The Dog Days of Summer

I recently experienced some heat-related bad timing at my house. As I have mentioned before, we are in the middle of a major renovation project, and over the Fourth of July week, we decided it would be a good time to landscape. We’re talking about three complete sides of our house. A skid loader was rented, and everything was plowed over, leaving us with a literal pile of clay-filled dirt. We knew we were taking a chance planting this late into the season, but there was a 30% off sale. Since I love a bargain and we needed lots and lots of plants, we decided to take a chance that the weather would improve. It didn’t.

After numerous trips back and forth to the lawn and garden center with loads of plants, mushroom soil, compost, and mulch, it was time to plant. If you recall, this was a week of temperatures in the 90s with real-feel temperatures even higher, and this girl is used to working inside. We spent hours—days, even—rototilling, raking, digging, and planting. It gave me a renewed appreciation for those who must work outside all day. I was exhausted! At one point, I literally sprawled out on the sidewalk on my back, causing my husband to give me one of those puzzled, puppy-dog sideways looks. He was accustomed to the heat; I was not. Well-meaning neighbors drove by, calling out their car windows, “Looking good!” I know they meant to encourage, but I just gave a long, exasperated sigh in return. I was barely holding it together.

I wish I could say that was the worst of it, but it was not. The incessant heat remained, and there were no rainclouds in sight. It is now mid-July, and we are still on constant watering duty. If we go more than half a day without watering, our leaves curl, and we must rush to give them their life-sustaining drink. Add to this that our local deer happen to love eating the blooms off our struggling Little Limelight Hydrangeas, and our plants are hanging on by a thread. Will the plants survive? I guess we shall see, but if sheer determination has anything to do with it, they will not only survive but thrive!

I acknowledge that I have spent a large portion of this article whining about the weather, but to be honest, I love where I live and wouldn’t change locations for the world. I love our four seasons and always look forward with eager anticipation for the next to arrive. As in any area of life, it is much easier to complain but more difficult to be thankful. Thankful for my air-conditioned office, my air-conditioned home, my daughter’s swimming pool, my brand-new watering hose that doesn’t kink, and my husband, who, God love him, spends hours watering and never complains. Life is good.

Soon enough, the season will change, and we will exchange our bathing suits for sweaters, the days will shorten, our trees will show off their splendid colors, school buses will resume their routes, and pumpkin spice will be everywhere. Until then, however, I will do my best to tough it out and make the best of these “Dog Days of Summer,” for soon comes those “Three Dog Nights,” a story for another time.

Rhonda S. Kelley, Executive Director, Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce