Flowers

High Summer in Maine

46 Comments

After a spell of three brutally hot and humid days, the weather took  a turn for the better, and the past week has been glorious, almost like an old-fashioned Maine summer. The days have been warm, in the high 70s with low humidity. The nights have gone down to 60, chilly enough for a blanket at night. Although I love the change of seasons, I could take a few more months with weather just like this.

Even the mosquitoes have backed off, and while they are not gone, their numbers are greatly reduced. This means, of course, that every night this week has been a patio night. At the end of the day, Clif and I have a cocktail outside, and we sit and watch the birds and the flowers and the woods. We listen to music. We talk. Most of the day, we work separately in our offices, and these evenings on the patio are a special way to come together and to discuss what’s on our minds. (Unfortunately, the political situation is often on our minds, but we do talk about more pleasant things.)

Flowers in my garden continue to bloom. This daylily is one of my favorites, a mouthwatering red.

Now that hostas dominate the front yard, I have come to appreciate not only their foliage but also their modest blooms.

For reasons I don’t understand, the slugs and snails have not yet chewed the hosta leaves into a lacy mess. While there are a few holes here and there, for the most part the leaves look pretty good. I’m not sure why this is so, and we still have the month of August for the slugs and snails to do their worst. Anyway, I’m certainly not complaining. Merely making an observation.

I know that in parts of the country and the world, the heat has been intense, and I hope cooler weather is coming to those who are suffering from extreme temperatures. More hot and humid weather is predicted this weekend for Maine, too.

In the meantime, I will revel in this delightful weather that was once a given for a Maine summer and why tourists flocked here for their vacations.

 

 

 

 

46 thoughts on “High Summer in Maine”

  3. I love my hostas! They are so varied in size and color, they look so cool under the trees. When we next see you, you’re welcome to raid my garden beds to add to yours.

  4. Lovely to see the beautiful flowers Laurie and glad the temperature is more pleasant again. We’ve had a mini heatwave here and we’re looking forward to more pleasant temperatures too! 🙂💖🌺 xxx

  5. We have been having some sticky weather too – I don’t really enjoy anything more than about 75 degrees! Your hostas are looking great. Perhaps you have something that is eating the slugs.

    1. I expect it’s the cold, wet spring we had, although you would think that slugs and snails would thrive under those conditions. So who knows? I’m good up to 80 degrees, but I think 75 is perfect. Used to be normal for a Maine summer. Nowadays…

  6. Your red daylily is gorgeous!
    I’ve been enjoying the wonderful summer weather as well. Wish it would last. Not ready for another heat spell. 😦
    Have a great weekend you two!

  9. For three days, we’ve been basking in weather almost like yours — highs in the 80s, lows in the 60s, and low humidity. It’s been glorious. The only downside, of course, is the slide back into our more typical summer, which begins tomorrow.

    I really like your hostas. For years and years I had no idea they would produce blooms like that — they’re charming.

  10. It looks like a beautiful season up there. Your flowers are gorgeous. We have cooled back down to the 80’s and my air conditioning is off because it is cooling down in the evenings and pretty darn nice to have windows open to hear the insects, mostly crickets I think. I hope your good weather stays for more patio days!

  11. I’m glad you are rid of the really hot weather and humidity, and can enjoy sitting on the patio talking to Clif and also listening to music. This is one of our favourite things to do in summer as well. Your red daylily is absolutely gorgeous!

  13. Those evenings outside sound a lot like ours and I wouldn’t trade that quiet time, together, for anything. It was cool enough here last week that we even had a camp fire–a harbinger of autumn . . . .

  15. I was never so glad to see rain as I was this morning – although it’s still a little sticky. I haven’t been able to think about doing much at all this past couple of weeks.
    My baby hostas are doing better than expected. So far, no slug damage but, as you say, it’s not over ’til it’s over and mine are still very young and tender so still vulnerable.

    1. After a long, dry, hot spell, rain is a blessed relief. So hope the horrible heat is over. In Maine, we have been watching with anxiety as the heat overtakes Europe and heads north, almost like a marauding force.

  16. Even here in Central Texas we’ve had some delightfully cool nights and reasonably warm, dry days. (A couple of mornings have been in the 50s, almost unheard of for this time of year.) It’s not supposed to last much longer but it’s been wonderful while we’ve had it. Patio evenings with a glass of wine are also the best. We don’t have hosta here so that takes me back to my northern upbringing!

    1. Hope you keep having cool nights! In Maine, the heat and humidity have returned, making it hard to work. (We don’t have air conditioning.) I long for the Maine summers of old.

      1. I tried a few times with them but they just faded away. Very strange, as they had grown so well in a former garden of ours just a couple of miles away. I love ” tough as a bag of hammers” ! 😀

  18. Lovely to see your beautiful flowers, Laurie. The heatwave in Europe has calmed down now. 🙏🏻 I mowed the lawn today, dry yellow dust …

Comments are closed.