July has arrived and the temps here in Central Texas have been hovering near 100 degrees since late MAY. This apparently is not typical, and very different from last year. You know its hot when 90 degrees feels like relief. So Lillie and I are spending a lot of time indoors and the air conditioning which is a ductless split system works great. It’s pretty much been on 24/7 and my electric bill was only $59.00 for the month so I’m quite happy about that. A great advantage of living in a tiny house.
The outdoor plants need watering daily right now and I am loving the area I created on the smaller deck, filled with plants and my bistro table and chairs. This area faces south and is shaded entirely after noon so its pleasant to have dinner or breakfast out there. We water early in the morning, after Lillie’s ½ hour exercise in the big grassy field where she rolls and chases the occasional jackrabbit or deer. The deck boxes are a little more exposed and they are struggling with the temps. I will likely replant them with some more heat/sun resistant plants.
I want to put a couple plants in the ground and am slowly digging holes. I say slowly because I have to water the ground then use a pick to break up limestone and caliche. There’s dirt in there too, but compacted. Once I break up the caliche it should be easier. My neighbors have the same dirt, and the outdoor plants they’ve planted are doing well so there’s hope. Any outdoor work really has to be done before 9 am. After that it’s just too hot. Aside from a few flowering shrubs, like Pride of Barbados, I’ll be planting spineless prickly pear cactus and red yucca that can take the heat of the south side, and won’t need much attention once planted.
The nicer garden will eventually be in the back, but I’m not ready to tackle that in the summer heat so I’ll wait for Sept to start.
I just accepted a job a part time job at Whole Foods in the bakery dept which will start in about a week. I’ll be packaging baked goods, decorating cakes and hopefully can introduce some chocolate to their bakery dept which is sorely lacking at the moment. I’ll be working an evening shift which is afternoon til 9 PM. This works for me as I prefer mornings at home and don’t need to watch TV at night. I’m anxious to start and hope my legs hold up!
Our tiny community is filling up. New houses arrived this month bringing the total to 18. ( we have room for 22). It’s nice to have neighbors I know and we are hoping work will start on a little community center building this fall so we can gather more easily for pot lucks , book exchanges and cards. This month they added 2 water storage tanks to the well which are good to have in an emergency and a street sign which should help facilitate Amazon and other deliveries.
Independence day this year doesn’t feel like a cause to celebrate given the current state of affairs in the US. Women have taken a real blow in their independence and autonomy.
I’m glad I grew up in different times. I hope the nations youth can rally and get to the polls. Hopefully they are not too distracted and can make a difference before more rights are taken from them. And it’s way too dry to have people shooting off fireworks and potentially creating a wildfire. Or shooting in general! Be safe out there folks, it’s getting scary on all fronts!
