July Rain

/ Richard R. Barron
The moon slides over the top of a small, brief thunderstorm in Byng two nights ago.
The moon slides over the top of a small, brief thunderstorm in Byng two nights ago.
Hawken and I play together in the back yard a couple of weeks ago.
Hawken and I play together in the back yard a couple of weeks ago.

As usual, I had a super-fun time covering Independence Day celebrations in Ada’s Wintersmith Park Tuesday. The weather was nice and everyone had a great time.

It rained 3.1 inches Monday, then 1.5 inches early Wednesday morning, then another half inch right on top of us and nowhere else in there state, just as I was about to walk Hawken the Irish Wolfhound two nights ago.

A raindrop clings to barbed wire on the chicken coop, which we have despite not owning chickens.
A raindrop clings to barbed wire on the chicken coop, which we have despite not owning chickens.
The runt crepe myrtle in the front yard, which we once presumed dead, has huge, healthy blossoms on it this year.
The runt crepe myrtle in the front yard, which we once presumed dead, has huge, healthy blossoms on it this year.

Everything was browning just a bit, but is now turning green again, and growing fast, so I am experiencing a burst of outdoor work.

My wife Abby and I gave Hawken a bath in the front yard yesterday, then took him to the vet,  where he weighed 108 pounds, which is typical for his breed at his age, six months. He is a mess, but he loves us both.

Raindrops cling to a Rose-of-Sharon bush in our back yard. It is our only remaining healthy Rose-of-Sharon, though it was eaten to near-death by our goats years ago.
Raindrops cling to a Rose-of-Sharon bush in our back yard. It is our only remaining healthy Rose-of-Sharon, though it was eaten to near-death by our goats years ago.