Last weekend was hot, just like all of August. The 100 degree temps stretched into the first part of the week. Monday, Labor Day, was no exception. We just hung around the house, being mindful of the fact that we need time without big farm projects. My husband and I spent the morning tying up some loose ends for preparing my booth at the Lord’s Acre church festival taking place on the 26th. It was hot so we didn’t stay outside very long. Tuesday was just as hot. Wednesday was much cooler; and the rain was slow and steady. I am so grateful for the timely rain. It keeps everything green and growing into the fall. I don’t mind that because I am done mowing the fields until next spring. My husband, on the other hand, is not overjoyed with having to mow the lawn again.
Lawn mowing has become a challenge now, and when we get back home from our trip to Houston, the front yard will be severely overgrown. The challenge is that, due to all the rain we got this year, the pecan trees are absolutely loaded with giant pecans. I have never seen a crop like this. Every spring I make sure that the trees in the yard are trimmed up high enough that anyone can walk under them without danger of getting their hat knocked off or eye poked out by low hanging branches. Of course, as the pecans grow, the branches hang lower and lower until the pecans fall. Then the branches spring back up again. This year, the branches are so heavy with pecans that some branches have broken under the weight of the giant pecans. The limbs are hanging so low, that even on the riding lawnmower, my husband will have to duck under the branches. Getting hit in the head with a cluster of green pecans hurts worse than you may think.
Thursday’s temp was in the nineties, but we didn’t notice since we were driving to Houston. Outside of Houston, it started to rain, which cooled things off. We got to our son and daughter-in-law’s apartment in time to get ready for the ceremony at his school.
We went to Texas Chiropractic College to watch students getting recognized for either being accepted into the college, or their academic achievements thus far. Our son is starting his 7th trimester at this school. He has made it through the core classes, and is now starting to work in the clinic. This is a major milestone in chiropractic school, and these hard working young men and women are given a white coat with their name embroidered on it to wear during their time in the clinic treating patients; they are officially student doctors. It was really inspiring to see these students achieving their life’s dream of becoming a doctor. At the end of the 10th trimester, after all the board exams are taken, they will receive their certificate, and officially be Doctors of Chiropractic medicine.
It rained all night, Thursday night, and most of Friday, as well. The plan was to spend some family time together salt water fishing in Galveston, on Friday. We tried waiting out the rain, but it just kept raining. So, we fished in the rain. Fortunately, it was not storming, there was no lightning, and the rain was not heavy. Remember me stating in last week’s post that I am trying to hurry summer out the door? Well, I got a good taste of the fall weather that is on its way. Standing in the rain (soaked to the bone), with the temperature in the seventies, overcast, and the wind blowing, I was cold. Not freezing cold, just a little uncomfortable. It makes for good memories and lots of things to talk about. Fishing was not great, by the way. But that’s ok, too. It was never about going fishing; it was about good quality family time together, and we definitely had that.
As I am finishing up writing this blog post, we are stuck in Houston traffic, on our way home. We woke up this morning to absolutely perfect weather to be on the beach. But, alas, we knew we needed to get home this evening so we resisted the temptation to hang out (and fish) for just a little while. Houston traffic is always bad, and it will be late enough when we finally make it home.
I see, from the weather forecast, that it will get back into the nineties next week. I hope that is the last we will see of that kind of heat. Bring on the cooler days and absolutely gorgeous evenings!
Psalms 118:24 This is the day the lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.
