Heat and Humidity – July 19

Rain is setting the stage for Extreme Heat, at least the Weather Channel App tells us that there is a Warning until Thursday. Here, the rain pushed me into the house, where my muse (Harry) has banished me to my desk. It is difficult to catch up during this hectic, hot summer, but here are a few items from the past two weeks.

The stream renovation is finally finished and the water is flowing again after a seven month hiatus. There is still plenty of work to be done with landscaping and rock tweaking, but those chores are low on the list. Eddy is delighted to be able to cool off and drink on these long, hot days.

The birds, too, appreciate the babbling brook. Here are a few recent visitors to the back porch.

The cats, as desert creatures, are not interested in the stream and are fairly tolerant of heat, but this Missouri humidity is hard on all of us.

The horses are well, though Stone did pull a shoe this week. Fred came to the rescue after doing a very difficult and sad task for a neighbor, whose pony was killed by lightning during the night. He is a gifted shoer, but more importantly, a good friend.

Flowers are abundant at this time of year.

We had a visit from Harry’s good friend Nisi Sturgis, with whom he acted in Night of The Iguana. Her son, Owen, is growing up quickly, as children seem to do. He is a talented artist already, at 11.

Nisi is in St. Louis for a production of Romeo and Zooliet, with the St. Louis Shakespeare Company. It is an incredible show performed outdoors at the St. Louis Zoo with huge puppets operated by the talented actors (in very hot and humid conditions, I might add).

The big news is that we got a new (used) car this week! Harry took the 2015 Outback to the dealer for an oil change, and there was so much wrong with it, that he traded it in on a 2022 Outback. In one of those weird, small world coincidences, the salesman, Christopher (who had actually also sold us the 2017 Outback, which is still going strong), mentioned that he had recognized Harry from the MLB All Star Game in 2009. Harry was part of the show, sculpting a Stan Musial maquette, and Christopher helped him move some sculptures. He even produced photos from that day in 2009!! Life is full of astonishing synchronicities.

And so, on we go, hoping for a better world and grateful for the beauty here, even in the heat of July…

Be safe, be well, be grateful. Stay strong, stay hydrated, and be kind. Slava Ukraini! Peace…