There's hot weather in Arizona, 117 and up. I've seen those temperatures and complained of, or bragged about, them depending upon who I was talking to. That's bad. That's why I have a pool...much to my husband's great displeasure. I can't stand hot, dry weather.
That was BEFORE I re-experienced East Texas hot. East Texas hot is really not much on the temperature scale - 85 - 100 degrees. It's that 50% and up humidity every day that's a killer. Seriously, from someone who has seen both ends of the spectrum, Texas hot is much hotter, no matter what the numbers say.
We work outside from early in the morning until lunch. Then we take a nice siesta until at least 5:00 p.m. From 5:00 til dark - 9ish or so - we work. We may hoe in the garden, mow the lawn, feed the chickens, water, pick fricking squash...any myriad of things. Squash by the way, is my least favorite vegetable. That being the case it naturally produces like John and Katie on fertility drugs... I have to pick yellow and zuccini every single day. The okra will be the same once it starts really puttin on.
I owe you a status report on the gardens. My heirloom seed garden is kinda sad. The reason for that is mostly that I planted my seeds too close to the grass and have been battling for water. I have beans and peas. I've actually cooked fresh green beans and new potatoes all from our garden. My lettuce is coming on like crazy and I have one tiny little ear of corn on my Bantum corn.... I also have (drumroll please) three tiny little watermelons on two different vines! Woo Hoo! Dad's quite jealous and threatening to either pick the baby melons or accidentally hoe them up.
Dad's garden is magnificent. He planted wide enough to run the big tiller down the rows and it really shows. It's clean and just beautiful. The squash is reproducing at an amazing rate. The Okra has a few small pods but more are coming. Love to eat it, HATE to pick it. The black-eyed peas are blooming. I love shelling peas. I have very fond memories of my grandmother holding a lap full of peas - shelling them into a pan in the evening. Anyhow, the sweet corn is ready and we'll be eating this weekend. Dad has one ripe tomato so we can combine that with my lettuce and have a fresh salad! Woo hoo!
Roofus, our blind Holstein steer, is doing very well. He's loving life. The goats are good and Citation, the horse what else?, is doing okay. He got out recently and just refused to go home. I ran Frankie into the house and chased 1100 pounds of dog food around in my garden for 20 minutes. He finally took off at a run. I followed as long as I could, 10 feet, before I just let him go. I figured he would either come home or someone would shoot him for walking in their garden...
My little yella chickens, Buff Orpingtons, are doing great! They're huge and so tame. They will eat our of your hands and sometimes will even let you pet them. One mistook Frankie's toe for a worm and now he's afraid of the "killer chicks"! LOL! They roost in the tree in our front yard. That makes for a mess of the picnic table but at least we're all close.
Yall come see us and we'll feed ya some fresh lettuce, fried squash and some fried okra. You can't beat that with a stick now, I'm tellin you what!
From the Lone Star State with love - Amy
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