We've been getting a lot of work done around the yard and garden. Finding I now have the energy and inclination to prepare our property for winter makes me realize how lethargic I was over the long hot summer we lived through this year. I felt lousy, and a lot of it was because of the seemingly endless stretch of hot days and nights we had to endure. Sitting still was easy during that time, but sleeping well was difficult, and doing physical work outside was no fun at all.
So many plants out there needed trimming. Tall, tough grasses were growing up along the gravel path that runs through the middle of the yard, as well as up into the wire fencing we had put up back in 2004 to keep the dog in and the deer and hares out. The four patches of irises we have around the yard had brown, sunburned leaves and were full of weeds. I've cut a lot of that stuff down.
Walt mowed the lawn, mostly to take down the spiky, deep-rooted weeds that had grown up. The grass itself, or what passes for grass in our prairie-like yard, hadn't grown much because of the drought. I continued clipping branches off the overgrown rosemary bush that we wanted to save, and we cut the unwanted rosemary plant off at ground level. I think both of them will come back quickly once the rains return.
The biggest task was getting the plants pulled out of the garden, including 30 tomato plants, a lot of bush and pole beans, and a few out-of-control zucchini and winter squash (potimarron) plants. Walt did most of that. I still haven't tilled up the vegetable garden plot, but I'll try to get that done this coming week. I'm sure our clay and limestone soil is like concrete — we desperately need more rain, and we may get some tomorrow. It hope it's not too much, because it's hard to work in mud with the rototiller.
The new back gate is a big improvement. Not only is the metal gate much sturdier and better-looking than the old falling-down wooden gate was, but it is also more securely attached to the concrete gate posts than the rickety old gate was. Now we're just waiting for a local gardening service to set a date for this year's trimming of the tall, wide laurel hedge that wraps around three sides of our yard. It's more than 100 meters (375 ft.) long and 8 or 9 feet high in places.
It’s amazing that you and Walt are able to get such a bountiful harvest from your very poor soil. I know how much work that takes!
ReplyDeleteIf the soil up here on the hill were richer, the land wouldn't be planted in vines the way it is. They call the soil terre à vignes — grape-soil.
DeleteWe just came back from Daniel's funeral. It was well attended. I'm glad we went. It was a civil ceremony at the cemetery, not a religious service.
I know that you don't like AC, and prefer not to use it (except in the car), but this lethargy that you describe is part of why I prefer to have AC in the summer. Our whole summer (including part of spring) is always sooooo hot and sooooo humid... without AC in the house, for me, it would be a miserable several months, every year (and I do think that the humidity plays the biggest part here). When I go for a walk in our humid, hot summer months, it's a whole different experience than it is when going for a walk when it's pleasant out, and not humid. Just trying to breathe well is miserable!
ReplyDeleteExcept in the car, you are right, I don't like AC. In the car, AC is better than having windows rolled down when it's too hot in the car. Somehow, AC works better in small spaces like the interior of an automobile. AC in the car also doesn't mean you have to ride in the dark.
DeleteThe last time W. and I lived in a place where AC was required was in Washington DC from 1982 until 1986. I hated having to be closed in all summer, with curtains drawn against the sun beating down and AC on to dehumidify the atmosphere. Washington really is a swamp. In northern California, we never had or needed AC.
This summer in the Loire Valley, we didn't have too much humidity but there were many days and weeks when it was too hot, during the daytime and at night. Maybe the fact that I had to have a skin cancer removed from my chest in June made me want more than ever to avoid being out in bright sunshine.
I've never experienced AC in France that seemed really effective except in a car. In Paris hotels, they have those wall-mounted AC units that just seem to blow room-temperature, i.e. warm, air. That's why I hesitate to have such units installed in our house. Maybe there is some other solution, but I don't know what it would be. I also remember what the woman who sold us this house told us 5 years after she moved to Tours in 2004 and had AC installed in her apartment, at considerable hassle and expense. She had never felt the need to turn it on! Summers are like that here. There's a hot one every decade or so, but there are many cool summers in between. With climate change though... who knows what the future will bring.
Your yard looks nice and neat, even if it is on the dry side. I like the laurel hedge. Besides being attractive, it must give you a lot of privacy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting the link to the little house yesterday.
"...With climate change though... who knows what the future will bring." Warmer everything? Pacific ocean in San Diego hit 83 degrees this year, an unheard of temperature. Here in LA the ocean was reported as 76 when 70 is closer to the usual high. We had rain last night for the first time in I don't know how long, welcome relief after a hot summer.
Warmer everything, probably, as you say. Or more extreme conditions in each season. More and more hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, droughts, floods. Geez. I probably should think about all that.
DeleteOff Morehead City, the ocean water averages between 82 and 85 degrees in July, August, and September, and 66 to 68 in January, February, and March. Those are ºF.
See my post today for more about the little house that's for sale.
I grew up with oil-fueled heating, but in NC I've learned to use a heat pump. It heats with warm air in winter, changes to AC in summer. Friends who use it in the Languedoc say it's far cheaper to operate. The question is whether it can be installed in an old house with thick stone walls, although your place being newer might be more accommodating. Perhaps worth investigating?
ReplyDeleteWithout the AC, there is no way I would survive the summers here. As Seine Judeet says, it's horrible to try walking outside in high humidity, hard to breathe.
I wrote a comment to you earlier this morning, but it seems to have disappeared. Oh well. I know about heat and humidity, having lived in N.C., Florida (briefly), and D.C. Steam baths all in summertime. I'll look into the heat pump idea. Maybe it would be good to have one mounted on the back of the house to cool the upstairs "loft," where we sleep, in summertime. That could go a long way toward making the house more comfortable when it's hot outside. For now, we have a big electric fan that helps most of the time, except on rare high-humidity nights.
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