Tom and Huck and a Balloon

68°f/20°C, expected to be in the low 90's today. Hot!

Our 4th was a bit different this year. Instead of going to the biggest 4th of July celebration in the US, hosted by our county seat, or having a picnic or cookout, or any of the other things people do on this day, we were playing Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. Not painting a fence, though, but painting our deck.

We are not done yet, still plenty to do. We painted the rail first, moved everything from one end, painted there, then painted the other half.

While waiting for the first half to dry, we went into town (after a good shower, because we were both wringing wet with sweat by the time we were done) to go to a cookout at the local VFW (Veterans if Foreign Wars) club. Larry is a member there but we rarely go to anything because, being a private club, they allow smoking inside the building, and I can't stand being around it; i have very mild asthma that immediately reminds me of its presence. We stayed for a short while, but the cooking was far behind schedule because the cooks were held up by snarled traffic after the big parade in town. I was starving and had had enough of the smoke so we left, and went to one of our favorite restaurants,  where the loaded potato skins are a meal by themselves.

I ended up bringing most of my burger home. The burgers at this place are made from their farm-raised beef. I am not a big beef eater but after having my mind set on a burger, well...

Back home, we moved the deck furniture to the painted end of the deck and got the second half ready to paint. Then we cleaned up yet again and went back to town for a hot air balloon ride.

The ride was underwhelming.  It was a tethered balloon, and only rose about 200 feet. The ad for the ride did not mention it being tethered, so I was pretty disappointed, but after they explained that untethered rides need a very large clear, flat area,  and would cost upwards of $400 per person, I understood! 

Our friend Suzy was on the ride ahead of ours. The way they boarded people was one got off and one got on. So she got off, and I got on.

Don't you love that wicker gondola?

Here, the operator is turning on some fire. Hot!

The moon was riding up there with us.

Down below a quirky Jeep arrived with more customers.

For $20 each we hovered for about 10 minutes above the field. 

Oh well. I must say, those things are hot! They have 4 huge burners that fire up,  literally, with propane, and each ride, holding 4 people plus the operator, burned about $30 worth of fuel. Not a very efficient use of a natural resource. 

I can't even imagine how much it costs to use helium. Even though disappointing, I am still glad to have done it. I have wanted to see what it would be like to ride in a balloon wver since I watched The Wizard of Oz for the first time when I was just a little thing. Now I know. 

We didn't stay in town for the evening musical entertainment (Bucky Covington of American Idol fame), or for the fireworks. We were tired and happy to get home again to our comfy chairs.

So that was our big 4th this year. How was yours? (I must say I was not feeling particularly celebratory this year, especially after that budget bill passed. I just felt sad about what has happened to our country.)

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

So This is July

65°f/18°C, overcast and very foggy after yesterday's heavy rain.

Can you spot Larry in the corn? Hint: he's a red dot in the center.

Well, here we are, already charging forward into July. I admit, July is my least favorite month. I hate the heat. I hate the humidity. But it's unavoidable so I soldier on and will this month to be over quickly.

I was curious about what lore and superstitions might be attached to this month, and found it is laden with them. Here's some if what I turned up:

Then came hot July boiling like to Fire,
That all his Garments he had cast away...
~Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, 1596

If the first of July be rainy weather,
It will rain, more or less, for four weeks together.
~English proverb

According to legend, Hercules is positioned upside-down in the sky so he can be head-to-head with the second of our celestial giants, Ophiuchus, the Doctor. Ophiuchus discovered the magic formula to eternal life; unfortunately for him, this didn’t bode well for Pluto, the god of the Underworld, who would then lose all his future inhabitants, so Pluto sent a serpent down to Ophiuchus, under the premise that should the good doctor prove victorious, we would all life forever; if the serpent won, Pluto would continue to receive us at the end of our lives. We can see the battle still raging, because on either side of Ophiuchus is a section of the snake, the constellation Serpens.

July 3rd marks the beginning of the “Dog Days of Summer.” Spanning from July 3rd to August 11th, this period marks when the Sun aligns with Sirius, the Dog Star. In ancient times, people believed that this celestial event resulted in scorching hot weather when Sirius and the Sun worked together.


July 15 — St. Swithin’s Day — if on St. Swithin’s Day ye do rain, for forty days it will remain.
Both of these are from the Old Farmer's Almanac.


Please, don't marry in July! Save your guests the misery of a hot wedding, and yourself a lifetime, apparently, of misery.

Married in July with flowers ablaze, bitter-sweet memories in after days.”

“Those who in July do wed, must labour for their daily bread.”

“A July bride will be handsome, But a trifle quick-tempered.”


And more:

"Ne'er trust a July sky." This suggests the weather in July can be unpredictable.
"If ant hills are high in July, the coming winter will be hard." This is an old belief about predicting winter severity based on ant behavior.
"As July, so next January." This suggests the weather in July might indicate the weather for the following January.
"No tempest, good July, Lest the corn look ruely." This implies that a calm July without storms is favorable for corn crops.
"Whatever July and August do not boil, September can not fry." This suggests that if the weather in July and August isn't hot enough to mature crops ("boil"), they won't ripen in September ("fry).
These last are from AI, but are verified by many other sources.

July 1

Happy Canada Day to my Canadian friends and relatives!

Oh, and rabbit rabbit rabbit!

It has been a lovely thunder-y rainy day, much needed. We stocked booths today, and picked up milk and butter. Maddie the milk girl was pretty shook up when we met with her at the VFW. She'd hydroplaned on the way to town and wrecked her truck. Poor girl, what a scare. She's okay, and we've offered her our truck to use if needed.

Tonight we may go to open mic, if I can drag Larry out. We shall see!