They said it would be hot. They were right. It's very hot. 90F (over 32C). And what leaves you scratching your head is the leap from a very cold and late spring (farmers were complaining) to a steamy hot week of temperatures that call for a switch from the furnace to your AC unit. We dont quite do that, but Ed and I go back and forth about opened windows once again. He doesn't like to open them when it's cold -- it wastes heat. He doesn't like to open them on hot days -- it heats up the inside of the farmhouse, especially the upstairs. He is correct on both counts and still, I push back. Bringing the sounds and smells of the farmette lands into the home is exquisite! (True, sometimes other things come in as well. Like this morning we found a snake on the living room carpet. Probably a gift from one of the cats. It seemed dead.)
Despite the heat, I work hard once again. I clear out weeds and snip off spent stalks that were supposed to fall in the winter but somehow they didn't. In other words -- I clean up. And I think about this place that is so much our joint project: Ed works on the upkeep of all the structures and infrastructure, and, too, does some veggie growing and tree maintenance. I do much of the rest.
I would not last long here without him. He'd last a little longer without me, but not too long. He's said many times that he would not work in the fields in the way that I do. He feels this place to be for the two of us. Alone, he, too, would move out.
When Monet died, his garden was lost to weeds and it took a dedicated effort, supported by a foundation (American, actually) to restore the property. There is no foundation that will support this place! Once we're out of here, I'm fairly sure that the farmette lands will be sucked up by the development that now borders us to the north and west. Hey, but for now, we are here and my efforts continue and today it was grand to work on the fields some more, so that every plant has a chance to show off all that it can do in a healthy and uncrowded environment.
Today's photos from a morning outside:
(Ed and Unie, who is his one cheeper pal)
(Yep, our first asparagus)
(Checking on a paper wasp nest that we're trying to move from over the door to a different location)
And in the afternoon I pick up Snowdrop. I predicted she'd like to splash in some form of water and I am right. There is not a whole lot here that is splash worthy for a 7 year old, but in the early stages of summer, anything and everything seems great! Even the plain old hose. Before long, she is 100% wet and happy as a duck.
We'll have storms tonight. Or not. Typical summer like speculations. Except it's not summer! But oh, how fresh and beautiful it all is! It's tulip time right now, so I'll leave you with one shading from orange to pink to purple. Only in nature can you find something this exquisitely beautiful.
