I suppose you can say the drought of 2012 is somewhat over. We've gotten rain nearly every day for the past 4 days. I estimate nearly 3 inches of rain has fallen. There is more predicted for the next 2 days but rain is usually hit and miss this time of year. Either way I am grateful for the rain we've gotten this past weekend. The garden has really responded nicely. Sunflowers showed their first blooms this weekend. Have found only one watermelon so far but it is growing like crazy and already bigger than a softball. I picked 6 squash/zucchini this morning before work. Cheryl picked several Peppers Saturday and made homemade hot sauce. It is steeping in the fridge for 2 weeks before we eat it. Lots of tomatoes on the vines but very few ripe ones. Of course with rain comes the weeds and grass. I suppose I will devote lots of time later this week hoeing weeds and cutting grass. No complaints here! I received the seeds I ordered from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. today. I mainly ordered greens for the Fall garden. Should be planting them in late July or early August.

Well I guess I wasn't quite ready for record setting heat this past week. The hottest day on record in Middle Tennessee was this past Thursday June 28,2012 officially recorded at 109 degrees F.( many folks tweeted temps at 113-our guage read 110  at the hottest part of the day) Worried about the Chickens and Ducks with this record heat. I have been putting ice in their water bowls as often as I can. The garden looks relatively unscathed but I have been watering with Soaker Hoses early in the Morning most every day. Cucumbers still coming in about 2 or 3 a day. Soaker hoses and mulch is the secret. Our Air conditioner inside the house went "kaput" last night around 7:00PM. I thought it would be a sleepless night but we ran fans in the bedroom on High and stayed fairly cool. We both slept pretty well considering. Put in a new unit this morning with help from JD. (your the bestest JD!).House is nice and cool today. I think I may have waited too long to water the Witch Hazel and The Stewartia. They do not look happy at all. We caught a raccoon in a live trap last night. My neighbor wanted to kill it and have it stuffed so they came and took him (or her) away this morning. Poor thing was on death row and didn't even know it. I'm gonna go up to the Veggie garden to water late this afternoon when it cools down a bit. It is now 6:00 PM and the temp is still 103 outside. Maybe 7:30 or later before I water. Soaker hoses Rule!!!