Disaster Days of a Droughty Dog Day Summer

There's a mouthful. We are having another 94+ degree day, much hoter with the heat index. We are still working to fix one side of our roof, and we have to coordinate marching and practice and other events. So far, the grass is not doing so hot; having flash backs to CA 20years ago, where the golden state meant golden dried up lawns. Manage to keep alive the phantom and black velvet petunias and other plants using recycled water and small waterings early morning and evening. Reading about gardens in Rummer Godden's works as part of a conference paper project. T deal with grief, Mrs. Quinn of China Court spends 9 hours gardneing, and Tracye talks of gardnening being among activities that are the real stuff of life. Lovejoy in Episode of Sparrows is willing to steal for her garden, and is ironically involved in a case of stolen earth with the local garden commtitee, something that happened to Godden herself. Rumer Godden was a dedicated gardener, and her passion for gardening comes out in her autobiographies nad in her novels. There are even tiny flowers and Bonsai trees in Miss Happiness and Miss Flower. I have moved my orchids around; the new one is also losing petals, and still have seeds to plant, even this late, I will try. My pumpkins in the past used to come up too early, but I have a zuchhini and bittersweet that are promising. Our weeds thrive. even in this heat. You have to admire them, and I've left a few strategically placed. Mother nature seems to favor me; I haven't got poison ivy yet from digging into the weed patches bare handed, perhaps because I've cultivated a few on my slope and even in pots for color and variety. I've been living on salads where possible, and the good ripe tomatoes with fresh cilantro and pepper, drizzled with olive oil are my favorites. The nectarines and plums, as well as cherries, are doing well in the farmers markets and groceries, but I was very disappointed in the organic avocado I bought last week. It was barely edible, through ripe. CBS Sunday Morning had a good story with Bill Geist on shells and shell collectors in Florida. It should be on their site. It made me very nostalgic, and I used my shells from Huntington Beach and Valencia in craft projects. I've even saved a few clam and mussell shells from restaurants, and once, a lobster claw to make a small doll. I have never been tired of shells and remember my first collection from the Shed Aquarium, bought by my mom, when I was five. I'd been a doll collector two years by then.