The Dog Days of Springtime

Holy Mackerel it’s hot! … and this sentiment from a person who is ALWAYS cold!! I mean, I’ve barely even been warm, ever. (When I used to get hot flashes in the middle of the night, my husband was the one to suffer. He’d get up, sweating, to open a window, while I lay there comfortable for the first time in my life!). The 90-degree temperatures the last few days reminded me a lot of April a year ago when Chris and I put the new roof on The Lodge. We had a only small window of opportunity between rainstorms, so we had to take advantage of it. It was hotter than Hades, and it never approached those temps again the whole rest of the summer! … 120,000 square feet of roofing shingles on which you could not only fry an egg … but roast the whole damn chicken!! I still have tan lines from that project, and I’ve barely been out in the sun since!

Yesterday’s tropical blast sent me rapidly to my cellar to dig out the screens. Off came the storm windows, and within an hour my rustic cabin in the woods was feeling a bit more civilized. In the afternoon I had a field day at the local garden center. The early summer-type weather gave everyone else the same idea, too. I’d suggest buying your greenery before Memorial Day weekend if possible, (which basically means TODAY), as things are getting pretty picked over even now. Once the weekend is over, (don’t forget, it’s the BIG Duck festival here in Jackson on Sunday), I’m all set to plant my flowers and decorative shrubs. I’m just itching to get diggin’ in that dirt ... it doesn’t take much to amuse me.

Today is cooler and breezier, really just the perfect summer day! A few things started out my day in a spectacular way: 1) I was awakened by the melodious flute-like sounds of a wood thrush; 2) I discovered a perfect Pink Ladies Slipper wildflower in full bloom, only 2 feet away from my cabin; and 3) I saw a huge lime-green Luna moth in flight! It landed in a pine tree. Magnificent. What sights and sounds to start one’s day! God is great, and Life is good!