And so it begins.

Actually, it began a couple of weeks ago, but we don’t know how much longer it will continue.

It has been so hot and so dry here that the corn (which I planted a little late anyway) remains stunted. We’ve got some fruit on our tomato plants, but I’m watering quite a bit every day and the leaves are still a little bit wilted.

Yesterday it was 105°F with an AQI of 160 (pretty smoky, but not 400, which we experienced last year… and may still experience this summer). It “cooled down” to 77°F overnight. We’re getting a little bit of a respite today before it heats up to the mid-90s again on Monday.

BUT. Yesterday I shredded four of our zucchini and put 8 cups of shredded zucchini in the freezer for zucchini bread… when it cools down enough to use the oven. So we’ve gotten something from the garden.

AND. This morning a family of quail foraged in the back yard, which is torn up because we’re installing a new patio (when it’s not 100° out). The lawn is mostly clover and some of the yard is just dead dirt (mostly excavated from the patio area). In short, it’s a mess. But we don’t use pesticides, there’s a dish with water for the birds and insects, we have plenty of places to escape to and places to look out for predators. We are so lucky to have these visitors.