Long Tailed Caps And The Entrance Of Fall

So far this week, I have yawned more times than my entire life combined.  I sleep fairly well but by the end of the work day, I feel compelled to crawl in my bed and start my good nights sleep.

We have noticed the lingering darkness that is now the morning trip to work and school.  No longer does the sun pierce our eyes as we start our day.  The darkness is just beginning to fade these days as we head out and the evening finds the sun setting a little earlier.  The mornings now have a cooler feel to them.

I've recognized that the body, at least MY human body, loves the onset of the winter months.  The notion of longer nights and shorter days fit right in with my idea of long slumbering nights. I do believe I could easily wear one of those long tailed nightcaps so often featured in written and pictured lore of long ago.

After what seemed like an endless summer of high temperatures and no rain, coupled with a horrendous fire that destroyed so much of our town, the mere idea of cooler weather and shorter days is just simply delightful.  Perhaps it is just the change we all need.  Putting this long miserable summer behind us will help in so many ways.  Before long the holidays will be upon us and there will be much to look forward to.  But with this change, I wonder, is it possible that there are people who hibernate better than others?

Normal summers, summers with rain and yard work welcome those long days.  There is a need for time.  This summer was just one very long hot day or so it seemed.  I preferred the dark during the summer, at least that way I couldn't see how dry and dead everything looked.

As I recall, the official time change will occur in November, apparently a full month and a half after my body has recognized the need for it.  Already, I'm feeling the slow down and the anticipation of the night that comes early every day.  I welcome the cold nights that are to come.  It will be a great relief from the months and months of excessive heat.

This day is winding down and it has tired me or the seasons changing has tired me.  It is not even 9pm and I am ready to curl up in my bed and bid this day adieu.  So as to my earlier question about the adaptability of humans to hibernate, I may well be the poster child for hibernation.  It is innate and uncontrollable.  It is part of who I am and I'm sure stamped within a part of my DNA are the words PROLONGED SLEEP.  Of course they most certainly appear as little tiny letters.

Where does one find a long tailed nightcap?

Timing Is Everything

Its almost 3am.  Ive been up for over an hour answering emails and thinking about this post.  Normally I am sleeping but I decided to play automatic sprinkler system.

It has been so hot and so dry here in Central Texas that the word desperate has creeped into our daily vocabulary.  We are desperate for the heat to break and desperate for rain.  I am beginning to wonder what comes after the word desperate.

The forecast called this week for temperatures well over 100 degrees each day.  And no rain. Just a repeat of all the days and weeks before it.  We have grown accustom to the idea that rain will not fall today or tomorrow.  We try to not think about how many days it has been this summer without rain.  I remember not long ago being hopeful that somehow, someway this long hot streak would break.  I don't feel that hope much anymore.

So last night, I was thinking about watering this morning.  We are now on restriction and can only water on Wednesdays and Saturdays, we water all day long and it seems to change little.  Everything is dry and in various stages of dying.  I was thinking about how many days I have hand watered or moved a sprinkler over the past month and a half.  I thought about those around me that had the ease of automatic sprinkler systems and how nice and green their lawns looked while mine struggled.  Mine was desperate.  Yesterday, I mowed what little grass we have watered. It was like mowing dirt.  Dust went everywhere.  Its a very sad thing to experience.

That's when I decided to play automatic sprinkler system.  I set my alarm for 12:30am (well into Wednesday morning in case the law did a drive by) and then went outside to start the sprinkler.  I know there are those lawn enthusiasts that would say you should never water at night.  It is probably bad for the grass.  They may be right but I know watering during the day, when the temperature is close to that of the surface of the sun, is also bad for the grass.  So we will try something different.  Seriously, when you are desperate for water, what can it hurt?

The sprinkler has been going now for two hours and having just checked it, I can see no standing water on the ground.  How dry my piece of this Earth has become.

I will move the sprinkler to another location in an hour and delight yet another piece of my Earth.  When the light of day arrives, I'll hand water the tomato plants, sunflowers and peppers.  That's all that remains of my garden.  I pulled the corn plants and half of the tomato plants to focus on the new starts that will struggle through the rest of July and August in hopes of a yield after the heat of this summer releases us from its grip.

It wasn't a bad idea to get up in the middle of the night to play with the sprinkler.  The world is quiet and the air cooler.  The perfect time to be outside.  I think both the grass and I will get something out of this bright idea of mine.