Dog Days

We've gotten to the point in the DC summer when honestly, we're all exhausted. It hasn't been an exceptionally hot summer (particularly in comparison to the one they've had in Phoenix or Houston) but with the exception of a brief reprieve on Saturday, the temperatures have been consistently in the 90s and the high humidity just saps the life out of you. The midwinter dreams of gardening have been dashed -- the first crop of zinnias that I started indoors never really took to the outdoors and the second crop is small and growing mildewed. The six black eyed Susan plants that I scored for free off the neighborhood listserv are shriveled and pathetic. By contrast, the two cucumber (or maybe melon) plants that grew out of the compost pile are running amok with tons of flowers and no fruit. Thank goodness I did not plant zucchini because I'd surely be sick of it by now. (Zucchini bread is no savior -- a loaf only requires one modest sized squash plus who wants to crank the oven to 350 for an hour in August.) And the only thing that keeps the lawn looking nice is keeping it clipped so the weeds and grass are all the same height.

I grew up in the land of kudzu, a fast-growing invasive vine that some folks claim you can hear growing. In this neck of the woods, the most impressive invader is the American burnweed (pictured above next to the blue recycling can). It starts out small and when you turn your back, it shoots up three or four feet.  Fortunately its roots are shallow so they are easy to pull -- a good thing because another one will be along soon enough.

Apples have started making an appearance at the farmer's market and I'm betting that the nursery is chockful of mums.  Even so, fall still seems like a long way off. Until then, I'm cranking the AC, pouring a long tall cold one, and yes, making another salad for dinner.  Sigh.