Mother Nature's little teases...

   We wait and we wait and we wait. The winter snow is falling at the rate of an inch an hour and already there is six inches on the ground. We continue to ask ourselves if summer will ever come. We know it will. It's just a rhetorical question.

   But in the middle of all the winter snow and ice...every once and a while Mother Nature managers to sneak in one of those surprisingly “un-winter- like” days, bright sun, milder temperatures and a smell unique to that of Springtime.

  Soon the remains of winter are gone, the Spring chores are done, the garden is planted and summertime has arrived. Warm days and sometimes cool nights are the reminders of why we live here in Maine and the Northeast. It's trips to the beach, walks in the woods, and barbecues with friends and family.

  Its often vacation time from work, projects around the house that can't be done during the winter months (or you just don't want to do them at that time), and you just have that “kick back and relax” attitude. I really love this place!

   It seemed like it took summer a bit longer to get here this year. We had a very rainy Spring and those rains have continued into the early weeks of July.

   For those of you who know my back yard, it is lush with green and still has not dried out from all the rain. Just a day or two away from being able to walk through the yard without getting your shoes wet and we have several days of hard rain and the process starts all over again.

   I have great looking tomato plants, some almost as tall as I am, except for one thing. While the plants look great, there are very few tomato blossoms. And what happened to the blueberries this year? The plants look good too, just no berries.

When it hasn't been raining, it has been very warm, I mean, very warm for us. Most unusual. There have been days well into the ninety degree range and while it is not unusual for that to occur for a day or two, we have had some pretty warm weeks. Warmth is good, but the humidity...well that's a different story. No wonder the plants are tall with a jungle look.

   I had been on the road for much of the day on Wednesday, visiting clients and setting appointments. Within a few short minutes, the blue sky clouded over and the rain..well... the rain came down as one might expect in a tropical downpour and within minutes the roads were covered with inches of water and the windshield wipers could not work fast enough.

   Then, something very unusual happened. With the exception of one huge logging truck, everyone pull off to the side of the road to wait for the storm to pass. It was raining that hard! Who said Maine people aren't safety minded?

   As quickly as the skies had clouded in, the sun returned and the traffic began to move. There were a few more showers before I got home, but nothing like he ones that had occurred earlier.

   As mid-afternoon transitioned into early evening, the sky remained crystal clear blue and a bit of a breeze began to pick up from the northwest. All of a sudden, as I sat in the chair in the back yard enjoying a cool drink, there was that feeling of Fall in the air. I think you know what I mean; the temperature, the breeze and the 'smell'. I know it's still July and there is a great deal of summer still remaining, but I think it was one of Mother Nature's little 'teases' reminding us of what is to come.
    My goodness it's chilly. Now what did I do with that fleece jacket?