Hot days in July

This year had been kind of different from a lot of Kansas summer days.  Starting in July, the clay soil here in NE Kansas is just starting to show cracks from the dry heat.  We normally have had really hard times growing many of the plants grown on vines.  Not this year, we have managed to have about at least and inch of rain per week and the green growth here has just taken over.   Barbara says that her vine plants think they are Kudzu from the south and have about taken over in her garden.

It got fairly warm in June but July had either normalized out or we are just adjusted to the heat.  The humidity has been high but nothing like some of the days in Arkansas or Vietnam.  Today there is a nice breeze blowing.  I will go outside and work on the mower again.  This damned Cub Cadet mower is just not any way near the heavy duty they advertise.  If I mower greens on a golf course it might do that job well.  Get it off the concrete and it will bend a blade or blow a housing.  I am on my 7th or 8th blade and today I will replace my third tower that runs through the deck.  The blades run about $50.00 for two and the housing are running about $88.00 plus shipping.  I think I could have hired my mowing done and been dollars way ahead.

Barb and I haven't done nearly as much bike riding this year but I hope we can get back on track soon.  We don't ride on the weekends as the bike paths at the lake are just way too crowded with people and dogs.  It is fairly obvious that most of the dog owners here in Topeka don't listen to the Dog Whisperer and let their dogs just walk where they want.  My big concern is those little yippy dogs on those retractable leashes.  Just because it will go out 25 feet, doesn't mean the owner needs to let them roam that far.  It will break my heart if I ever hit one of them.  I just hope it doesn't break anything of mine including my body.  The beauty of a recumbent is when I fall I don't have far to the ground but none the less I don't need the damage.

Well, I had better get rolling.   Just for the record, there are a lot of good bargains at the local nurseries.  I thought we had almost one of everything but it seems that we don't. 

MUD