Relief

The heat broke today and the weather was much more bearable. I managed to cut back some things on the hillside so that my pumpkins, watermelon and gourds would have more room. They are taking over like some alien creatures - sprawling over every inch of ground and climbing up and over brambles and weeds. So far I've been successful in keeping them out of the garden proper, but it's a close battle with those vines. I've never had much success with them before. This year I've got pumpkins galore, in all shapes and sizes, and don't get me started on the gourds. My watermelons are finally taking off, but there are no melons yet. Did I mention the spaghetti squash? We're going to be eating it for months once it ripens. It must be the mounds of compost I planted them in, and all the rain.

The rain returned with the cool air. We had quite the thunderstorm last night with several lightning strikes near the house. Before the storm yesterday evening I managed to pick about 4 cups of blueberries. It's not enough to make jam, but I should be able to get a batch of muffins and some pancakes out of it. Tomorrow morning - blueberry pancakes! Monkey will be so pleased.