Saturday in New Mexico

Saturday night next door to New Mexico.

I was just looking at your rain on our weather map, BBB, because it looks like we may be affected by it!

I gave Boone, the corgi, a decent walk this morning while it was still reasonably cool. After a delicious couple of months, the heat has been serious -- tonight we're due some big storms. The rain will cool things off.

Now that my new Honda is in the garage, the Cherokee, with its beautiful "detailing" and exterior wax job, sits under an oak tree, waiting for a buyer (no fruitful calls in two weeks, so far). Because hail was predicted yesterday evening, I hauled a tarp out of the garage to cover the Jeep, fighting the tarp in the wind, but managed nonetheless to secure it with perfect, nautical square knots at each corner and along the sides. The storm still looked to be at least two miles away -- at least -- and yet walking back towards the garage I was enveloped in frigid white light followed by a helluva noisy clap of thunder -- not struck but damn close. Since it's boiling up again out there right now, I'll NOT take Boone out for our evening game (squeaky-toy hotdog with rope attached hurled into the high grass, retrieved, hurled, retrieved, etc. etc.) The temp has suddenly dropped into the 80's.

Last night we lost power for about two hours and I read the NYTimes from first page to last with a Coleman lantern which is unreliable. Tonight I've already lined the batteries up; made sure the cellphone is charged (to notify the power co-op); and will listen to an audiobook on tape if necessary!

I did find some decent roadstand tomatoes -- probably the last of the good ones because of the heat wave. Made gazpacho. The peaches (usually local and delicious but the crop was ruined this year by a hailstorm of unusual ferocity) are from Colorado and I wonder where -- maybe those valleys south of Salida? Near the New Mex border? Very pretty in there. Blackberries and strawberries available, but I'm not a berry lover.

Sunday in New Mexico
Tart, that will teach you not to fly a kite when lightning is near (I know you didn't admit doing that, but such a close call indicates you didn't learn anything from Ben's experience. :wink: )

The Albuquerque farmers markets are offering mostly squash, green beans, big variety of peppers, onions, etc. and now fresh corn. Raspberries are making their appearance along with some blueberries. Local apples are showing up. Tomatoes are just emerging and strawberries are no where to be found. So very different from California's farmers markets.

This morning, Sunday, revealed had it rained during the night. This explained why it was unusually humid during yesterday's heat. But I still had to hand water my recently planted front and rear gardens.

Right now, as I'm at my computer, I'm enjoying a bowl of wonderful-tasting strawberries and peaches (trucked from California, of course) and a couple of slices of peppered bacon along with a piece of local orange date toast. The sun is shining, the swamp cooler is turned on low in anticipation of another hot day. The Sunday paper is waiting for me.

---BumbleBeeBoogie

Sounds better than my Sunday a.m., BBB. We didn't get the rain we were promised last night -- NWS started begging off around 10 p.m. This morning the sky looks tentative -- a poor quality watercolor painting. But the temps have fallen. My office is a mess -- nothing I couldn't fix in about half an hour, but I keep putting it off even though this is the coolest room in the house. So I'll go do a few outdoor chores before the heat settles in, and then work this afternoon... I promise.... I really will...