Well, there was a heat advisory today. The horses got another rest day, and I did minimal outdoor work.
Stone 
Bart 
Oisin
The bad news is that my gardening is a disaster. The pepper plants (usually something any idiot can grow) were attacked by some unidentified pest.
Then, the peppers themselves got a disgusting disease! This has never happened before.
So, I felt a bit discouraged, to say the least. And to top it off, this evening, Marianne looked at the orchard, and saw a deer eating apples right off the tree. I am happy to share the bounty, but I’m afraid the deer will eat everything before I can give the horses a single apple. I did get a picture of the culprit, and the culprit’s fawn, just before they went off into the woods.
Apple eating doe and fawn 
Fawn following doe into the woods – look at the flexibility in the right front leg!
Rosie and Tom Morris stayed in the air conditioned tack room, and the other cats endured the heat, resting like lions in Africa. Well, maybe not quite…
Roscoe on the porch 
Twizzler and Cora under the truck 
Lions in Africa (John Marlow photo)
I happened to see flashes of color and noticed this beautiful lily blooming despite the too shady location. I will try to move these plants when weather permits. They came from our good friend Kathy Wyble in Bowling Green and were planted in the sun 15 years ago. It’s not a sunny location any more. But the flowers still are a treasure.
The solar fountain is wonderful, but I have yet to see a hummingbird playing in it. Still, it is a welcome cool sight on a hot afternoon.
And indoors, much cheer is added by one of Rebecca’s sunflowers above the kitchen sink.
Finally, instead of a Montana mule baby, here is another remarkable creature – a Central West End character, Shorty, whose picture cheers me up on a miserably hot day.
Shorty (another John Marlow photo!)
Stay safe, stay well, stay hydrated, and don’t get discouraged!
YOU ARE SOOOO FUNNY!!! Your gardening a disaster! Well, what the heck, most things are in a state of disaster! Looks as though the fawn wants to be a jumper! There you go, Anne, a new project! Lily’s are gorgeous! Solar fountain a triumph! Carry on!!
Oh my, Shorty is adorable. It looks as if Shorty has just woken up in bed. The lily roots must be bigger than when you planted it, I would think, maybe it can be planted in more than one area of your yard. I see a gitmo in your future.