59°f/15°C, rain off and on all day. High of 62f. Chilly!
I cannot even describe how wet everything is around here. More rain, more localized flooding. I tam afraid we are getting numb to the constant distress of so many people impacted by all this water. Just such a mess for so many.
Here on our hill, my flowers are happy campers. They are loving all this rain! The herb garden, not so much. I am going to lose my rosemary and lavender, again. The sage has already succumbed but I have one plant in a planter that soldiers on.
Deer have gotten into the veggie garden through a broken place in the fence, but there is little left in there since I did not plant a late garden.
Our neighbor Jeff stopped by this morning to make sure we had gotten the Chicken of the Woods he dropped off. He was out squirrel hunting, and I asked him about the mast. He said it is very spotty this year, which was my observation too.
Later it occurred to me that this is a very country conversation; I doubt most urban/suburban dwellers even notice if the trees have many nuts in any given year. Yet it is a matter of concern for country people, because the wildlife depend on this important food source. A light mast year means the critters will be hungry and very likely in our gardens and yards looking for food, or they will starve. This year we noted a large increase in the number of squirrels, for instance. If there are not enough nuts, there could be a massive die-off of these poor creatures. Deer also depend on acorns for survival. Usually around this time of year we hear hickory nuts and acorns falling, banging on the metal roofs. Not this year, at least not yet.
I also noticed that the trees are still a deep green, when usually we are seeing a lot of yellow by now. My guess is this is a good thing for the trees, as they continue to produce food for their roots for the winter. My blue lace hydrangea, which usually produces a half dozen blooms a year, has bloomed consistently all summer, and now has a dozen or more blooms. Note to self: give it plenty of water in future.
Since Jeff came by early today, we missed our appointment to get the van windshield replaced and had to reschedule for tomorrow. Worth it for a neighbor's visit! We went into town anyway; I restocked our Ripley booth while Larry got a haircut. While at the booth a young friend came by so I did a deep discount on a couple things for him. Then a couple from Oklahoma came in and I did the same for them. Sales are very slow right now as people are feeling the impact of gas and grocery prices, so it was nice to move a few things along.
When Larry pucked me up we went to Shari's, our usual lunch place. It's nice to walk in an see a half dozen friends already there. It was our friend Suzy's birthday, so Shari played a happy birthday video on her new big screen TV and we all sang happy birthday. Shari gave Suzy her lunch for free, so the song and that sweet gesture made a nice birthday celebration. While there we began planning the Halloween open mic. Costume contests, prizes and creepy food offerings were the topics, so if you have any easy, cheap snack ideas, pass them along!
I talked to Sarah again today. She had her facial stitches out. Silly granny here had not considered that there would be facial stitches! She is doing very well, and will be moving to rehab today or tomorrow. Her upbeat attitude is amazing. We chatted as I worked at my booth, and she sent me the funniest video. You know, if you have had any surgeries, that bowel movements are an important thing, right? Well, she had a friend bring her a fart machine and had people amazed at her gaseous emanations! I was stunned myself until she told me what she had done. I laughed til I cried.
Then it was home to our happy dogs, and a quiet evening. All in all, a pretty nice day.
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