Yes - getting ready for school to start and have been busy trying to keep everything watered up until yesterday. I was so disappointed that the rain missed us Friday. On the radar it looked like it should be raining at our house but not a sprinkle. Yesterday we got 1.4 inches though and didn't expect it at all since there wasn't any rain in the forecast. It took me a few seconds to realize what the noise was when I heard the rain. The yard is already greening up and growing. Hope everyone that needed rain got some.
Hubby bought a game-cam and I set it up close to our shed in front of a big pile of kitchen scraps to see what kind of critters would come around. I wish it was a digital camera but those cost a lot more.
I checked my spice bushes (lindera benzoin) back along our fencerow yesterday after the rain and was surprised to see that they made it through our drought. I almost didn't plant them back there where it's difficult to water because I had read that they weren't drought tolerant but they seem to be pretty tough. They're under tree limbs and hard to find but they're still there. I didn't see my gray dogwoods. Hope I was just looking in the wrong place. I need to head back there again someday with Round-Up and get rid of the poison ivy.

Glad some of you got rain, we got a few sprinkles, not enough to settle the dust. DD and family came by yesterday on way to Branson, for a few days vacation, and said it was pouring at their house. They are in Shannon Co. and I heard there was flash flood warnings for Shannon. We have had thunder and dark clouds several days running, but no rain other than the sprinkles yesterday. I sure was hoping for some so I didn't have to spend so much time "hose dragging"

Other DD and kids supposed to come in tomorrow evening to spend the night. She has to take them to the dentist in St. James and figured to come on down to see us and go home the next day to Marshfield.

Not much else going on around these parts.
Donna

Been working on filling,organizing and inventorying new greenhouse.Will inventory old greenhouse after I start dividing and potting in Sept. up so I don't have to do two counts.

Dragging hoses around 1 1/2 acres of yard. Yards green as a bean and always needing mowing. I don't mow as much during the hottest part of the season so the growth can protect the roots. Chaps me to see yards that are mowed....rather"Scalped" down nearly to bare ground and never a sprinkler put on it.

This passed Sat. was our garden club meeting. Did a program on harvesting,i.d.ing and storing seeds for next season's use.

No kids in school any more but am on babysitting duty w/ two grandkids while DD is in Az. for a training program her company sent her on.

Sewing biennals for next year. Some cool weather veggie crops as well in plug trays on light benches.

And last but not least....recovering flowerbeds that got neglected while I was dealing w/ new greenhouse.

Today,Aug.8 is "Susie Homemaker Day" sweeping mopping,changing bed linens,washing..etc,etc,etc....."EEEUUUWWW!!!"

PP

There just isn't much to report here. Still hot and dry, no rain at all. I finally installed two more soaker hoses and watered some mature shrubs that were beginning to wilt. I hope I haven't lost them. Tomorrow I will do the west side of the house again, but just some newly planted roses and three young trees.

This is about the time of year, I begin to loose interest in things outside!

Just trying to hold on until the cooler weather and, hopefully, rains of Fall.

ceresone, I hope your husband gets a good report. Mine just got his blood test back to check his Cholesterol and liver function and all was good. He had dropped the chol from 229 down to 160. Sure glad all that oatmeal worked! Evidently the Lipitor isn't causing any problems.

gld

I have somthing to report!!

I have a new child!! I brought her home day before yesterday. She weighs approx. 83 lbs., has an 21" aluminum cutting deck and is bright red w/black trim. She also has a 6.5hp Briggs and Stratton motor w/ the personal pace system. AND, She came standard w/ a 3in-1 cutting system that allows me to mulch, bag or side discharge. In addition she has a recoil start that is guaranteed to start for 5 yrs. Some of you may find her odd but I can honestly say I truly love her. OH, her mothers name was TORO!!!!

Jodonne, congrats on the new "child", sounds like a winner and may you have many years to enjoy "him" "her"?

Yep, hot and dry here as usual, keeps clouding up but checking radar doesn't show anything. Did same thing yesterday and heard that Houston got over an inch inside city limits, us none.

Gldno, Jamie e-mailed me to see if I got any rain as he tho't we would as he saw the dark clouds heading this way, but must have dumped the load inbetween us.

Our little dog, Sammi, was outside yesterday afternoon for a little while and came back nearly covered with mud, guess he was cooling off in a pond's muddy bank. So, DH had to give him a bath before we could let him back in the house. He stays in most of the time, especially if it's hot. He's a Pekinese and when he goes out and it's hot he will soon be back at the door scratching and runs in and lies down next to the floor vent in the kitchen to get cool.

DD and kids went back home yesterday evening. Tho't sure they had picked up all their stuff but found GS's guitar practice music after they left, so got it packaged up and in the mail box as I think his lessons are Mon. He and GD put on concerts for their grandpa while DD and I were out yesterday. GS(age 9) is learning guitar and GD (age 10) the violin and both are doing really well. I missed their "concerts" this time as they had to go visit some friends when I got back and then head home.
Donna

I swear, our lives are so boring these days and we are doing so little, I hesitate to post anything.

We did decide to get some Missouri peaches today, but ended up getting Arkansas ones instead! I called our local orchards and wasn't too happy with them, so we drove back to Roberson's Orchard in Omaha, Arkansas. We got 2 bu. of Redskins that are just huge and delicious. I wonder if they have had lots more rain than us. I believe the area was some greener. Possibly, they irrigate. We think it was worth the drive, except for the traffice around the Hollister road work! I think it took us longer to drive across Springfield than it did to come in from Hollister.

We stopped at DH's parents and had lunch with them. I traded some peaches for dinner.....my MIL loves peaches.

Donna, sounds like you have some talented grandkids. Our son's three are taking dance and he sent me a cd of the last recital. The darned thing was in the mail over 7 days from St. Louis and all I can get is the music, but not the video. We wonder if the heat damaged the cd.

It seems like our kids have gotten better over the years in not leaving something behind. We always do a search before they get out of the drive.......I once had to pack a suitcase of baby dolls for our gd that she had left behind and couldn't get along without and send them to St.Louis.

gld, waiting for the promised "cold" front this weekend.

Was out watering. My yard is crispy. Only watering what I dont want to die. Is so dry. Would like even clouds as it slows down some of the evaporation. Seems like all I do is the hose dance. Have DH watering when he gets home from work also. Brugs in the pots are blooming and are so beautiful. Hope can keep up with the water until it starts raining again. If you get a cold front please send some down here to me. Judy

Well, I found this post just as it's about to expired!
(Aug. 13th)
Life is NOT boring at our house!!
Last Sunday. morning the dog got under the house and pestered a....
SKUNK for about 30 mins-untill it sprayed!...not the dog! She's quick enough to get out from under and clean around to the back before it sprayed! But the smell seeped throught the under bords into the house!
Our termite people came out Mond. and set a trap that morning. At 5:PM all of a sudden we smelled her again, so thought she was caught. But the dog kept going crazy at the living room wall. So we figured she had had babies.
Wed.- termite guys checked the trap and..no skunk yet.
WHY did hubby let the dog out AGAIN with the board off the opening to under the house?????
Now the terrier has eather injured the skunk or it's just too scared to come out and get caught!
SssssO, NOW we eather have a DEAD skunk or a very hunger one that the termite guys are going to have to go in and get!
More skunk stink will get spread throughout our cute, little house...clothes, drapes, carpet...
Anyone want to liven up your lives and come over for some excitement? I'll let you know when the termite guys come back to re-check the trap and collect our intruder "one way or another!"
Friday- The termite guys are avoiding us - didn't come to check the trap today,(Hope they work on Saturdays)! Otherwise it could get VERY interesting Mond. when hubby calls them and askes why they didn't come back out Friday! "I actually enjoy being at work!", untill things clear up at home! LOL
P.S. Sunday,Hubby asked if I didn't want to go to the MALL... with HIM! Then out to eat, then book shopping! This is a guy who wants to know how to get and get out of stores as quickly as possible. He wants to know where the items are so he dosen't have to look around! I can't get this guy to go shopping for Christmas! So all is not lost! At least we don't just sit home anymore!

Skunks sure do put up a stink!! One night recently my daughter called and said she was coming over to sleep--this was around 11:30. She heard her dogs bark outside her bedroom window and then the dreaded skunk smell. When she came to the house you could smell it on her clothes. I loaned her some night clothes and she put hers on the porch swing. This had happened once before and the Vet. had given her some spray for the dogs and you can use it on your furniture, carpets, etc. Helps alot to cut the odor.

We missed the two recent rains that Houston got and we live about 4 miles out. We got what I call a "trace", hardly settles the dust!!

Moles still working--guess it doesn't get to hot or dry for them.

Even through the heat and dry weather still have quite a bit blooming: phlox, rose of sharon, crepe myrtle, rudbeckia, coneflowers, daylilies, weigelia, butterfly bush, russian sage, veronicas and some annuals--none of these get supplemental watering. Have to water the other things in pots about every day as well as the tomatoes which aren't looking good at all.

Susy

I have been watering every couple of days this last week. Been trying to stay cool. The A/C went out of the house. Blew a line and the compressor locked up on us. Just started my new job and hubby is still unemployed so the ac will have to wait. Thank goodness for the trees around here. It really helps keep the heat down, that and the attic fan.
My rhodendrens are sooooo shriveled up I am not even sure if they are still alive or not. My herbs that I planted a couple of months ago have disappeared, hopefully they will come back next year, since I am still watering them. We got a wonderful 1" rain on Wed evening. It was so great and welcome. I sat outside on the porch swing for the longest time until I started getting too wet. Then came inside and quilted for an hour or so feeling that wonderful cooling breeze that it brought here.
My parents went back to Florida on Monday, stopped in Pigeon Forge then went on home, the cool spell we had will leave us now until Sept and Oct. Every time they come back here we always have a cold front come in. I guess Mother Nature wants to remind them why the left. This had been going on for 15 years. They will be back the last of Sept for my daughter's wedding on Oct 1.
Don't get too hot and enjoy the weather while we have it. Unfortunatly this winter we will be wanting hotter weather, Why arent't we satisfied with what we have? If it is hot we want cold and if it is cold we want hotter? As for me I would rather take the cold... I can always add clothes and try to keep warmer. LOL.
Tammy