Friday Five. Yes, it is Friday, isn't it?
1) It's been raining to the extent that I will not be surprised to see the neighbors constructing an ark in their yard. We got another full inch of rain yesterday afternoon alone. The road to the allotment has now pretty much washed out - it's downhill and has gullies in it that are over a foot deep now. I managed to get down there on foot yesterday and got several big bags of garden waste hauled out and taken to the town compost pile, but it wasn't easy. Thankfully I don't need to go down there for the next day or two - I had wanted to plant more Scarlet Runner Beans yesterday, but the ground was just sopping wet, so I have to wait a bit. Since it then rained even more later on they may not get planted this year. Too bad, the pollinators love them and we seem to be a bit short on pollinators, generally, this year. Hopefully I can get back in on Sunday without breaking an ankle to check on things. I've got some tomatoes just starting to turn red now.
2) Today is "heat" day. The heat index is over 100F, between the heat and the humidity. At about 9:00pm last night the humidity was 97% - it was not raining. It was a bit better this morning as far as that part of things go, but with the sun out it's heated up a lot. I don't see how that won't result in more rain, but they say we are not due for more today. But yes for again tomorrow. (Sigh) I drove over to do my weekly grocery shop instead of walking it and made sure to be there when the store opened. Got in, out, and put the car under the carport at home and was back into the house while it was still decent out. It is not "decent" out there right now.
It could be worse. It's been so hot in Arizona the the cacti are dying from the heat. It takes a lot of heat to kill a cactus! [Cue the "wet heat" vs. "dry heat" killed her argument here.] And it's unlikely to spontaneously catch fire here.
3) I went out to my kitchen earlier this week and put the electric kettle on. Came back when it beeped and poured a cup of hot water to make tea. Noticed a lot of little black specks in it. On investigation, found more little black specks all over the counter. Except they were more light colored, actually, so were really hard to see unless lit from the side as my countertop has a natural speckling in it. Ghost Ants. (I had to look them up, have not encountered them before.) Cleaned all the surfaces like mad with disinfectant wipes. They came back again within a half-hour. They were then, with the help from my new best friends at the Ortho chemical company, dispatched and (knocking on wood) have not returned. And will not. Thankfully I did notice the water before I put the teabag in the cup.
4) So, happy in the knowledge that I no longer had Ghost Ants in my kitchen (again, knocking on wood), I went in to take a shower. To find I had drain gnats. (OH FOR CHRISSAKES!). Boiling water and vinegar down the drain. To be repeated periodically over the next several days. Vinegar and water in a spray bottle to try to catch those that are still flying. What the hell, gives me something else to do while "using the facilities".
5) I remember when we first moved here we had to put the A/C on 68F because anything other than that was just too warm. (We'd gotten used to Scottish temperatures). It's set at 78F now, per the recommendation of National Grid, and seems a bit cool. I am not complaining. I am happy. I am SO happy that it's not 97% humidity or over 100F in here, thanks to the central air.
I live a very quiet life these days. That's not a bad thing, but it doesn't give much for a Friday Five report.
