Friday, July 1, 2011

The June Swoon

It's Summer Time with the June Swoon
 
Cindy and I just returned from a visit to our son in Colorado Springs and mother in Wyoming. Every where we went the high temperatures followed, mid 90's in Colorado and Wyoming. And of course when we finally got home the temps have been in the 100's for 8 straight days. Summertime. The living is easy, and the fish are jumping according to Louie and Aretha. Maybe they are right about the fish jumping, but the easy living part I would have to question. 

First stop was the Springs and a west exposure hillside home without air conditioning. Three young bachelors living together without a live-in maid. Get the picture? Cindy spent all day cleaning, of course the son and I had to catch up on things. Our time together was very special and I enjoyed the fellowship a lot.
Then the fun began: three nights with no sleep, Mollie our border collie cut her rear legs and had to go in for a 600.00 vet visit. Got home at 1 a.m. to be followed by the Wyoming trip the next morning. As I was leaving I was having shortness of breath. Thought it was the altitude. Arrived in Wyoming for two days and enjoyed visits to the natural beauty I used to think was downright ugly as a child. Grudgingly, I was still struggling with breathing and occasional fever. On the day we were leaving, my temperature was 102. My mother made me go to the ER. Thank God she was right, I had viral pneumonia. We stayed an extra day and drove back home 900 miles the next day. Now I'm in two modes of recovery, from the virus and my shoulder surgery. But it's not so bad. It's summertime, and the fish are jumping. And the garden is on a June Swoon.
I used to have the title of golf course superintendent, which means I love to play golf, supposedly. You know, make your hobby your job. Well there was a time of the year where you game reached it's level of diminishing returns. We called it the October Swoon.
When I got home early this morning I was trying to catch up on bloggerville and came across Susan in the Pink Hat post on  the blog Ink and Penstemon. The subject matter was about how this time of the year can be depressing. You work all winter and spring and enjoy the fruits of your labor in the spring and then the June Swoon comes. Heat, wind, humidity in my case, and the conception we need to have continuous color. As the garden sulks and shrinks our winter dreams begin to wade or I should say melt. It is depressing. The June Swoon.
 Even the hell strip has shown levels of stress as you can see. I think its time for me to look at different choices or levels of perfection. Such as more heat/drought tolerant native species which I saw while on my visit.
Sphaeralcea coccinea (Scarlet Globemallow) growing in asphalt.
Sedum and blackfoot daisy?
calochortus gunnisonii (Sego Lily)?

Greetings from Wyoming

More news from the front range in the next post.




15 comments:

  1. I was wondering where you went! Glad you are back!

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  2. Witaj Grzegorzu!!! przejrzałam Twój blog ...piękny ogród stworzyłeś ,widać włożyłeś dużo serca i pracy ,żeby mieć piękny azyl koło domu ,jestem pełna podziwu !!!!....pozdrawiam Bogusia ...Polska ....

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  3. Nature does find the best plants for the place, doesn't She? Looks like your sunflower was missing you...and when one wilts, you know it's hot out.

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  4. Glad you are recovering. That stuff can be dangerous. I also can understand your frustration with the heat and gardening. I am still tweaking things here.
    Cher Sunray Gardens

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  5. My fav piece of music ... in fact, when we were married, the young lady who was going to sing for us did the best bluesy version of this ever when showing us what she could do :)

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  6. The extreme growing conditions up there remind me of typical conditions in Albuquerque - though not this year, with record cold and drought, and now a real summer!

    Looks great...plants in asphalt and boulder cracks are such good models for our increasingly tight urban spaces in the SW and perhaps elsewhere, too.

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  7. Thank you! I've been trying figure out what's wrong with me, and to get more motivated, but with the heat, and drought, I know now it's because the garden has the "June Swoon". I didn't have a name for it until I read this post. I hope you get better soon. Pneumonia is serious business. Take care of yourself - for longer than you think necessary!

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  8. We are very lucky as of late to be avoiding the heat and drought elsewhere up through today. It will be a different outlook all next week, but much less than 100°. Hope you are recovering and please take care. This weather is no time for a fever.

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  9. It's been hot here, too. We've had rain, though, so it isn't too swoony here. I hope you are healing from your surgery and illness. My 81 year old dad is in the hospital being treated for pneumonia and having lots of tests for some other symptoms he's having.

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  10. My first visit, can I expect such divine music in future visits? seriously, love your blog, the photos of the heat-loving plants and the deer.

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  11. The June Swoon seems to have passed me by. We had a surprise rain storm last night and my rain barrels are no longer empty. I love what I see but it sure isn't perfect!! Perfection is such a subjective concept, anyway! Rest up and get better!! You'l be in my thoughts and prayers. :o) Oh yeah, love love love Ella nd Louie!!

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  12. Ugh...pneumonia is tough. Knocks you on your behind, for sure. I had a bout of it, in May. Sudden onset...not sure where it came from.
    Take care of yourself.
    And, oh yeah....I understand the 'June Swoon'....we've had record heat here in Central Texas for months now.
    Stay cool....

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  13. What an adventurous visit you had! Hope you are on the mend! Yes, we are suffering the June swoon here too. Of course we still have July and August to go...even more daunting! I have been reviewing photos of our winter snow this past year to make me feel a little cooler!

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  14. I enjoyed the music - how appropriate for our steamy, hot weather! Sounds like you had an eventful 'vacation'. Now you need to rest from it all in cool, air conditioned comfort with a tall, cold drink and either a thrilling novel or a great new garden book, whichever you prefer.

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  15. I well understand you're in no mood for doing! Hope you're recovering at your sweet home...
    Enjoyed your oldie. Ciao.

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Thanks for leaving any comments, they are always welcomed. Sorry I had to add word verification as spam was becoming a huge problem. Greggo,