A second (or is it third?) day of steamy weather, and it will intensify tomorrow. We're told to expect highs of 88F (31C). In Mid May. Before dropping down to 40F (4C!) by Sunday morning. If that isn't a bounce around the extremes, I don't know what is.
For now, so long as there are no destructive storms, I take it in stride. There are benefits to a warm day. A misty, pleasant walk in the morning...
(Purple Allium stalks are starting to bloom)
Followed by a drive downtown -- all lost to a thick fog...
...To meet up with my friend Barbara at Madison Sourdough. We eat outside. It's such a treat to take your meals outdoors, even on a busy street (and of course, to spend time with friends you've known most of your life).
And then it's back to the flower fields. The two W's: to weed, to water. It's hard to accept that I need to water in May. That we have had more dry days than we'd like this season. Last season as well. The new plants cannot survive a drought and so I uncoil the hose once more. Unlike Ed, who hurries back inside once he has stepped out and felt the heat, I am not yet tired of days that are this warm and I am not tired of hosing down the newbies. And still, I do hope this isn't a pattern for the growing season. The established plants have deep roots that know how to search out moisture, but in time, they, too will need help and that's a big job for one person with 11 growing fields (to say nothing of the meadows).
Eventually I throw down the spade and hose and go out to get the two big kids. They had outdoor races today -- normally a great set of fun activities for kids and parents alike, but in this heat -- they were sweltering. Lucky them -- they go to an air conditioned school. And here's perfect timing: Wednesdays are ice cream days!
(working through the frustration of not having all his running laps counted)
In the evening Ed bikes, I do some spot work outside -- not because I feel the need to do it, but evenings are in fact beautiful now: the heat recedes, the colors are sublime.
A month ago, there was so little color still. The flower fields were barely sprouting. And now? An avalanche of plant life out there. And flowers. Fresh and magnificent. To admire and to love.
