AUGUST HEAT...It's truly difficult to fathom that the 8th month of the year has arrived...and arrived with intensity unlike we've experienced prior to the end of July. Officially, the temps have been hovering around 93-97 degrees; however, the thermometer on the deck registered 102 yesterday afternoon...Made me want to go stand under the hose for a while, so I did!
As I write this, a rainstorm has moved in from the northwest, and I can sense cooler breezes bringing it along. I, along with all the wilting plants and the panting four-leggeds and winged ones, welcome the rain and the cooler feel to the evening.
The garden has suffered a bit in the heat, but the tomatoes are beginning to turn, the kale is as healthy as ever, and the onions are big and flavorful. Flowers which are well-mulched flourish; those that aren't have an exhausted look to them. Annie and Molly have been content to stay in the house and sleep although they took a long walk with me today. The felines stay pretty much hidden in their territorial spaces around the farm, only surfacing to eat in the late afternoon. Even the hummingbirds aren't downing the nectar I put out for them as feverishly as they were before.
According to the info from my Witches' Calendar, August is the time to acknowledge the bounty of the Earth and to honor those whose hard work went into producing the fresh veggies and fruits that we so enjoy. It is a time of "thanksgiving and remembrance, maintaining our happiness by by recognizing that which comes as the result of hard work." Additional thoughts from the calendar: " Often times it is those who work the hardest who go without thanks...Our lives will never be without joy, as long as we pause to than those who have aided us" And it continues, stating "Give thanks for the blessings of those who surround you, and you can be sure that you will receive that blessing three-fold in return."
Tonight I am grateful for my family and friends, my home, my critters, the rain, the rainbow in the sky behind the house, my health, and all the Earth provides. I'm also thankful for the first tomatoes off the vines in the garden. Today's tomato sandwich was THE BEST!!!! (And no, I didn't use fat-free mayonaise.) :0) :0)
(Art credit: Jennifer Hewiston / Llewelyn's Witches' Calendar-August)
(PS: The photo posting problem seems to have rectified itself. I have no idea what the problem was! Mary Ann, you were most likely correct in thinking it was just a blog problem.)
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