I'm sitting here at the computer writing and trying to cool off. It's been a scorcher at 92 degrees. I know for those of you in the south, 92 is just another July afternoon. But here in the north west, 92 degrees is pretty hot. We see temps in the 90's every summer, just not this early. Plus, we don' have air conditioner.......hardly anyone here has air conditioning. Even when I had the option of air conditioning, I chose not to invest. It just didn't seem to be necessary in a place that only saw 90's for a week a year. But this year is a little different. We have consistently been 15 degrees above normal since July started. I'm not complaining. This seems like the first real summer in two years. (The garden LOVES the weather! Even if the rabbits are a little hot.)

Anywhooo, here I sit trying to cool off. The night air is fresh and I can glean a few puffs through the open window every so often. It smells nice, too. I started the water sprinkler on the garden before coming inside. So it smells like rain. I know we are a long way off from rain and what I'm smelling is just moist soil, but it's oh, so nice. The garden is coming along with the warmer temps. The weeds are too. I don't mind weeding. It's a reminder of my investment in our food production. I just don't have a lot of time. It seems that I spend a good deal of effort driving kids to baseball and volleyball and cello lessons and trumpet lessons and piano lessons these summer days.... I don't mind TOO much. It's just frustrating sometimes when I find myself finally getting to the garden at 9:00 at night.

Oh, well. My sweet mother reminds me that someday soon I'll miss the comings and goings of the kids and wish that I had another baseball game to watch instead of only having the garden to tend. I guess she's right. I just wish that I could find a little more balance.



But this minute, for now, I'm happy to listen to the sprinkler feeding the thirsty vegetables through the south facing window and to wait for a cooling puff of breeze that will remind me of rainy nights. And dream of big, fat, juicy Glacier tomatoes, and corn (bleck), and Contender green beans, and Sweet Meat Oregon Homestead squash, and warm, yellow Butterball potatoes......mmmmm, summer veggies. I can hardly wait....