As the World Turns

(If anyone is wondering about the plethora of posts - it has been hot, muggy, humid, sticky, steamy, and generally very uncomfortable the past few days. There was even a weather warning to stay indoors if possible a few days ago, the heat index was hitting over 100 between the record high temps and ridiculously high humidity.
I make it a point to do EXACTLY as the weatherman advises - after all, he is the authority, no? I'm a NW girl, remember. I DON'T DO HEAT~~~~
So to catch up on my huge file of photos, and keep myself entertained and somewhat useful, and hopefully to keep you informed and somewhat entertained - I blog. In front of the fan. With cold mint tea on hand.)

5:00 a.m. Daylight in the swamp. 70 degrees; 86% humidity.
6:30 a.m. May as well get up, it's warming up fast if I want to get anything done outdoors.
7:00 a.m. 85 degrees; 90% humidity. Turks water is topped off, they have food for the day. Propping open the door for a bit of ventilation if a breeze wanders by.
Check the garden, does anything need a drink to survive the day?

7:30 a.m. Feed the kitties, make sure they have fresh water in their bowls. Thermometer rising rapidly, along with humidity. Check on the dehydrator, the Apple Dandelion cookies have been in overnight. Ready for the next load of....

mint and lemon balm. The dehydrator is on the back porch, with the door open to outside and the door into the cabin CLOSED. Keep that heat out where it belongs.

8:00 a.m. Make a quick blender-drink for breakfast - cold, with a couple of ice cubes. The flowers get a drink. Most are shaded...

while others are thriving in partial sun along the tree-shaded south side of the cabin. The sandy soil reguires daily attention to watering, if I want to enjoy the short blooming season of this area.

9:00 a.m. Fetched Than from the farmhouse to help me clip the milk goats at the neighbors (a post to come). The heat can affect production, so anything we can do to keep them more comfortable helps.

10:30 a.m. 88 degrees, 90% humidity. A 12-mile drive to a vacationing friends home to check on her garden and bring her lonesome Cocker Spaniel home with me. Nigel has been a houseguest before, we get along just fine. Jetta tolerates him. Poor little Dandelion had a hissy fit. Literally.

11:45 a.m. I'm done being outdoors, the heat makes me nauseous. Time for something cool and refreshing for lunch. The cold smoothie at breakfast has long worn off. I keep the cottage cheese, can of mandarin oranges, and bag of sliced almonds stacked together in the frig, easy to grab and add them to a bowl of chilled crisp garden greens. No dressing needed, with the drizzle of mandarin juice mingling with the cream from the cottage cheese! An Apple Dandelion cookie and glass of lemon water keeps lunch light and refreshing.

1:30 p.m. Temp topped out at 90 degrees, 94% humidity. Wearing a snorkle to go outdoors is not an exaggeration...

Afternoon spent on the couch in front of the fan. Reading church lesson I will be teaching on Sunday, browsing photos for the blog, and typing away at various emails and posts.

6:45 p.m. Too hot for dinner. More lemon water and mint tea.

7:00 p.m. Take advantage of going to the neighbor's to milk, to take some photos of her glorious peonies and other flowers.

7:35 p.m. Finish milking. Sassy is a still here, and producing moderate amounts of milk. Little Girl, the Toggenburg, has higher production but she's onerier to handle!

8:00 p.m. Check in with my Max. He's had a busy day. Dressed for the summer in cowboy boots and shorts! Dirt is a good sunscreen - isn't it??

9:00 p.m. Tuck the Einsteins in for the night, with more feed, outside door shut ( a mama skunk with four adorable babes sauntered past our mailbox when I was returning from milking...never trust a skunk with babies).

Set a pan of innoculated goat milk to do it's thing overnight. Put more mint in the dehydrator to dry overnight. Feed cats and Nigel.

Grab a couple slices of deli turkey and roll in some lettuce leaves - quickest dinner possible. A couple more Apple Dandelion cookies. I think I'm through for the night.

9:30 p.m. Temperature hovering around 84, humidity still around 90%

Turn on the AC in my bedroom. At least I can start the night cool, for a good sleep.

Take a shower. Boy does that feel good - I've had at least a gallon of sweat run off me today.

11:30 p.m. Reading in bed, one cat and one dog keeping me company in cool relaxation.

I refuse to look at that thermometer one more time today....

And that's how my world turns, for one more day.