It’s July in North Carolina and that means heat. Serious heat. Blast furnace levels of heat. And for the next few days we’re expecting some of the highest temperatures we’ve seen in several years, with highs around 98 today and in the 100s tomorrow, going back down to 99 for the 4^th of July holiday.

We usually go to a baseball game on the 4^th if our local team is in town, to enjoy All-American hot dogs, ice cream, and fireworks. The team is playing here, and the show will go forward, but without us this year. We’re just too old to sit for hours in 95+degree heat, even in shade and with plenty of cold beer and water available.

Instead, we’ll cook our own food at home, scoop our own ice cream, and watch a baseball game on television in the comfort of our air-conditioned living room.

On the Garden front, I try to get out most mornings to do some maintenance work while it’s still—relatively—cool. But when the day starts out at 81, I give myself a break and pass on the weeding and mulching.

I do water the plants regularly when temperatures stay high and rain stays away, which is currently the case. And the garden is repaying me efforts with some pretty spectacular blooms. The pots on the patio are looking especially good this year, I think, but it will take daily watering to keep them happy when the daytime highs go above 90. It’s worth it to me when I get to sit on the porch swing in the shade and listen to the birds sing and admire the flowers surrounding me.