This is Reality

Okay, folks. 

This. Is. Reality. 

It's hotter than two weeks ago. 

Lawrence, 15 miles from me, was 100 today. 

They are talking heat indices of 115 for tomorrow. 

That's what the smaller of the two pools looked like at 3. 

I had gone out at 1:30 and put some cool water into each. 

Notice that the henyard has pretty much dried up in the sun. 

All but one duck-dabbled hole had dried up.  It was stagnant scum. 

The ducks can hear as I start to fill the pools, they like fresh water. 

The teenagers were so excited they started jumping in with only two inches in the pool. 

The big white bullies came running from the yard. 

And ran the little ones out of the big pool. 

I have decided now that there really ARE four drakes. 

They are without a doubt the largest Pekins I have ever had. 

EVER. 

These little ones are so delighted with the water. 

I bucketed that whole pink pool onto garden beds. 

I am determined to keep all my new perennials alive. 

And this is how I looked when I finished and sat down to wait for the pool to fill. 

I had sweat rolling off of every bit of me. 

What I do is go out and work for 20 minutes or so in the heat, 

then go back in and cool down inside.  The dogs are literally out 

for only five minutes at a time. 

Smush-faced dogs need to stay in and suck on their teddies. 

I put a frozen bottle in an open water fortex in the little hen house, because the 

water literally was getting hot in their water fountain. 

They were perplexed at first, that's Singleton looking at it. 

He has turned into a beautiful cockerel.  He is now starting to get some brown 

shading on the tips of his feathers.  He was Biddy's first hatch this year. 

(and the little two better be the last!) 

It didn't take them long to realize the water was COLD, and they started 

drinking it.  I'll bring that container in tonight and re-freeze it, 

and will go buy a couple more tomorrow. 

Yesterday was our annual meeting at The National Agricultural Center, and 

I led a tour before the reception. 

I posed with part of the Oz Exhibit... we are participating in 

a presentation of The Wizard of Oz to be presented August 1 to 5, at 

Providence Medical Center Ampitheater (right down the street from us) by Theater League. 

We are going to turn the grounds into Auntie Em's house and farm, and characters will 

be roaming around.  

It should be great fun for families IF we don't have this terrible heat by then. 

Tomorrow morning, Lauren, our intern, and I are leading a tour for a day care 

group.  I am praying it isn't horrible at 10 AM, because I think those poor kids 

are going to get a shortened tour so they don't bake in the sun. 

Everyone hydrate and stay healthy!