Poor bunny!

I went over to cut some flowers in my garden yesterday. I have a condo and on the downside of that I don't have any place to plant a garden. But! The community farm in the town where I live leases garden plots! I don't know if that's common or not.

So I have a garden plot for the season that I can keep the lease for as long as I want. I've had all kinds of different lettuces, radishes, beets, turnips and my fennel is doing really well. And I planted all kinds of flowers. I've really enjoyed my garden. Mostly. For whatever reason my tomatoes aren't doing very well. I've never had much luck with tomatoes. I've learned some lessons for next year.

So. As I'm picking flowers yesterday a Red-tailed Hawk swooped down and snatched a bunny hardly 6 feet away!

Up close and personal!
Poor bunny. Of course I felt kind of bad about it but...well, Hawk has to eat!

Edited to add: At least it was quick. Very quick.

It's hot!

Not record hot, but hot! A hundred degrees. Feels like 107. Yesterday, 20 July, was the hottest day in 8 years.

And...my air conditioning is broken! Which is normally no big deal. I like the heat. I live over a river. It's typically 10 or 12 degrees cooler over the river than it is just a quarter mile away. And I figure if I have to close my windows it might as well be winter time. I've been here 29 years and I don't think I've used the air conditioning more than 5 times.

But that doesn't mean I want to sit and sweat like a pig either.

So. I have a most awesome industrial strength ceiling fan!

I actually got it for the winter time to keep the heat from rising and collecting under my 12 foot ceiling. But it's nice in the summer heat. So. I get out of the shower and find...my ceiling fan failed! Story of my life!

So. I get dressed and head for the dollar store. Luckily enough they still had some fans!

Not very decorative... But at the least my cat was happy with it!

I went over during the afternoon and hosed down L and stood her in front of a 4 foot fan for a half an hour. She didn't mind!

I like to prepare food seasonally. More than that I like to prepare food that suits the day. And what could be better than....

Of course! A Margarita!
Well. To be fair, a gin and tonic is the quintessential summer drink. Or a bourbon rickey. Or a daiquiri. Or sangria! Even a pińa colada. I'm not a big fan of fruity cocktails but ya, that works on a tropical day. And there's always the (Bermuda)rum swizzle. Edited to add: How could I have possibly forgotten to include the Mojito in my list?!

And the *best* thing for dinner on a day like this? The very *first* thing that comes to mind?

Gazpacho! Of course!
Oh, and Home Depot has references to local electricians that service Hunter ceiling fans. It's not like I'm going to replace a $650 fan because the power switch broke!

Corn - 2019

Behold!

15 July
First "Our Own" corn of the season! This ear came from Dick Kelly's Family Farm in Upton, MA. This was very good. The early corn isn't the best. But of course I'm always excited about fresh local corn. It's late this year. After such a cold wet spring pretty much everything is a week behind.

I haven't been blogging much. I retired almost 2 years ago now. I've never been happier in all my life! But...while I have my (satisfying) routine I really don't do anything interesting. It's nice to have time to keep a clean house but is that anything to blog about?

I fully board L at a farm barely 2 miles away. We don't train anymore. Well. Of course it's all training all the time and I try to make sure she knows she's the horse. But we don't vigorously train and we don't compete anymore. Mostly we just do ground work and pony ride. Fully boarding her was a huge adjustment!

With more time on my hands I'm trying to do an occasional road trip. Tour old favorites and discover some new places.

I'm thrilled with retirement although it's sad in a way. There was a time I thought what I did was just the greatest thing in the world. And then...I think it was along about the time 50 hour work weeks became expected of professionals I started becoming unhappy. Then when being connected 24/7 became normal, conference calls at 11:00 at night and reading email in bed got brushed off as nothing I'd had enough.

You know, it wasn't supposed to be like this. Back in the 1960s we well and truly believed technology would make us so productive full time jobs would be 30 hour work weeks. That our greatest challenge would be fulfilling our free time with recreational pursuits. Of course we also thought cars would fly by now. And electricity would be free. And nobody would go hungry.

I'm very happy I'm not a young professional trying to build a career today! I haven't missed my work for not even a single minute!