How Hot Was It?

It was so hot, the apple-pears ripened a month early! What are they? I'm going to send a picture to A&M to see if they can figure out what variety they really are.

They make good pear sauce, though. I'm making another batch today as I write.

The chickens and goat looked at the first bucket of peelings with delight. Now Art brings the

peels and the critters seem to say, "You again? We're sick of this stuff!" I'm finding the eternal peeling and cutting a bit tedious; there's still half of a five gallon bucket to process. At least I'm inside, cool, while I work. Then tomorrow there'll be more to pick, out in the sun. I remind myself how the tree put out only two pears last year and how I missed having pear sauce last winter.

With afternoon temps over 104, we banned cooking inside. My pot of pear sauce plops and plups on the stove hunkered on the porch. The AC is struggles enough in the afternoons without cooking inside. I put together whatever we're having for dinner in the cool interior of the house, then I send it off to the oven courtesy of Art, who loves the heat. Lately, though this heat has even bothered him.

By 9:00 each morning, the chickens hold their wings away from their bodies, beaks gaping, as they pant. The rabbits stretch out across their cage bottoms, silently gasping. All the critters have shade, but each afternoon Art brings the rabbits frozen two liter bottles of water. They sigh with relief as they drape themselves over (or next to) the delightful cool.

Today I have pondered going to the freezer to get an ice bottle for myself.

Helene