Dog Days of Summer

It's hot out today. Sweat dripping down your back in the shade hot. Not unusual for some parts of the country, and I for one am a big fan of such weather. Daisy, our two year old lab whom we acquired last fall, is definitely not a dog that enjoys heat. Within two seconds of being outside, she is panting up a storm and wanting to be back inside (unless of course, we are outside and food is involved). On the other hand (paw?), Belle, our 8 year old mutt of hound origins, who has never been very people oriented, will stay outside in the blistering heat all day if she could. She lumbers from sun to shade and back to sun, blissfully ingorant of everything around her. Yesterday evening the chickens were pecking their way through the yard and came upon her, and she couldn't care less.



The horse is not happy about the heat or the flies. He spends his days under the apple tree, tail switching constantly. He has exhibited some interesting behavior the last few days. Around 5pm the other day, he started galloping around. Up the hill and down. Back and forth. He paused for a few seconds, then continued on his sprint to nowhere. In minutes he had worked up a good lather. This evening run has continued for the past few days. Although initially concerned, I believe he is just letting loose some of the stored up energy since he is spending all day under the apple tree and not grazing throughout the day as he would do in more temperate weather. Perhaps it's also because I called him fat to his face (which he is since he has been gorging himself on grass all spring).



The vegetables, aside from the tomatoes and peppers, are not fans of the heat either. While in cooler weather the peas could keep going for another couple of weeks, the dramatic turn from green to yellow overnight is a clear sign to me that they have decided they are through. Done. End of story. And this despite a thorough drenching with the sprinkler last night. I still have time for a second planting if I put the seeds in the ground sometime next week.



So we continue on at the farm. The dog days of summer are here, perhaps for a while.