HUMIDITY

It's HOT !!! Summertime hit with high temperatures this week and the humidity followed suit. Ugh. The more I age as a fine wine, the more I dislike feeling as if I am swimming through the deep end of a pool to get to my car in a steamy parking lot. Might as well carry a beach towel around my neck to dry off once I do unlock my car to get in and thank God, once again, for those individuals who envisioned the idea of air conditioning a home and then a vehicle.

But with the humid days of summer come the glorious thunderstorms and downpours that make even a shingled roof sound like your grandmother's tin roof out in the country. Ahhh . . the smell of fresh rain on the way with a promise of coolness is worth opening the front door to take a gulp of it into my lungs. Breathe in . .  breathe out. And the hot sun will begin to turn the tomatoes red-orange on the vine along next to the basil that will co-mingle on that white bread spread with mayo that will find its way into my mouth. Yum.

The zucchini and the yellow squash plants are producing big, beautiful leaves that hide the deep yellow flowers that will produce fresh veggies for my plate. Guess what? You are eating sunshine. Seriously!!! And I am fortunate to get two volunteer watermelon plants from seeds that remained in the garden from last year, surviving a few good snows. This summer I will wait a little longer before getting the juicy fruit off the vine to hear it crack open as I spear it with a long knife hoping to see that sweet, succulent strawberry color on the inside. Yum.

Maybe the humidity will bring back that humungous manna from heaven like mushrooms that popped up in my grass last summer. Unreal !! Look in earlier posts to find the blog on that one!

But the best thing is my friendly, young deer that has graced my yard in the evenings to eat my Knock Out rose bush and just look pretty. Two times I was almost in the yard with it as I crouched behind the catmintha while weeding the veggie garden. No sooner did I decide to come in the house and wash my hands but I saw the deer through my kitchen window come out from the neighbor's ivy and stand right where I was not a minute before. I am waiting to see my fox too. That was a blog as well. If you have been reading, you will remember that he/she was crippled and would rest in my flower garden during the cold winter to let the weak sun warm its bones during the day! But the spooky thing is the raccoon who came onto my deck one night while I was minding my own business watching my TV shows. You know how it is . . . you can't quite place it, but you feel as if somebody's eyes are on you, but you know you're the only one in the house. Then you look over and through the sliding glass doors in the dark are two masked eyes peering at you while you peer at the tube. Raccoons really do look like little robbers waiting for you to turn your show off and go to bed so they can sneak down your unprotected chimney and steal all your silverware. Just to show the furry ball that I was paying attention and received its vibe, I got up off the couch, grabbed a flashlight, and shone it through the glass and screen into the critter's eyes. It posed with one foot up in the air, staring back at my light, as if to say, “I'm a garden statue . .  don't mind me. You can't see me can you?”

Yes, you little nutcase!! Now don't do that again. But I would like to see my deer pop up on my deck and peer in one night while I'm watching Glee. That would be just too spiritual, and I hope I won't jump off the couch from fright but take it as a blessing.

So . . . what's your summer delight? The next time you feel as if you are swimming to your car with your three grocery bags full of hamburger meat to slap on the grill along with all the fixins, try to think cool thoughts and be thankful for the AC in your car, the freezer to put that chocolate chip mint ice cream in when you get back to your air-conditioned home and the family you get to share it with.

And if you are lucky enough to have small children still at home, then enjoy the sprinkler days of summer with your kids 'cause school will be back sooner than you think, and you'll be packing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches all over again from August until next summer. Ick.

© nancy 6.19.2010