Animals - especially dogs, Flowers

Heat and Time

40 Comments

Hot, hot. Too hot. It has been 90 in the shade and oh so humid. Time seems to have stretched to the point where it’s hardly moving.

Next door, the dog has stopped barking, and the little boy no longer runs and yells as he plays. But earlier in the week, the chickens scratched and pecked in the yard.

Not wilting, not drooping, the lilies bloom bravely in the heat.

And the hostas look cool and collected as always.

The sun leaves our backyard around 3:30. Fortunately, it doesn’t take long for the patio to cool down and for the black and white cat to take her place.

We both drowse as the heat presses against us and a few mosquitoes whine around our head. Sometimes she looks up. Sometimes I look over at her.

Right now, winter seems like a distant country,  a dim memory of white and cold and time spent inside.

 

40 thoughts on “Heat and Time”

  1. It is so very hot, indeed. Despite the discomfort, I still think it is better than January’s deep windchill and being a slave to the wood stove. 🙂

    2. Although I am not wishing for winter—I was more struck by the memory of the contrast on the patio—I am one of those weirdos who likes January. 😉

  4. Things look so fresh there, Laurie, compared to here, even though you feel the heat. We are drying up and hanging on.

    Your post sounds like poetry.

      2. Yes! What a lovely way to think about it. And believe it or not, I love fall and winter, too, and as with spring and summer, these seasons are also somewhere in the world.

  7. Those lilies and hosts are saying, “Ahhhhh, lovely warmth! I’ll blossom some more! Yes!” Just remember the ice and the measuring stick…before you harken to winter…

  10. I can be slow sometimes, but I finally got it through my head that birds like your chickens use those feathers to help insulate against the heat as well as the cold. It seems counter-intuitive, but it’s apparently so.

    On the other hand, there are a lot of birds down here that are taking to the water these days, and a lot of critters, human and otherwise, seeking out the shade. Down here, it’s just part of the package, but for you, it’s got to be a trial. Your lilies certainly seem to be thriving, though. They’re beautiful!

    1. It is a trial. And many of us don’t have air conditioners—we don’t!—so there is no relief. We are holding out, but eventually we might give in. So far this summer we have had nine brutally hot days. Time was when we had one or two, and seldom this hot. A trend, unfortunately.

  11. Your words have had a soporific effect on me (in a good way) and now I want to stretch out in a shady spot and snooze with just the sound of the bees buzzing to lull me to sleep zzzzzzz

  12. It’s good the sun leaves your backyard relatively early and you can find some shade Laurie! The hostas and lilies look beautiful and I hope the temperature will be more pleasant for you all again soon 🙂💖 xxx

  13. I, personally, will welcome autumn. I don’t want winter but I want cool, crisp days where I feel full of energy and pep. Right now I feel drained not to mention sweaty . . .

    1. Yikes! High here, too. In Maine this summer, we have had nine days like this. One or two used to be the norm, and seldom this hot. I guess we’d better get used to this. Still holding out on buying an air conditioner. Eventually, we might cave.

  15. You have captured that sense of soporific heat so vividly, Laurie; the enforced indolence of deep summer. Beautiful post! 🙂

    1. Heat is draining, isn’t it? Especially when you don’t have an air conditioner. The day might be coming when we give in and buy one. In the woods, with our once delightful Maine summers, we never needed it.

  17. The flowers are beautiful and love the description and photo of your cat! The weather was unbelievable in July and I was dreaming about winter at times, but August is beginning wonderfully and looks to be that way through the middle of the month.

  19. gosh I am sorry-the humidity is so draining! It is a bit better here. I love the liberty summer affords teachers but I wish it was in the fall! ha! I hope you at least have fans. Wishing you cooler weather xoxox

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