Just Plain Hot

Last month was record rain for Oregon - a place renowned for rain. Last week was coats and hats. Three days ago Dave got his Kabota mower stuck to the axles in muck while trying to mow the vegetable garden. (It took both the tractor and backhoe to get it out).

Today was 96 degrees.

I got up early to work in the gardens. It has been so wet I have not been able to weed. The damp ground has produced a bumper crop of horsetail ferns, sticker burs, thistles and marsh buttercup. By noon I was too hot to pull one more weed. The dogs were already swimming in the backyard pond. I decided to join them.

Koyuk is a swimming fool. She loves to run and dive in. Cedar, her mother, barely wets her forepaws. Willy will swim to cool off and McKenzie prefers just to get her belly wet.

Koyuk and Willy wading in. (Note the horsetail ferns and marsh buttercup.)

McKenzie cooling off. Koyuk blowing bubbles or so I thought...
She caught a gold fish... and swam it across the pond to show to Willy. To keep them from rolling in the now dead fish, I quickly threw it up on the roof. The dogs did not see where I threw it but spent the rest of the day trying to find the tantalizing smell of a 5" fish baking on a hot metal roof. I am fairly confident that Kitty will find the fish. I just hope she is repelled by the odor and does not bring it in through the dog door while we sleep.