It’s so hot that at 8:00 this morning I could barely stay outside long enough to walk the perimeter of the yard and gardens to check on what’s surviving. Not long enough to weed, mind you, just long enough to take note. It will be another day inside. Yet I feel grateful.

Along with the extraordinary heat, late July has delivered our first tomato with plenty of basil for garnish, a new birdbath and blueberry bush, a Baltimore oriole’s visit to the liatris and a hummingbird to the cardinal flower. At least one monarch butterfly has stopped to graze, and a spicebush swallowtail flutters frequently around the dill. Thanks to Meg, the first black eyed susans are blooming on the lane with many more to come. And though it was too hot to eat outside, my local siblings came to celebrate the delicious birthday dinner conjured up by John, even as my mailbox and FB feed overflowed with notes from friends and family much farther down the road. I am so lucky. Thank you all.

It is, in fact, no real hardship to stay inside and view the garden from my office window. We have cool air, plenty of stuff to read, an F1 race to watch, puzzles, and little kittens to brighten our day. We have leftovers from the birthday dinner. We have a hose and enough water to rescue the suffering plants come evening. And, of course, we still have each other even as the temperature keeps rising.