In the Heat of It!

No surprise, we're back into the hottest time of year.  With dew points in the mid-70's, the air is saturated with moisture.  Evening brings temperature drops to the mid-80's - but the humidity rises. We sweat & sweat some more - I'm actually getting used to it.  I remember summer nights on the farm, in one of the upstairs bedrooms, all the windows open.  Laying on top of the sheets, praying for the slightest breeze.  Ever thankful for AC!  My bones though - feel wonderful!  No aching joints!

Zinnia's~

This year, I planted some of Linus's Zinnia seeds. What a pop of color! I've worked on removing more of the invasive shrubs from the marsh area. It's been so wet, that Butch had to go in with his weed whacker to cut the grass. I'm usually mowing it by now. I'm laying some of the concrete pieces that had been piled at the bottom of the hill, along the side of the marsh. They make a nice walkway when it's so wet.

Antique Horse Hook~

I found the horse hook - in what's become my favorite town for antique shopping, Walnut, IA. The town reminds me of Snohomish, but without all the great places to eat. There's is a wonderful bakery & it's just close enough to make a nice Sunday drive.

Nika gets a bath!

Last Sat., while I was detailing out the camper, I could hear Nika barking. She sounded a long way off... Going down the hill to look, I found her scooting out from under the shed. She'd been after something. Even the heat & awful humidity hadn't deterred her. Covered in mud, she didn't even complain when Butch put her in the water! As hot as she was, I'm sure it felt good!

Marigolds, Zinnia's & Daylilies~

 News reports warn us that a pet, left outside in this heat, for as little as fifteen minutes, can die from heat stroke. Cooler weather is coming tomorrow night & into next week.  I'm looking forward to it!

Marigolds & Summertime~

The Gathering Place~

After seeing the beautiful Marigolds at the Gathering Place last year, I was determined to try them myself.  Linus was so kind in sharing his seeds & expertise with me.  I decided that I wanted to plant a row along our south fence, where we could enjoy them from the deck.  I carefully followed Linus's directions & it was fun to see them sprout.  The blooms began to appear the first week of June.

By July 3rd~

By early July, you could easily see the short hedge of growing marigolds!  I was so excited, my first time planting from seed & the first time I've had the opportunity to grow them in such numbers.  I started out with just two fence sections, but soon headed to the store to buy more seed & increase the size of the row.  One packet was $1.79 & contained about ten seeds.  I asked Linus if he had any more to share & he gave me enough for two more sections & for another bed of the Tiger colored seed for the east end of the house.

Linus's flowers - 4th of July

 I mentioned my marigold planting to  Aunt Shirley in Sheridan.  Soon, an envelope arrived full of seeds from her plants!  I shared with Linus & put mine in a large planter.  Even though it was a little late in the season, they started to bloom by the end of July!  All are a beautiful dark color that Linus calls Tiger.  Since they reproduce true to the color each year - they're a heritage seed.

These are the Tagetes Genus Marigolds from Sheridan, WY~

 There are only a few with yellow blooms in the row

The yellows!

 The package of seeds I'd bought to fill in the gaps are a blend of light & dark oranges.

Dwarf Bolero

 I walk along the row & enjoy all the colors, along with the distinctive marigold smell.  So far, we've had hardly any mosquitoes.  Is it still to early for them, is it the rainier than normal season, or the marigolds?  The only downside, is that the Japanese's Beetles do eat them.  I pick the pests off the blooms several times a day...  I'm hopeful that following generations may develop a resistance to them  I've used Sevin on the the plants from Wyoming.  For whatever reason they seem to be attacked more than the one's that grew from Linus's seed.

For the pot out by the mail box, I found a last flat of those in the photo below at the local hardware store.

By our mailbox~

I've given up trying to find the actual names of all the different colors or varieties.  Instead, I'll spend my time enjoying them. I fertilize once every week or two & hope that the color lasts well into fall.

In full color~

I'm collecting seeds too.  I toss some over the hillside.  Maybe they'll go wild in that area.  The weeds, vines etc. that I spent so much time cutting, pulling & spraying are finally under control, so having color there would be grand!