We seem to have been magically transported to the tropical rainforest. The cold rainy weather of late May and early June gave way to hot rainy weather from mid June through July. It's like Texas or the Amazon without air conditioning. Sleeping is problematic in this heat and humidity, and everybody is tired and hot and bothered.
The woods are amazingly lush as a result of the rain, and it is impossible to see far into the dense growth. We were surprised to see a Red-winged Blackbird up here on our hill, and yesterday I heard a Common Yellowthroat and green frogs on our road in the morning. There are no ponds or marshes up here, so it would seem that the weather has made even the uplands wet enough for the marsh critters.
The garden is also a jungle. Wherever we didn't mulch the weeds have become huge, and we haven't had many opportunities to get them under control. But we've been harvesting all the same. We ate spinach 'til our ears turned green, and we ate lots of salad greens. The radishes were a disappointment, though, and the bok choy bolted immediately.
New for this year are the sugar snap peas. I provided wire fencing for them to climb on and they have repaid the effort. We have been eating these delicious morsels in large quantities for the last four weeks, and every time we think that they are tapering off another wave appears. We'll probably plant these instead of snow peas for the forseeable future.
Butterfly numbers are way down this summer because of the prolonged wet weather. We continue to survey for them in Vermont when we can, but the results have been a little disappointing. What good is living in a tropical rainforest if there aren't swarms of butterflies?
I hope that the summer finds you well and happy, relaxing in the shade with a cool drink and a lazy smile.
Peace,
Terry
7/22/05