Can you feel it?...hot, hot, HOT!

It's hot already.  (sigh) 
I'm aware that by May 15th, all bets are off.  It's hot! (90's)  I keep hoping this is the year we'll have a long spring.  Ha.

The AC runs constantly from 4pm on.  We hibernate indoors until 7ish to venture into the shadows of the maple out back to get a little outside downtime...(cool beverage in our hands). 

But if the daytime is an oven at least the mornings are beautiful.  (low 70's)By 5am I'm out the door with the dogs for our daily walk.  We do about 2 miles daily, and I enjoy watching the sky lighten as the birds begin to sing. 

Most mornings I'm on my own.  (I have noticed on weekday mornings a few up & at-ems doing the jogging thing.  Surprising how many don't say "good morning.)

Most nights we sleep with the AC on and when I get up in the morning I open all the doors and windows to allow the house to cool off.  I call this "blowing out the house". I turn on a stand fan in the kitchen and a box window fan in the master and let the breeze blow out all the warm stuffy air.  I can generally get the house down 5-10 degrees.  Plus it makes the house smell so good.

With that little bit of effort, I can keep the house cool (75 or less) with the ceiling fans on.  AC kicks on at 77.

Last month we slept with the windows open most nights.  With the night time temperatures in the 60's, I would go out for my morning walk and notice that no one had their windows open.  I could hear the AC's running.

Lots of people suffer allergies around here, so that might be a big reason why no one opens their windows. It just seems weird to me that even on a nice day, everyones' homes are shut up tight.  I remember growing up not having AC.  I remember a fan blowing on the bed and sweaty sheets.  (yuck)

I'm trying not to over water the garden.  When it's this hot it's tough to say "don't water". 

I try to do an "every other day" thing with the tomatoes.  They are starting to put out flowers now.  I watered everything this morning except the tomatoes.
By 2pm the leaves were rolling up.  I went ahead and hit them (and the entire garden) with another shot of water. My water bill is going to be through the roof. 

Another victim of the heat is the Alaska peas.  I knew that once temperatures exceeded 80 they would start to slide.  I went ahead and pulled them today.  I inspected the vines for pods and maybe had a dozen full rounded out pods.  The rest were immature.  If I'm going to try these again, I'll have to shoot for an early February planting.  Mid March is too late.  Not enough growing time.

Surprisingly, the sugar peas are thriving and producing.  How much longer is anyones' guess.  I planted these on a whim and will definitely expand the patch next year.  I water these every day without fail.  Sweet and yummy.

Not so sweet is the bibb lettuce I harvested.  Bitter.  Perhaps better eating this fall. 

I like the salad bowl lettuce and have harvested 2 bowls so far.  Will want to expand that also.

The romaine lettuce I planted is scared.  Go ahead and sleep little guys...we'll see what you're capable of this fall.

Bunnies went and mowed over some of my sunflowers.  They didn't eat it, just chopped it in half.  For now they seem disinterested in the pumpkin patch. (yeah)

This year is very much an opportunity to observe what works and what doesn't.  The climate we are in will decide what we grow.  I suppose that's true for everyone.  I just wish I liked tomatoes and peppers more.  Oh well,  I'll have squash coming out of my ears soon enough.  Green beans too if I'm lucky. 

Puppy run!