A drought sky (above) here in North Dakota. Everyone who has half a brain is worried about the drought. July has turned hot, hot, hot.

After a pleasant interlude at Crooked Lake with family for the July Fourth holiday, where we talked with our brother-in-law about how sparse few hay bales he’s been able to make this year, we returned home to garden chores and a trace of evening rain. The thunder was nice, too, and the storm cleared away in time for the fireworks and symphony festivities on the Capitol lawn.

North Dakota State Capitol on July 4, 2017.

Liberty Memorial Building.

Yes, we are proud of be Americans!

When I turned on a fan in the kitchen just now, memories took me back to the keen little window fan we had on the Slope County ranch, one of those rectangular units that would pull the hot air from the upstairs room outward.

In the heat of the summer, we would erect our pop-up camper and sleep out in it, desperate for cool air, since we did not have air conditioning (only a “swamp cooler” we’d brought from El Paso).  When one would make the trek to the camper in the darkness, the smell of skunk would sometimes enliven the evening. We co-existed with any number of critters.

I don’t deal well with heat. I guess this is from so many years living in a Northern climate. My daughters suffer from heat as well. I just saw some research last night about how heat makes people cranky. I’m really not certain how I survived the time living in Nashville, Tenn., when I was in graduate school. I know when we were at Fort Bliss in Texas we kids practically lived at the swimming pool.

Thinking about how hot it was in Slope County and how hard we worked baling and stacking hay puts it all in perspective though. We couldn’t wait for the days when we’d get a reprieve from field work to go to the Deep Creek swimming hole with our inner tubes.

Nowadays, I’m very grateful for my relatively cool house and all the luxuries electricity and natural gas provide me in the 21st century.  It was in the high 90s here today, but I’m hearing 103 in Williston, N.D., from my brother-in-law. That is, simply put, too freaking hot.That said, I can’t help but tell myself I’m just whining about the heat.

A few of my daylilies are making an appearance and this heat is going to cause them all to start popping.

Another Day daylily.

Stella’s Ruffled Fingers, a re-bloomer and a favorite.

Siloam Baby Doll daylily.

First Bird Daylily.

Happy Returns Daylily.

Sunshine and Lollipops Daylily.

The shady front yard continues to please us.

Visions in Red Astlibe.

Dancing Queen Hosta,

Sedum.

Northern Exposure Hosta.

Bittersweet.

Jim has gone to the store for Juneberry Ice Cream. Life is good!