Seasonal Rhythmn

There is little doubt, most dedicated reader, that despite the date on the calendar, summer has been at Stratheden Farm for a month or longer. It has settled into a repeated cycle of still nights with lows around 66F, humid mornings with temperatures that reach 83F by noon or thereabouts, and then, most mercifully, a tiny thunderhead parks itself above the farm and one thunderbolt at a time, relieves itself of its liquid burden.

Most of those 'precipitation events' yield only a 1/10th of an inch or so but even those are enough to encourage seedlings (and alas, their weedy competition) in the gardens. Tuesday was a bonus day, however, with storms at 1:00 and 3:30 p.m. which produced 0.95 inches, enough to have significant, positive impact on the gardens. The timing is excellent as the tomato plants are setting fruit in a most prolific manner.






There were several tiny showers today but the consequence was not the rain per se, but a superb rainbow right as the sun set. The clouds simply lit up tonight in Maxfield Parrish colors (Mr. Fuzzy can hear the skeptics - sure, those colors are done in PhotoShop. Nay, Sir! These images are straight from the camera without so much as a "levels" adjustment). And unlike most of the small rains, tonight's evening rain dropped the temperature to a delightful degree which should encourage a sound sleep this eve.

A quiz, for our readers - panic not, there are no grades and no one will know the result - how many of you remember how we raved about the Seminole pumpkins last autumn and winter? Raise your right hand if you do - Well done, I say! The seed catalog advertised them as "good keepers" which is an understatement; Mrs. Fuzzy prepared some for dinner last night and they were nearly as delectable as when fresh in October. remarkable these heirloom plants.