“To the Greeks and Romans, the “dog days” occurred around the time Sirius appears to rise alongside the sun, in late July in the Northern Hemisphere. They believed the heat from the two stars combined is what made these days the hottest of the year, a period that could bring fever or even catastrophe.” (NationalGeographic.com)
The “dog days of summer” have a different meaning for me–hot days, crispy grasses, grasshoppers devouring everything in sight, including my basil, relentless sun–I can’t wait for fall! This summer’s dog days are different in one aspect–we’ve had very little forest fire smoke. Usually August is just one day after another of smokey skies and invisible mountains.
In September 2020, on Labor Day weekend we saw this–
We can hope, right!!
The cows are misbehaving yet again and we spent another Sunday out in the heat on that steep hillside, re-enforcing the fence, putting in new wood fence posts and replacing staples the cows/calves had pulled out of the neighbor’s fence by sticking their heads where they don’t belong! I got the job of pounding staples on the neighbor’s fence line and have the blisters to prove I pounded many, many staples! The Cowboy used the excavator to build us a road of sorts so we could get both the excavator and the ATV to the top of the fence line. The excavator we needed for digging post holes and the ATV to ferry supplies back and forth. As I type this blog at 5pm, we just came in the house–we’ve been going all day long. Exhaustion is putting it mildly!
I finished Louanne’s quilt–a cross stitch quilt she started 30 years ago, found last summer and completed while in Arizona this past season. It took me many, many hours of hand stitching to sew the binding to the back of the quilt–something I have only done for a customer/friend one other time. I hope I have sense enough not to do it again!!
And I’ve been a nurse this week. On Wednesday at noon the Cowboy said, “I’m catching a cold.” In this day and age those words are enough to make you flinch! He has been so incredibly sick, spending two days in bed–something I don’t think has ever happened in our married life. I tested him four times over the course of this illness–he did not have covid and I did not catch whatever it was he had! He still has a cough but is feeling much better! 
Restoration Cowboy Style 
Beautiful, beautiful quilt! I hope the Cowboy continues to feel better and that you don’t come down with it. Will he be the nurse then? It seems our Arizona homes are cooler than where we are right now! Can that abe right?
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He’s taking lessons in nursing and cooking–I am going to have my knee replaced in mid October here in Montana. Yes and our area of Arizona has been getting hammered with rain–17 inches so far this season!!
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I hope your making alot of pasture rent from those cows to pay for your hours of fencing!
Larry hopes he doesn’t have Monkey pox!!
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Mike said, “thanks Larry!! :)”
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I’m glad Michael is feeling better and that he didn’t have Covid. But he must have been really sick to spend two days in bed! It doesn’t seem anything ever slows him down. Or you, for that matter. So glad you aren’t suffering from smoke and wildfires this year. But working outdoors in the heat is rough! Love your beautiful photo of the two Sandhill Cranes.
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It worried me Laurel because as you said, nothing ever slows him down! But he’s much better now and I just tested him for the fifth time–he is still negative for covid. It’s fun to see the sandhills here and in Arizona.
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Hope you don’t catch what cowboy had.
The quilt is beautiful, such bright colors.
What are those birds? Sandhills cranes?
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Me too Patti–I don’t want what he had! Yes, they are sandhill cranes. It’s a very old fashioned quilt and beautiful!
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August was always the hottest month of the year in Georgia…so hot we could not take the children at school to play on the playground. So far it hasn’t been so bad here in Arizona. Glad to read the Cowboy is feeling better. Louanne’s quilt is beautiful! And I love the photo of the Sandhill Cranes.
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And here in Montana the kids don’t play outside when it’s below zero! We’ve seen lots of sandhills this summer.
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Oh my, happy the Cowboy is on the mend.
I’m sure he has no time for sickness.
Your cow situation is terrible…. cows will
always push and push their heads thru fences.
Some things never change….maybe you have fixed
it now?? Lol
That quilt is absolutely beautiful !! Amazing amount of work in it. Will share this picture with a quilting
aunt.
Will surely be thinking of you in October. Guess
that will push your Arizona time frame up abit.
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We neither one remember our own cows pushing the fences so hard. That quilt is an amazing amount of work! And yes, we will be staying in Montana a little longer this year.
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Well the cattle are certainly making a nuisance of themselves! Not sure I’d invite them back. We’ve been amazed at the reports of rain in Tombstone this year – our yard is covered in two-foot-tall weeds and there’s even a waterfall near Bisbee! Wonderful you haven’t had the smoke this year and another early snow would be great even with your upcoming surgery. Lovely quilt, so much work!! Great catch of the cranes with the long views.
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The cows are definitely wearing out their welcome! 🙂 Our AZ yard has kept Milton busy this summer!
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Seeing Mike so deep in the shrubbery, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was any sort of biting bug that could cause the illness he had. Probably unlikely, but ???
Beautiful quilt!
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Anything is possible Laurie–but he hasn’t noticed any bug bites–bugs don’t like him, they like me! Have you seen all the news reports about the rain in Cochise county–17 inches so far!
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I HAVE seen that!! Actually, I’d love to be there (safely) right now to see this monsoon.
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So sorry to hear Michael has been sick. Glad he is feeling better, though. I had the same thing except I wasn’t bad enough to head to bed. It was all upper respiratory except the cough. My nose was so congested. It just felt like a super bad cold. It went on for ten days. I would still go out and bike ride and play pickleball ball in the morning but then I was done for the day. That was all the energy I had. The cough lingered on. John never got it. I, too, did Covid tests thinking it had to be it. Nope. So fingers crossed you don’t get it either. So you’re having your knee replaced. There comes a point when that’s what’s left. John’s sister had hers done and said it was the best thing she ever did. Of course, her son had to practically carry her there to get it done. My 91 year old mother wouldn’t get them replaced and now she can barely get around and is in continuous pain. The quilt you finished is beautiful. Hope it cools off for you. We have had lower than normal temps here but the humidity is awful. We could be in PA with all this humidity. All that AZ rain is bring on heavy humidity at your other house. Not fun!! I’ll take 105 of dry air any day over this. Take care and don’t let those cows take over!
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I swore Mike was having a super bad allergy attack but it could have been a summer cold too I guess except I didn’t catch it. Humidity in the desert is just not right! I have a friend who needs a total hip so badly but refuses to have it done–not me, I don’t want to be carried into the hospital to have my joint replaced, I just want to walk/hike again with no pain!
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My mother said no to knee replacements years ago. Now at 91 she can barely walk and is too vain to use even a cane but for a rare occasion. She lives in pain and can’t take anything but Tylenol because of a blood disorder. She is young in every way and loves to walk and travel but not any more with bone on bone knees. That won’t be me!
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I too decided I wasn’t going to live with pain and yes, I know the knee replacement will be no picnic but the majority of people I know who have had a replacement are very, very happy with the results. My Dad had one knee done and did so well. Mom has had both hers done and said she didn’t know why she waited so long to have the first one done when she was about 68 years old. I will be 67 next week and I want to walk and hike again without pain.
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