Where Is Summer?

There were frost warnings out for last night up here in the north woods.  And also for tonight again.  Our low temp this morning on the thermometer showed 39°.  Well, no frost at least.

Needless to say, I've been covering and uncovering the some of the plants in the garden.  As for the warm weather loving seeds and plants, I haven't even dared to allow them outside residence yet.  What can one do?  It's just a month when June is cold, cold, cold.

We have had a bit of much needed rain, I think about an inch and a half total, so that's a good thing.  Apparently, the trees are loving this weather as I can't remember ever noticing them to be such a lush, beautiful green.  The coloring is just lovely.

How's our wood stacking going?  Good.  Nope, not all six cords of what was delivered is in the wood shed, but we're routinely working on it.  We put an hour or so each day on the project and some days it feels like we are really gaining on it.  On others we wonder if those pieces still on the ground outside the shed are somehow multiplying over night.  I am eternally grateful my better half has insisted on helping me with the job because if I were doing it myself . . . oh, I don't even want to think of it.  Methinks he's smart enough to know that by helping, I'm still able to get good food on the table and he has clean underwear in his drawer.

We've had tremendous winds the last two or so days.  Gusts almost reaching 50 mph.  It keeps any and all bugs from being bothersome, but we've come to realize that being outside most of the day in those winds tends to take the stuffings right out of a body.  We come in for our 4:30 p.m. second meal of the day, then go back out for a couple/few hours and then when finally being "done" for the day, we settle on the couch for some conversation, reading or handwork and find ourselves yawning and with eyes tearing to the extent that we're usually in bed shortly after nine.  I often find myself saying I simply must go to bed . . . and it's only 8:30 or 8:45.

First thing this morning (even before my latte --gads!), I mixed up and put a Rhubarb Upside Down Cake in the oven.  I thought that might warm up the house a titch.  (If you should be interested in the recipe for the cake, I posted it way back in 2009, and you can find it here.)

I also built a small fire in the kitchen wood stove to cozy things up this morn.  I know summer will actually arrive here one of these days and we'll be bemoaning it's so hot out we're uncomfortable.  Until then we'll continue to put a down vest on under our hooded sweatshirts and go back out into the cool (teeth-chattering) air.