Miscellany: Because It’s Been a While

It’s been a while! I hadn’t intended to take a break, but before I knew it one day ran into the next and then the next and then, just like that, the only week of the entire summer that we had “off” was over.

Now we’re staring down the second half of summer and I’m only a little disappointed. I like summer, but I’m not terribly fond of summer break. I like my kids, but it’s hard to get work done when they’re barging into my office every fifteen minutes tattling on one another for eating the last popsicle. Or whatever it is that they’re yammering into my ear when I’m trying to write.

People have been fawning over The Pig Dog on his outings recently. They’re all, “What a good puppy!” and “I am so impressed with your dog!” I have to get me five more of him, because honestly? None of it is me. Now that he’s stopped trying to eat people and mostly refrains from humping things when in the presence of strangers it’s like he’s a little miracle dog, all well-behaved and making people coo. At least in public. At home his favorite activities still include eating underwear and shredding toilet paper. We’re working on that.

I started garlic shopping today. In the past I’ve taken the cheap (and easy) way out and picked up whatever garlic was available at the local market for our planting and then recycled it again and again, planting our own cloves year after year. I really have a thing for interesting varieties of vegetables though and I’d love to add some obscure heirloom garlics to the mix around here.

What I’d also like to add to the mix around here: fewer weeds. Things really got out of control with the recent heat wave. Just about any garden work in 104 degree temperatures with sixty-plus percent humidity just wasn’t happening. Now everything is overgrown and taunting me. I fear there’s no catching up, but I’ll give it my best shot.

Of course the heat has also stressed the garden plants. Tomato blossoms seem to hang on forever without turning to fruit, the beans have yet to set a significant crop and everything else is looking at me all forlorn and confused. This is Michigan, why does it feel like a Rain Forest moved into Alabama? I have no answers for them. Except the Zucchini. And the Summer Squash. Those two will be the last plants left on earth when the apocalypse comes, I’m sure of it.