Things Learned at 100 Degrees

This July proved to be the hottest on record for Kentucky.  We had ten (plus) days that the temperature soared to over a hundred degrees.  However, as we suffered along in the heat, we learned a few things.

Rain smells delicious even when it's on your neighbor's field.

Rainbows can happen without a drop of rain hitting the ground.

If you hang clothes out on the line at 100 degrees they will dry before the next load is finished washing.  Dryers will take a lot longer!

Air conditioned cab tractors take a load of stress off of farm wives.
     Over the years I have treated a lot of sunburns from cutting hay in the heat, not to mention the worry of whether they will get heat stoke from riding around with no cover.  Countless times I have stood in the hayfield with a cooler of water or lemonade, making them stop and take a break.  Each summer I would stock the tractors with bottles of sunscreen, so there were no excuses not to use it.  Yep, these fancy air conditioned cab tractors cost a lot, but they are worth it from my standpoint.  (Plus, the grandkids can ride safely in their "buddy seat")

Kids just don't feel the heat like us old people.  They will run and play when we are wilted down.

There still isn't anything more fun than playing with an umbrella during a summer shower.

Grass will manage to green up before the raindrops dry on the blades.

The bugs in the garden didn't like the heat any more than we did.  I had cucumbers and squash longer than I can ever remember.  The striped cucumber beetle that spreads the fungus that wilts all the vines didn't make his appearance until way late.  Smart bug.  Of course, the bees and butterflies that help to pollinate the beans weren't as active either, so the bean crop is lighter.

A water hose can't be beat for entertainment on a hot summer afternoon.

Everything is relevant, 90 degrees can actually sound cool.

Daylight Savings Time has eliminated the summer evening activities that we knew. 
    Back in the day, work ended at dusk, but that was still a couple of hours before bedtime.  So on hot evenings folks would sit on the porch, catch up on the day, snap a bean or two, watch the kids catch lightning bugs, or referee a game of hide and seek or kick the can.  With daylight saving time, dusk comes at bedtime, if not after.   Most kids don't even see lightning bugs because they are already in the house getting ready for bed when they come out.  Games of hide and seek and kick the can, are best played after dark, but most kids can't stay up that late to play.  The adults tend to work until dark, then we are exhausted and just fall into bed.  I hate daylight savings time, even though it is the savior of the part-time farmer.  Hubby can get home at 5 pm and manage to get in five hours on the farm every night.  It helps him get his work done, but it sure makes a tired hubby.

It's been a long, hot summer--and certainly educational.