Apr 30 2014
Happy Summer?
Rhododendrons in my garden this evening
The calendar may say April – just – but summer has come to Hooterville.
In the usual way of summer, it made a dramatic entrance, hitting its unsuspecting audience over the head with a sledgehammer of heat while giggling wickedly. When I came home from the cool climes of the jobette yesterday evening, I was surprised to discover that it was 80 degrees both inside and outside my house.
Before removing work wear, accessories and make-up, usually the first things I do, I dragged out all the fans – the upstairs, the downstairs, and the portable one which can be positioned to blow air directly on Self – and placed them throughout the house, as well as turning on the ceiling fan, even though it’s really more of a whisk stirring the hot air around than anything else. As usual, the outside cooled down long before the inside, and I slept with the balcony door open and the screen door closed, sadly coated in a sheet and dreaming of blankets.
That was once I got to bed, though. On the first warm night of the year, Roscoe was scarce. I kept calling him, even though I knew it to be pointless. He finally swanned in just after midnight, had a fashionably late dinner, and then went to bed.
We were all awakened at 6:30 by Mark’s rooster crowing loudly and repeatedly. I gave up and got up, releasing the cats into the garden, not to appear again until dinner time.
I had quarterly calls scheduled all day today (and tomorrow, and all of Friday morning), and I did them in the shady parts of the garden, moving my chair as the sun shifted. It gave me time to notice the damage done by Mark’s rabbit, Changa (it means “monkey”) on her frequent visits. It occurred to me that the rabbit ornament on my “front” door may in fact be a secret sign to rabbits everywhere that there’s an all you can eat buffet on the premises, much as hobos used to leave coded symbols scratched on people’s front doors during the Great Depression.
So really, I may have brought it on myself.
4 Responses to “Happy Summer?”
I’m jealous of your beautiful weather and summer conditions, enjoy and give thanks for the beauty around you and thanks for sharing it with others, we could sure use some of your warmer weather down here, it was 6 and raining on Wednesday and 40% chance of rain for the rest of the week.
You’re right – I should enjoy the sunshine and hummingbirds – and being able to do these calls in the f=garden instead of in a soulless office somewhere!
Love your rabbit ornament – or is it a hare? I remember a wonderful bronze – metal – statue of a hare or rabbit in the City in London. I was very taken with it. If ever I find a photo of it I must send it to you.
Those rhododendrons look fantastic…I wonder if mine will do well, esp. after the winter that we have had. Mine are supposed to be deep red, but I think I will be lucky to have blooms at all.
jx
My dear friend and former neighbor, who has Audrey’s mother Quince, gave me the rabbit (or hare) ornament years ago. I love it unreasonably. Would love to see the bronze rabbit!
Mark’s rabbit just hopped by…
Hope your rhododendrons survive. Just read an interesting book about Beatrix Potter’s gardening life – she found them challenging to grow in the Lake District.