Monday, August 11, 2008

Dog Days? Hardly!

These are the star-spangled days of August and not the usual dog days one might expect so late in the summer. The evenings are cool and as soon as the sun has set, the stars blanket the sky. While I was out harvesting potatoes late yesterday, I walked around the south side of the garage and found the flag unfurling in the light breeze. That's camera time!


This was the second - and last - time this summer that I'll be digging potatoes. I managed a couple of rows a week ago but at that time the weather was hot and humid and I decided to wait a while before finishing. Now, with the air cool and dry, I set out to finish the job. We generally plant several rows of Idaho potatoes (the best in my opinion). The crop is generally smaller this year but the very smallest can be cooked with the skins on and make an excellent dish by themselves. A little butter, a little home-grown parsley, and the dish is fit for a king!


I am as enthralled by "weeds" as I am by the flowers we grow. Now that summer is ending, the wild clover is blooming beside the road and its tight purple head is everywhere. Though you might think I managed (somehow) to post this picture upside down, it is shown just as the flower blooms. The morning sun, which is off to the top right, seems to pull the flower in that direction. In truth, I suppose it does.

A few steps further and another plant - much smaller - is unfolding it's purple head, too. They look like delicate royal pompoms to me.

Finally, another rose is blooming behind the garage. They, too, musty enjoy the cool days and nights. Another two months and all of this will be over, snapped by the frost. I'm enjoying it while I can, then.

Last night: 53 degrees! Yesterday the high temperature was but 78. I wake towards morning and have to pull up a sheet. What could be better on an August night in the Miami Valley than to have to pull up a cover?