Been dry in my part of southern Wisconsin............haven't had a good rain since about the 10th of June. 3rd crop hay coming on, neighbor wants to chop and bag. Hotter than billy pergatory here........of course it is, it is fair week this week. LOL We'll see what happens........

Little town of about 250 people had their big fireworks fest last night. The guy DS#1 works for does the show. The Spousal Unit (hereafter referred to as the SU, for those of you that don't know me. LOL) and I are getting into it too; went and helped set up yesterday. I learned how to wire shells and stuff. Got some pretty decent pix; here are a couple for you. They set the 2 rack trailers out in the field along the road. It was in beans this year, so wasn't bad. When it's in corn, it's a bear, as no air gets through and it's REALLY hot. Plus the guys have to walk quite a ways into the field to bury the tubes for the big shells. At least in beans you can SEE the tubes.

Here is another..........strange, the 2nd pic didn't want to attach to my previous post.

I figured I would find some familiar faces here. Hello everybody.

Don't give up on mystic, we're all here, just a bit busy. I'm doing a writers' work shop this week, but will be back on Saturday, not that I'm really gone, just busy trying to keep up with everything at home and do the work shop!

This heat is really unusual for New Jersey. The crops are going wild. The farmers are all exhausted but that is no unusual.

More than the heat the stink bugs are beginning to become a major threat to some crops and trees. This is the brown Marmorated Stink Bug that is a native of Asia. It was accidentally introduced into Allentown, Pa about 15 years ago according to our Farm Bureau and has worked its way to New Jersey. They also said that the bug has been steadily increasing in numbers in other states throughout the nation during the past years. Have any of you sighted them yet? They show up in orchards and farm fields in the spring and stay until fall. they feed on apples, peaches, other fruits, tomatoes, peppers etc. They are nasty and when you smash them....that is why they are named stink bugs. The odor is awful, so do not smash any if they get into your house.

I must go check on the irrigation hose. JB

We had an infestation of stink bugs last year. They ruined our vegetable garden. This year I guess it is too dry for them.

Some weeks ago I fenced off our "backyard" as it was one of the few places left with any grass. I have turned a couple of horses out there and all went well until one of them stuck a hoof through the lid of a septic tank. (I didn't know we had one there.) Amazingly she was not injured but the lid was. While I was waiting for the septic crew to remove and replace the huge concrete lid, I decided to clean out a neglected flower bed which was overgrown with mostly dead weeds and vines. I now have a disgusting case of poison ivy AND chiggers!

Eewww..........poison ivy, and in this heat. I feel your pain. BTDT.............

I am so glad I do not have to go to the barn........or to the field..............or to anything else...........I seem to have contracted the dreaded summer cold. Yuck. All I want to do to just breathe and exist. Pffftt..............

Porkpal, I hope you are getting to be less itchy. It sounds like a miserable situation.

Anna, keep breathing! Hope you have some good reading material.

Yesterday I sold a bunch of summer squash and zucchini to the co-op. I hope that will be a twice weekly event, with the squash that will produce all summer and into fall, and beans and other things as they ripen. Extra was planted so there would be some to sell, and I have ideas already for next year. The co-op buys from local producers whenever possible. As I am putting away the produce we buy weekly from a regional wholesaler, I see 2 things that I could easily raise to sell there, things I could have been selling for the past 6 weeks or more!

Way to go Mary, that is what I do, I sell anything that is not stationary.....except the dog....
It is amazing what people will purchase. My kids make fun of me and joke about the fact that I sell so many odd things. When I got bored this past winter, I sold all kinds of weird things on eBay. It was fun and easier than a yard sale.

Anna, you get well soon. Those nasty summer colds are so difficult to get rid of.

Pork, I hope your poison is starting to dry out. There is something called IVYDRY we use here and it is really good.

I am now going to work inside. The humidity and heat are returning. We had a few hours relief but that is over now.

It's raining! After several months of wishing I could send some rain to porkpal, we've gone all of July without. Hope it keeps it up all day.

We lost a heifer - found her dead out in the pasture, no apparent signs of anything but dead. Bovines! Always looking for a way to die and sometimes finding it.

Hope you all are feeling better - I've got a case of 'sure feels like I pulled that hayrack down the road without the truck' this morning, and a slightly smashed hand. Not as fast on the hook up as I used to be...

And they don't stop when we yell "whoa"............mine always thinks "whoa" means "come back at least 5 more inches............" Arghhhhhhh....................

lol, that's EXACTLY what happened.

And the time that we try and foil that and tell them "whoa" 5 inches from where you really WANT them to stop, they stop on a dime with nine cents change. Never fails. Why can't men follow directions? They expect US to be error-free............

But, of course, it WAS your fault...

Women of the world should rejoice because EVERYTHING is my fault..........should have been there, because I was there, why did you, why didn't you................ad nauseum.............

Yep, sounds familiar.

Am I being too whiney?

Absolutely NOT!