Daylight temperatures averaged quite near to normal but the nighttime readings averaged cooler. There was a range of 35 degrees, from the low of 49 on the 9th to the high of 84 degrees on the 11th.

Rainfall has been scanty since July 1st. This area received 0.08 of an inch on the 7th and a trace on the 9th. My garden soils are dusty on top but as of this writing, there is no wilting of the foliage. Rainfall is predicted by midweek.

An abundance of good drying conditions enhanced the hay harvest and as I write this the bale counter reads in excess of 6,000 bales. About three acres of hay is nearly dry and will add another 500-plus to the total. About two and one-half acres on the neighbors’ field will be cut soon, weather permitting.

Another person has revealed the absence of birds this year. Hopefully, other area residents are not experiencing the same plight.

The almanac reveals that we have lost several minutes of daylight, most of it in the morning. Summer days are still long and will be until August. As the saying reads: “As the days shorten, the heat strengthens.” If the forecast is correct, this area will have summer heat.

New bloom is evident in several places and probably I have missed seeing some. That seen includes: tansy, butter-cup squash, Jacob’s cattle beans, Queen Anne’s lace, (wild carrot) sumac, white yarrow, bunny foot clover, witch grass, bee balm, white and pink hard hack, and golden rod.

There is an area in Shuy that reveals the first golden rod each year. As I write each year in this column, there was a saying when I was younger “that the first fall frost occurs six weeks after the first golden rod blooms.”

With the season’s changes in recent years, the golden rod blooms earlier and the first killing frost averages nearly 10 days later than a few decades ago.

This period of time last year had comparable temperatures. There was a high reading of 87 degrees on the 8th and the coolest reading was 48 degrees on the 11th.

After the heavy rainfall on the 5th that deposited 1.27 inches, it was a dry period later except for .07 of an inch on the 7th, followed by five dry days.

Week of July 5-11

Day High Low Precip.

Sun. 79 53 0

Mon. 84 53 0

Tues. 82 54 0.06

Wed. 75 62 0.02

Thurs. 73 49 T

Fri. 80 55 0

Sat. 84 51 0