MrVintageMan: Happiness on the downhill side of life!

I’ve had enough of summer. It’s time to move on to autumn.

Posted on August 10, 2019 by John Kevin Hickey

Those who know me well can tell you that I’m a glass half empty kind of guy.

Actually, it’s more like OH MY GOD, THERE’S ONLY HALF A GLASS OF WATER LEFT! WHAT IF I CAN’T FIND ANYMORE? I’M DOOMED!!

That little tidbit of information will help make more sense of this post. I am, sadly, a man who is prone to looking for the greener grass on the other side of the fence instead of just enjoying the moment.

As somebody who suffers from a severe case of the winter blues, I spend the cold months eagerly anticipating the arrival of spring and summer. In my mind, winter seems to last forever and I spend entirely too much of my life wishing the calendar would hurry up and get to the warmer and sunnier parts of the year.

Which makes the following statement kind of ironic: every year there comes a point when I have had enough of summer. I’ve had enough of the heat, the mosquitos, the heat, pulling weeds, the heat, sky high water and electrical bills and the heat. Have I mentioned I’m not a fan of the heat? Temperatures above the mid-80’s make me miserable, and cause me to develop a case of swamp-ass as soon as I step outside.

It’s so freaking hot out this squirrel was willing to risk the wrath of my dogs so it could spread itself out to enjoy a cool breeze in the shade on my deck. It really wasn’t in that much danger though. The dogs had no interest in going outside.

I am aware that there are people in this world who need it to be in the 80’s before they can change out of their winter clothes. We have a TV meteorologist here in the Denver area who is like that. I won’t mention any names, but her name rhymes with Lathey Tabine. Her summer weather forecasts have caused me many eye injuries over the years. I’ll be outside on a hot summer day and the sweat will be pouring off my eyebrows like a miniature Niagara Falls. I’ll go in to get some dinner and watch the news. Kath…,uh, Lathey will come on and say “It’s a warm and comfortable 94 degrees outside right now”, and my eyeballs will roll so far back in their sockets the optic nerves get pinched.

(True story: we had a day back in July where the temperatures in the Denver area fell a degree or two shy of 80 degrees. She informed her viewers that it felt “autumnal” outside. My eyes rolled so far back in my head I was able to inspect my cerebral cortex).

Anyway, back to me. Exactly when my summer malaise arrives changes from year to year. Because May and June were so cool and rainy this year the heat really didn’t get going until after the 4th of July. Even then, we had a few days in the low 80’s and upper 70’s scattered throughout July to moderate the misery. The early part of summer was not too bad.

Last year, on the other hand, I was done with summer before we even got to July. That’s because it was a very hot and dry summer. Hell, we had temps hit the 100’s in early June, and my lawn was scorched before we even reached the solstice. It didn’t help that it seemed like half of the American West was on fire because of the drought.

The view from my front stoop.
*Image by* *Simon Matzinger* *from* *Pixabay*

Well, I am here to announce that I have reached the point where I am now done with summer. The long stretch of 90’s has finally gotten to me. The heat has sapped my spirits and I am ready to welcome autumn with open arms.

I’ve spent a lot of time in my garden this year However, in spite of all my efforts, my lawn and garden seems as tired of summer as me. Not much is in bloom right now, the lawn has gone into summer dormancy and the container gardens look like shit. To avoid the heat while working in the yard I have to go outside early in the morning or late in the evening. The temperatures at these times are more tolerable, but that is also when mosquitos prefer to be outside. Mosquitos dislike the heat as much as I do.

Nighty night lawn. See you again when you re-awaken in a few weeks! In the meantime, dream of cooler weather and autumn rains.

It’s not just gardening that has lost its luster, either. By late summer I don’t have a lot of enthusiasm for riding my bicycle. The thought of riding an hour or two in 90+ heat just lacks a certain appeal.

This year I’m a little more motivated than I have been at this point in years past because earlier in the year I signed up for an organized ride in mid-September. If it weren’t for that, I imagine my bicycling doldrums would be in full swing by now.

A hot, dry and dusty bicycle ride in August. Blech.

Hell, sometimes it’s so hot out I don’t even feel like lounging in my hammock.

The good news (for me anyway), is that autumn is just around the corner. My spirits should revive with the cooler temperatures that come with the changing colors. Gardening will become enjoyable again. The lawn will re-awaken from its slumber and green up for several weeks. Autumn plants (such as mums, asters and plumbago) will burst forth in all their glory. My trees and shrubs will begin wrapping themselves in the reds and golds of their autumn raiment.

With the more moderate temperatures, I’ll be more motivated to bicycle again. I’ll be able to to ride more often and go further, and won’t feel so wrung out when I finish. For a few weeks blissful weeks bicycling will be a joy once more.

An autumn bike ride from last year. In my opinion (which is the correct opinion), autumn is the best season for outdoor activites.

With all that being said, summer is with us for several more weeks and I will remind myself to enjoy the season as much as is possible (for me). I will endeavor to stay in the moment and try not to wish my life away. For winter will be here all too soon and I will once again be longing these warm summer days.

How about you? Are you also excited for the arrival of autumn, or are you about to go into mourning over the passing of summer?

Posted in Bicycling, Gardening, Life, Mental health | Tagged autumn, gardening, heat, Mental health, tired of summer | Comments Off

This week in the garden: August blooms (or lack thereof)

Posted on August 6, 2019 by John Kevin Hickey

The month of August is when gardens in the temperate zones take a breather.

Below is a section next to the driveway. This is one of the few areas of my yard where something is actually happen. Feather reed grass, a “cool” season grass, has a crown of feather plumes. Mixed in with the grasses are Russian sage, ornamental oregano, purple coneflowers and black-eyed Susan’s. There’s even a few purple asters blooming a little early mixed in there.

“Karl Foerster” feather reed grass flanked by purple coneflowers and black-eyed Susan’s

I find that certain plant blooms herald a transition to a new phase of the growing season. Iris’s announce that spring has really and truly arrived, while the plate-like blooms of Yarrow signal that summer is now in business. To me, black-eyed Susans are nature’s herald that late summer is here and that autumn won’t be too far behind. Maybe I feel this way because when they start to bloom is also when I begin to notice that the sun is setting earlier each evening. Perhaps it’s because the yellow and nearly black flowers bring to mind the paint scheme of school buses. Whatever the reason, I regard black-eyed Susans as an harbinger that summer is starting to wane.

Now let us turn our attention to the other side of the driveway. Not a ton of activity over here, as most of the ornamental grasses haven’t started blooming yet. BUT, there are a few things going on. More feather reed grass and Russian sage (I do love me some Russian sage), but mixed in with them is a bright red bloom of the Red Texas Yucca. It took almost five years after I planted it for this yucca to finally bloom for me. But it was worth the wait. All the ornamental grasses I’ve planted this area will start blooming in a month or so.

Ornamental grasses, Russian sage and Red Texas Yucca.

Now let us move to the borders in the backyard. Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot going on back here either. Next to the patio I’ve got purple coneflowers combined with some goldenrods. August is a rough month for the garden (and the gardener). After the heady days of May, June and July the garden likes to stop and take a deep breath in preparation for the autumn finale.

Purple coneflower, goldenrod and a spent lily is all there is by the patio. With the arrival of fall the asters will start the grand finale.

Further down the border we come to this sea lavender. Very tough and drought tolerant plant. The wavy leaves of this plant are how it deals with dry conditions. Plants have a variety of ways to holding onto moisture, and wavy leaves reduces the surface area exposed to the sun thus reduces water loss.

Finally we come to the back corner of the border. Here we have Russian sage (I told you I love this plant), blue globe thistle, false sunflower and in the lower right corner the white blooms of the bindweed I forgot to pull before taking the picture. A lot of blue and yellow. I’m thinking of adding a Red Texas yucca right in the middle to add some red at this time of the year. I’ve got some ideas for making my garden a little more lively in August. I’m just waiting for the temps to ease off before I make my move.

A lot of blue, but in a month the red “Autumn Joy” sedum and will bring some much needed color by mixing with the forthcoming purple asters and the fading blooms of the russian sage and globe thistle.

Now for something completely different. I saw my first hummingbird moth last night. Fascinating little buggers, because at first glance they look just like hummingbirds (duh, hence the name). It’s amazing to me how creatures from completely different phylum can develop the exact same characteristics.

Hummingbird moth on the prowl for nectar.

So that’s about all that is happening in my yarden in early August. How about you? Anything exciting going on in your gardens during these hot summer days?

Posted in Gardening, This week in the garden | Tagged august, black-eyed susan, gardening, goldenrod, red texas yucca, russian sage, sea lavender | Comments Off

Scenery seen from a bicycle saddle

Posted on August 2, 2019 by John Kevin Hickey

I have signed up for an organized bicycle ride that is being held in September. The ride is 93.5 kilometers long, or 6.5 kilometers short of what is known in the bicycling world as a “metric century”. For us American types, a metric century is a little over 62 miles. In other words, I have set a goal to ride 58 miles during this event.

To prepare for this ordeal I have been riding several times a week, with at least one of these rides getting progressively longer each week. My long ride is now up to four hours. To keep myself energized and hydrated I pack a PB&J sammich, a banana, a bottle of Gatorade and a shit ton of water. I’ve yet to suffer from heat stroke, so I must be doing something right.

I like to do at least one organized ride a year because it affords me the opportunity to ride and tour places I would never go otherwise. It’s good to expand one’s horizons.

Still, I remain more of a tourist on a bicycle than a “bicyclist”, so even on my long rides I make sure to stop and smell the roses. And take pictures. Below are some intriguing photos taken on some recent rides.

Enjoy!