A Strange Summer | Chickens in the Road

Jul
31

I haven’t had the air conditioner on once.

I haven’t even seriously been tempted.

Granted, our house is shaded, set amidst woods halfway up a hill, blocked from the southern exposure.

Still. This has been a strange summer. Torrents of rain, then no rain, then torrents again.

In between, overcast days split only by the occasional clear sky. Temperatures lower than normal. Mornings sometimes so cool, I think it’s autumn already.

There are squash blossoms.

Sunflowers.

Daisies.

Summer is here, I know she is, but she is quiet this year.

Shy and reluctant. Almost as if something….or someone….

Oh, no.

I know.

IT’S MEAN ROOSTER! HE SCARED HER AWAY!!

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27 Responses
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7-31
3:05
am

It has been an unusual summer, but I am not complaining. Our air conditioner does not work properly and we do not have shady trees to keep us cool.

Kathleen in Michigan - Reply
7-31
4:13
am

Be ever so thankful! We’ve had triple digit temps! I’ll send some your way if you want them!!

Lynda Dunham-Watkins - Reply
7-31
4:21
am

Oh Coco, so nice to see you!

Kathy - Reply
7-31
4:22
am

The strangest!! We’ve beat the coldest high records that were held since 1918! And those in the western side are beating the hottest high records…… I am not complaining of not having the high humidity and heat….. It just makes me wonder what Mr. Winter is thinking, maybe Mean Rooster can contend with him, too!

CindyP - Reply
7-31
4:35
am

Mean Rooster your influence is far and wide. Cool, wetter than usual summer here in upstate NY also. I’m enjoying it, but some crops are not as good as usual and farmers have had a tough time getting hay dry.

Sheila Z - Reply
7-31
5:47
am

Same here – cold and wet all summer. I am looking at foot high grass right now because it has been too wet to cut it.

That is such a good pic of Coco. She is so beautiful! I like the sunflower pic too. May I keep it to perhaps paint? I am looking for some good pictures of sunflowers for painting and that is a nice one. You are good with that camera!

Runningtrails - Reply
- 7-31
  5:53
  am
  
  Feel free to paint it, Sheryl!
  
  Suzanne - Reply
7-31
5:51
am

We’ve had the same thing going on here. If Mean Rooster goes looking for her, tell him she’s not in Kentucky!

KentuckyFarmGirl - Reply
7-31
6:09
am

I live in Morgantown. I had to put the AC in the window in April this year. It has only rained 3 or 4 times all summer.

Ognir - Reply
7-31
6:41
am

Here in the Allegheny mountains of PA we’ve had a cool, wet summer as well. I’m loving it – we haven’t even touched the AC – but the kids are bored and miss the swimming pool. Old timers around here say this is the coolest summer they’ve seen in at least a decade and they’re forecasting a nasty winter! YAY!!

Wendy - Reply
7-31
6:52
am

Come to Texas if you want at taste of summer! We finally got a little rain yesterday! I wanted to go out and quack like a duck and play in it! The drought is so terrible here! Triple digits every day! Thanks goodness for our air conditioner! You don’t even want to see the electric bill! Oh my! My hubby retires in a year and we want to move to cooler clims! Good weekend to all!

Connie in Texas - Reply
7-31
6:59
am

My summer has been normal here in mid coast California. Fog along the coast, fog along the coast and then just for the fun of it, fog along the coast.
I’m not complaining…I love my fog!

Claudia W. - Reply
7-31
7:06
am

Hee-Hee! That is one wicked mean rooster, even here in Northern Vermont the weather is cooler and wetter than any I can remember. Tell Mean Rooster to knock it off and let some summer weather happen soon!

Rose in VT - Reply
7-31
7:34
am

CA central coast has been a strange one too. The heat is on in the morning (in july?), but by afternoon, the AC has kicked on at work. Yesterday, I came in wearing a wool swing jacket, and left in a tank top.
I think mean rooster IS at the bottom of it!

Su - Reply
7-31
8:09
am

You have such a fun blog! I so enjoy your farm and recipes!

sondra - Reply
7-31
8:10
am

Rain, rain and more rain here…..ugh….this is the first week we’ve had that has been hot and humid….

and the snakes…..I HATE SNAKES!!!! on the basement door threshold, up under the siding around the basement door…. crows flying away with them for breakfast…yesterday morning 3 of them in the just in the grass…..having visions of raider’s of the lost ark…..

anyone know of something that will keep them away that wont hurt other animals (dogs, deer, foxes, skunks, cats)?

quietstorm - Reply
7-31
8:22
am

Thank you for this post Suzanne! I thought it was me, that I was just into some kind of funk. To hear someone else say it’s been a strange summer is a relief! The garden is all out of whack since our planting times were so screwed up with the rain and here it is already,the last day of July! It just hasn’t seemed like summer.
It is hot and humid here now but with thunderstorms every day.

Gail - Reply
7-31
9:33
am

Oh yes in central IL we had one good heat wave and then that was it. When I left it had been cloudy and cool, sometimes warm. I came to visit my son in sunny CA and it is splendid here. San Mateo has the greatest weather! Blessings.

Karen/Abiga - Reply
7-31
10:16
am

I agree….very strange summer!
Suzanne, you inspired me to start my own blog. I love yours so much and check it every day, I wanted one of my own.

http://the3clutters.blogspot.com/

If anyone looks at it be kind…it is a baby

wvnurse1 - Reply
7-31
10:26
am

I was so cold yesterday I had to put on a pair of sweats. Never have I seen a June this cool. Not complaining, mind you, just enjoying open windows, slight breeze, and sweats in the summertime

Darlene - Reply
7-31
11:07
am

We’re getting the same weather in western PA. Our A/C has only been on when I had people over for dinner. Nice on the electric bills.

catslady - Reply
7-31
12:14
pm

Summer moved to Seattle strangely enough. This week we had our highest temperature ever recorded since they started keeping records in 1891. Some areas around Puget sound hit the 105 range, with a heat index past 120 because of the humidity. Everyone who had air conditioners turned them on and we had brown outs. Over 20,000 people lost power. It’s been an interesting week. Tell Mean Rooster to scare your rain and cooler weather back up here!

SarahKoski - Reply
7-31
12:19
pm

Ah, summer. We’ve had a ton of rain (and a leaky roof), but some gorgeous, cool, non humid days too. I’m tired of the rain, but I’m loving the temperatures! I’ve been keeping the a/c off most of the time too.

Kacey - Reply
7-31
2:07
pm

I have loved not having the air on this summer – nice low electric bill!! Even today I made three batches of berry jam without the air on – on heard of late July in Michigan. Usually the humidity would win out.

Kris - Reply
7-31
2:15
pm

Gotta love that sweet Coco!!!!!

Donna - Reply
7-31
3:51
pm

All the heat has been in Texas! I’ll try to send it your way.

Jodie - Reply
7-31
4:27
pm

If Mean Rooster scared summer away from your area, you best kick that darned bird for me cuz it’s TOO HOT FOR TOO LONG NOW UP HERE!! Or else package up that Mean Rooster and send him up here so he can scare summer away to somewhere else!

Lola-Dawn - Reply