"The serving boy brought the coffee. Duquet looked suspiciously at the sinister black liquid. It was scalding and bitter, a very dreadful potion, but he drank it. In a quarter of an hour he felt ideas rushing into his head- he memorized the faces before him with newly sharpened senses."
From Barkskins, by Annie Proulx
Early morning blogging couldn't happen without it. I worked hard yesterday doing chores and housework, so I'm running slow this morning, even though the sun is coming up bright and strong, which usually energizes me.
The dark and chilly marine layer of clouds vanished, and another ridge of high pressure is building over the Northwest. We might set more record high temperatures by the end of the week. This is bad news for the wildfire threat across the state.
Our neighbors are on vacation this week, so I'm watering two gardens in the heat. I don't mind of course, she does the same for me when we're gone. Their yard isn't as big as ours, but it is very beautiful, and she has every darn nook and cranny planted with delicate, water-loving plants and pots. I have to be careful not to miss anything.
I'm a more slapdash with my own garden by late August. My attention has shifted to garden clean-up. Yes, I am getting tired of the work! I'm hacking off the flopping perennials, and the weekly yard waste bin will be full from now until November. I also water less and actually enjoy seeing some open space between the remaining plants. We'll have cutting flowers like dahlias for a long time yet, but the main show is over.
However, there are always some late, surprise bloomers. This is the pretty Diamond Eyes rose that Tammy gave John a couple months ago. I pruned it and gave it a good dose of fertilizer, and now it rewarded us with an even nicer second bloom.
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