Welcome to August! I’m searching hard to find positive things to say about the hottest month of the year. I’m a cool weather, pumpkin spice, fuzzy blanket kind of girl–dry grass and sizzling asphalt have little appeal for me. At least we’ve had a lot of rain, so the earth doesn’t look parched and burned. According to my digital weather station, we’ve had 23.28 inches of rain at our house so far this year.
According to my 10 second research session, August promises a rather spectacular planet alignment. The Moon will line up in a planetary parade with Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune and this unique view will be visible to the naked eye. The Perseid meteor shower is also a highlight in August with peak activity expected around August 12 – 13. So there. A redeeming quality for August!
Randy and I took a pleasant ride on the Potomac Eagle in July. Our guide saw 10 eagles on the trip—we spotted 3 or 4. Guess we don’t have an eagle eye! (See what I did there? ☺) It was a gorgeous ride, though. Part of the journey included a pass through Trough Canyon—accessible only by train or canoe. We saw West Virginia wilderness at its finest. This 35-mile, 3-hour trip is also a lesson in history as the guide talks about the buildings that used to exist along the rail. She also told us the Canyon Trough was named by George Washington!
How’s your garden doing this summer? We’ve had good luck with cucumbers and peppers. The corn also looks promising. Our tomatoes, however, are another story. I don’t know if they got too much rain or if something else happened, but I will be thrilled if we get even one decent sized tomato this year. Sigh.
I hope you have a wonderful August, and I’ll talk with you next month.
Take care,
Tammy
