Summer Heat and Rain

This weekend will make 50 days with the high temperature of the day 90 or greater. This is a record breaking streak that surpasses the previous 36 day record and at this point no break is in the forecast. I know that no individual day or heat spell can itself be blamed on global warming. However, when you put this in the context of what is happening around the world, fires in Russia, large iceburgs breaking off from Greenland, it seems that there is a pattern. We do our part to be frugal with resources but I know that I still have a big Fat Carbon Foot Print.

We have the luxury of reflection, or angst,  as we consider what is happening to the planet's environment. It seems that everyone is waiting for someone else to do something, or kick it down the road for the next generation to fix.
A few years ago when I was in Vietnam for a couple of months people were still trying to cobble the basics together. When you have to worry about how you will make things work for the next day it is difficult to think about something as abstract as the environment.

This week there has been some modest harvest. I cut off and brought in to dry one of the two rows of sunflowers that I grew. In a week or so, when dried, I will harvest some. I have had some requests for some seeds so I will save some out and will try to process some more to eat.

Today I had the very sweaty job of wrestling the new rain barrel in place. I had to dig out the rocks on the bottom and put them back in so that I could get it under the spout. I think it is going to work well. You might remember that I wrote about getting the rain barrel at a workshop that the Alabama Environmental Counsel put on. We did not have rain for more than 40 days and I did not get it installed right away as I despaired for rain. The Farmer's Wife did a nice job with the paint. I complimented her on the camouflage paint job that makes it nearly disappear. Check out the AEC for your own barrel.
www.aeconline.org The New Farmer is away but we ordered some more seeds for the fall and winter garden before she left and I will start some more seedlings. The first batch (100) are doing pretty good and are now outside acclimatizing to the heat. In a few more days I will start transplanting some of them into the garden if we keep getting rain.

Finally
I have a report of
1.434 KG for this week in the way of produce. Carrots, tomatoes eggplants and some basil that are making some great pasta dishes for  a total of
151.34 KG