Caught A Break

The sun came up yesterday, threatening to be as hot as the day before.  I double-timed milking the goats and still didn't beat the heat.  The smiling weatherman had gleefully promised a drop in temperature, but I sure wasn't seeing it. The deck plants were in extremis, fading fast, so Bess hunted for shade while I gave them all life-giving water, ending by turning the nozzle to mist and standing under it until soaked; it felt so good!  I was getting desperate to get the field and yards mowed, but not at the risk of heat stroke.  For a minute, I thought about jumping on Fu while still wet but knew I'd be dry before getting to the shed.  Wonder of wonders, later on a cloud cover moved over.  It got cooler.  Then the deltas, those blessed winds from the coast, kicked in.  Wrong.  They roared in.  Open doors slammed, trees tossed back and forth, leaves whipped past.  Mowing just then wasn't a good idea.  And then we caught a break.  The wind dropped to a breeze, the clouds stayed put, and the temperature went down a good twenty degrees.

Not about to lose this opportunity, I fired up Fu Manchu and off we went.  Star thistle covered all open ground, but hadn't yet opened up (that had been my biggest fear).  I'd misjudged the gas in the tank and Fu ran dry, out at the far reach of the field, of course.  I hiked up to the barn and brought out one of the smaller gas cans for a refill.  Refreshed, Fu started right up and we continued making circles.  The west field done, the driveway was looking seedy, so we mowed down the middle strip, the sides, and then down along the road.  That's usually about as much as I can do at one time, but the weather was holding and the front yard weeds had grown a foot so we continued on.  A big patch of thistle had sprung up on the slope down to the backyard; might as well take care of that, too.  The backyard didn't really need it yet, but I gave it a once-over just to keep things even.  By this time, Bess was getting worried.  She knows my habits better than I and thought I should be done by now.  She'd been waiting on the porch, but came to lie in my path until she realized I wasn't going to stop, then moved to the deck to keep watch.  And then there was only the side yard left undone.  Knowing I'd pay for it later, Fu and I made the circuit and finished in a blaze of glory.  Raising the blades when it was all done was a tremendous relief and I kicked it up a gear and we dashed to the shed.  Good old Fu had earned his rest, for sure.  Me?  I could hardly straighten up and walk straight.  Bessie Anne was waiting in the walkway, running to me and doing the wiggy-butt dance.  "Mom!  What were you thinking?!  It's about time you quit.  Let's you and me go in the house and get me a treat for making me wait so long!"

A hot shower and a cold whiskey do wonders for aching muscles.  It was a good day.