The prairie loves heat

As the temperatures and humidity soared this past week, I took refuge in the luxury of air conditioning. From air conditioned house to air conditioned car to air conditioned offices. I got there as fast as I could. 

I looked at my prairie from afar - safely in my air conditioned office - but never once ventured out to take a close look. From afar, I could see the prairie was awash in yellow and purple. When the heat finally broke - meaning it got below 95 - I took my camera and went for a stroll.

Apparently the prairie thrives in hot weather. Brilliant colors. New flowers. Reaching new heights. Cup plants towered over the prairie. Purple and Grey-headed coneflowers competed for the title of most beautiful.  Sawtooth sunflowers were striking in their pure yellowness. I identified my first Blue Vervain (though this picture is a Hoary Vervain).

This past winter, I marveled at how the prairie stood against winter winds and driving snow storms. I'm just as impressed that it thrives when the temperatures soar and the rains stop.  Fortunately the prairie has more fortitude than I.

You go, prairie!

Here at last!

It was a strange year in our vegetable garden. It didn't help that my husband - the one who usually does the planting - broke his ankle in April, so planting was left to me. This is a task I'm completely capable of, having planted garden every year of my life from age 2 to age 18, and many years since. But that's another story. Then there was the cold weather and the constant rain.

The result was extremes on both ends. Excellent string beans. And wilt that killed the melons, cucumbers and summer squash almost overnight. In the next rows, grew the tastiest sweet corn we've ever eaten. A real roller coaster ride, our garden.

But what we wait every year for - can hardly bear to live another day without - is tomatoes. They just did not mature. Even the cherry tomatoes held off giving us a tiny sweet taste until after August 1.

But they are here now and we are ecstatic. We eat bacon and tomato or peanut butter and tomato sandwiches several times a week. I cut up tomatoes as a side dish to scrambled eggs for breakfast. I canned 36 pints of salsa. Enough, we hope, to last two years. So far, I've canned two dozen quarts of tomatoes. We give tomatoes away.

Tomatoes are Iowa summer for us. And we are in heaven. The tomatoes are here at last!