Heatin' Up . . . .

I've closed the west blinds to my "office" upstairs, figuring that the less sunlight allowed inside, the cooler it will be later today.

The anticipation of beastly hot weather seems almost worse than the real event.  The predicted heat hasn't started yet.

I did wear a coat outside this morning, more out of habit than anything.  I'm sure that morning habit will change soon.

My wardrobe will change considerably also.  Heavy jeans will give way to shorts.  Tenny runners will get a break while Crocs and sandals take over.  

I'll have to bring out the towels to mow the lawn to keep my bare leg flesh from getting stuck to the mower seat. 

In the house, other blinds or curtains will get some use.  And, we'll be gathering up fans to place in strategic spots.

I'm betting fans will disappear from the shelves at local stores as fast as snow shovels do during some winters.

And, the new big blues.  Bet there'll be a rush on them, once the thermometer exceeds 90 degrees and risin'.  

We have a lot of "blues" here in the neighborhood.  Some are still that blow-up kind, which about did me in on the frustration meter each year I tried to blow mine up----several times.   

I still can't figure out how Bruce Wells gets their pool up and looking perfect every year.

They hide it behind their house for privacy, but since they live on a corner, their privacy takes a hit with drivers like me coming from the north on North Kootenai Road.  So, we always get to see all their back-yard stuff.

Fortunately, we here at the Lovestead have only one road past this place, so only Bert Wood's cows get to know most of our hidden secrets.  

For example, only Bert Wood's cows have seen Marianne out weeding her manure pile.   Far as I know they haven't told anyone cuz we haven't seen a sudden glut of unfamiliar cows over there across the fence,  watching.

Foster, my canine sidekick,   did accompany me one day while I was pulling weeds from the manure pile, and I commented to him that people sure would think I was crazy if they saw me now.

Well, the fact that I'm crazy is well known and well-documented, thanks to this blog, but until this morning, I'm feeling confident that most people haven't heard about manure-pile weeding.  

Once they know my secret and start wondering about me, I must explain to them that marigolds, squash, pumpkins, Idaho potatoes and sweet potatoes grow in that there manure pile.

And, it's important to be able to distinguish them---especially the sweet potatoes from the weeds.

Yup, I planted two sweet potatoes in the pile, and both have come up.  

They're exhibiting some nice and pretty sweet-potato leaves, and I'm hoping that,  with this heat wave combined with the sheer warmth of all that sh---, my sweet potatoes might even produce some fruit.

That's when I'll wish my manure pile was out there near the road where everyone could see that, yes, Marianne did, indeed, get some sweet potatoes to grow in North Idaho.

Of course, I do have a little problem with my manure-pile assortment.  The pumpkin on top is probably gonna start spreading its wings and eventually take over the entire manure pile, maybe even extend to the lawn around it. 

That's what happened last year, but my yellow beans still grew underneath all those pumpkin tentacles and so did some squash.  

Maybe the pumpkin will just provide some nice protection, and maybe the sweet potatoes will thrive anyway.  

I'd love to be the Sweet Potato Queen of North Idaho.   

Then, I'd have to go down to my hairdresser Sally and ask her to put some bright red dye in my hair, and then I'd have to find a costume that would make me look really buxom. 

I already am a bit buxom, but Sweet Potato Queens offer the full-meal deal of buxomness, far beyond my healthy farm-girl look.

How did I get on this subject anywhoooo?

I know how.  The temperature's heating up, and my brain is doing strange things. As the heat comes on, I'm sure my mental capacity will get worse.  

So, bear with me and prepare for more weather-induced dreams of Sweet Potato royalty.

Happy Friday.  Stay cool.