the fall but having fallen it isn’t something you would care to repeat anytime soon. The next time could be curtains. You just never know. The rain is picking up in intensity now and I need to start thinking about which windows are open in the house that need to be closed and which ones can be left open. It all depends on which way the wind is blowing (and if it’s blowing) if that makes sense. The rain also comes in a timely manner since we’ve had a bit of a drought hereabouts and I heard on the radio yesterday that pumpkin crops in certain counties were being decimated due to the lack of rain. For all those people who need the rain for their wells, gardens, and whatever, I hope this helps. I’m thankful that this is one less day this week that I will need to get out and water the garden. It’s the little things in life. Right?
Our garden has been fairly productive this year. We seem to have a plentiful supply now of zucchini’s and cucumbers and we’ll soon have a pretty good crop of tomatoes on hand. I have a good mind to make a couple of loaves of zucchini bread to use up some of the zucchini. I can hardly spell the word zucchini so I hope I have better luck making the bread. Do I have to peel the darn things before I shred the zucchini? And, had I known how large the zucchini plants would become I might not have planted them. They are HUGE and the leaves cast shadows in my garden where I otherwise need sunlight to grow strawberries and cucumbers. They need their own beds is what they need so I’ll not make that mistake again. As for the berries, I’m not sure if I’m ever going to have any since I never seem to see anything turning red out there. I can’t be sure if the critters are getting to them before they turn red or if they are simply not maturing as they should. The pole beans look good and I’m not sure there is anything you can do to stop those puppies from fulfilling their destinies on the vine. The only reason I didn’t pick any yesterday when I was out there was that there weren’t enough to do anything with so I’ll plan to give them a little more time. We’re not huge bean lovers but they are nice for a change and we do enjoy them on occasion. I think Nancy is entirely satisfied with her morning glory’s this year but what else is new. They either fail to mature as they should or don’t blossom in a meaningful way. Like children, she loves them either way but would prefer them to reach their full potential with her ever vigilant guidance and watchful eye.
Life was just not cooperating yesterday. I was thinking we would have dinner in Exeter with Nancy’s mom and it would be a wrap for the week. I might have been a little hungrier and a little more in need of a cup of coffee than I figured. The two deficiencies pushed me into the depths of despair such that I was unable to cope and when I failed to find solutions to either of those problems having once arrived in Exeter I was looking for sharp objects with which to slit my wrists. The coffee shop did not have just the right size cup and the cup they did have failed to do the trick for me. The restaurant passed muster but I was not otherwise interested in the salad that I ordered and ultimately left most of it untouched while Nancy poured over her salad and Mrs G her pizza. I almost wanted to order something that I wouldn’t like just to tempt fate and keep that search for sharp objects alive in my foggy and demented mind. I must have appeared sullen to my dining partners but they were otherwise caught up in discussion plans around Mrs’s G’s upcoming move to Exeter so seemed not to notice. It was just as well. I turned my attention to nothing in particular and away from those joining me at the table. On another day and in another lifetime perhaps I might have regaled my dining partners with humor, love, and stories designed to entertain and capture the imagination. It didn’t help that the air conditioning wasn’t up to snuff in the restaurant. As always, I’m hoping that this passes with time. One can only hope.
Our garden has been fairly productive this year. We seem to have a plentiful supply now of zucchini’s and cucumbers and we’ll soon have a pretty good crop of tomatoes on hand. I have a good mind to make a couple of loaves of zucchini bread to use up some of the zucchini. I can hardly spell the word zucchini so I hope I have better luck making the bread. Do I have to peel the darn things before I shred the zucchini? And, had I known how large the zucchini plants would become I might not have planted them. They are HUGE and the leaves cast shadows in my garden where I otherwise need sunlight to grow strawberries and cucumbers. They need their own beds is what they need so I’ll not make that mistake again. As for the berries, I’m not sure if I’m ever going to have any since I never seem to see anything turning red out there. I can’t be sure if the critters are getting to them before they turn red or if they are simply not maturing as they should. The pole beans look good and I’m not sure there is anything you can do to stop those puppies from fulfilling their destinies on the vine. The only reason I didn’t pick any yesterday when I was out there was that there weren’t enough to do anything with so I’ll plan to give them a little more time. We’re not huge bean lovers but they are nice for a change and we do enjoy them on occasion. I think Nancy is entirely satisfied with her morning glory’s this year but what else is new. They either fail to mature as they should or don’t blossom in a meaningful way. Like children, she loves them either way but would prefer them to reach their full potential with her ever vigilant guidance and watchful eye.
Life was just not cooperating yesterday. I was thinking we would have dinner in Exeter with Nancy’s mom and it would be a wrap for the week. I might have been a little hungrier and a little more in need of a cup of coffee than I figured. The two deficiencies pushed me into the depths of despair such that I was unable to cope and when I failed to find solutions to either of those problems having once arrived in Exeter I was looking for sharp objects with which to slit my wrists. The coffee shop did not have just the right size cup and the cup they did have failed to do the trick for me. The restaurant passed muster but I was not otherwise interested in the salad that I ordered and ultimately left most of it untouched while Nancy poured over her salad and Mrs G her pizza. I almost wanted to order something that I wouldn’t like just to tempt fate and keep that search for sharp objects alive in my foggy and demented mind. I must have appeared sullen to my dining partners but they were otherwise caught up in discussion plans around Mrs’s G’s upcoming move to Exeter so seemed not to notice. It was just as well. I turned my attention to nothing in particular and away from those joining me at the table. On another day and in another lifetime perhaps I might have regaled my dining partners with humor, love, and stories designed to entertain and capture the imagination. It didn’t help that the air conditioning wasn’t up to snuff in the restaurant. As always, I’m hoping that this passes with time. One can only hope.