Tuesday, July 26, 2011

High Summer



It's almost a state of mind rather than just a point on the calendar. For us this year it's late. For me it's marked by hot days starting to wane just slightly shorter, the wildflowers of spring giving way to the dryness and the wildlife. Oh yes, high summer is all about the wildlife. Fawns are big enough that you see them traveling with Mom, quite often little groups of moms. Everything is out and about with young; teaching, feeding, and preparing them in most cases, for fall abandonment. The sightings this summer have been plentiful. In a weeks time I have seen a grey fox on the property twice, coyotes, eagle, deer, skunk, raccoon, and once what I will swear was the hind end of a bobcat with it's short flicking tail leaving me with just a hint of the animal attached. I saw a Peregrine Falcon make off with a young ground squirrel snatched from the horse paddock while I was filling the water tank. Besides eye accounts there has been evidence of owls with their hard pellets filled with fur and bone. Dennett and Peter seem to be the finders on those but occasionally I am the scat discoverer. No bear, not this year so far and I'm not complaining. It's also time for me to start thinking about the kitchen painting project. Next week, handles and knobs and paraphernalia will all come off/out of the top shelves and cabinets of the kitchen, paint will be bought and brushes (all cheap because I hate cleaning oil paint off of brushes), painters tape and other such stuff as one needs for a hard week of tedious work. A bottle of scotch maybe...this might be the time to try again to acquire a taste for it? ;) For now though, the Red Stripe will grace the fridge for a late afternoon refresher.

Sewing will wind down, weaving pick up to get things off the looms. Gift warps are all planned, towels and such for the holidays and auction give-aways all taking place in the fall. The saddles will get dusty, the horses lazy and we will slip into mid August with a flourish of green and cream, speckled hair, splattered t-shirts and a fresh new look for the kitchen.

Parting shot: David & Goliath

8 comments:

LA said...

It sounds like your to-do list has plenty of variety! It IS time to be thinking about weaving projects for Christmas.....oh my!!!!

Valerie said...

Yikes, what happened to the "lazy" days of summer?! Yours don't sound lazy at all.

Good luck with the kitchen painting...mine took 6 weeks.

Cindie said...

...and just a short distance to the west of you I'm dreading the upper 90's coming in tomorrow - been loving this cooler than normal summer.

...would love to paint the kitchen cabinets at the beach, not happening anytime soon, big job, even though a small kitchen, and I'm not in the mood....will keep painting small pieces of furniture there instead.

Anonymous said...

Pull harder Sweet Robin!

Painting kitchen cabinets, now that is an undertaking. Lots of hard work, but won't it be wonderful when the job is finished. Red Stripe? Nah, rum and coke for apre painting. Best wishes in a stress free painting session.

Sharon said...

But I feel cheated. It hasn't even been hot yet. I had a Reynaud's episode this morning that left my hands so numb that I could hardly hold the soap in the shower. I sat on the cool deck too long - it comes from your body trying to protect the inner core heat. Cheated, I say!

Leigh said...

In some ways I envy your wildlife sightings, but in other ways not. We've heard an owl in the distance, and it makes me worry about my cats out at night. At least we don't have coyotes to get the chickens, or so I hope! I know you don't really care for hot weather so I hope you're staying cool.

Theresa said...

Leigh, I love catching glimpses of the wildlife and since I don't have chickens there are few things I worry about.
The cat is 12 now and he's managed to make it this long even with coyotes,fox and bobcat. We have so much space it's unusual when they do go for livestock and house pets.

Sharon, it has been a strange summer indeed. I would like them all to be like this actually...

Thank you Thistle & Rose, I hope it all goes pretty easily too. Not 6 weeks like Valerie's kitchen painting...YIKES NO!

Cindie, come on up for a visit, it's nice and cool.

LA, I know already thinking about the holidays.

Maggie said...

Earlier this summer, there were new kittens from a cat a stupid neighbor let loose last year when she went on vacation. I tried to catch them to take them to the shelter, but they were already feral. Then, last week I saw the neighborhood fox who lives in the greenway, and no more kittens. Even in the center of the city, we have wildlife.