Showers, Humid and Hot

Decorative shovels at Artist's Loft

I was up for some reason at 5:00, perhaps the rain, thunder and lightning did it but I tried to go back to sleep, after coming downstairs and closing a few windows, but I was so awake that I got back up, went downstairs, turned on the coffee and sat on the front porch listening to the rain, the thunder, in the darkness of early morning.  It's still very warm despite the rain, 70 degrees outside and will stay that way till tonight when the temperatures change drastically, with a high in the 60's tomorrow.

We are having Ron and Linda and the Leonards over for dinner tonight, another typical Middle Eastern dinner of lamb and sides.  I hope it stays clear enough to cook out later.

I walked outside towards the dock, towards a pink/blue sky and heard this hum.  I looked up in the trees and there were hordes of lake flies buzzing above my head.  They came last year about this time as well; they seem to move from the north end of the lake to the south, at a leisurely pace, stay for about ten days, I think, then disappear.  We really don't ever remember them until last year though people swear they have always been here at the lake.  Perhaps I was teaching when they came but we were out here most weekends the past six or seven years, so one would have thought we would have seen them before last year.  The lake was also terrible yesterday, algae seemed thick and turquoise, and I thought I could even smell it but I am not sure.  The Leonard's couldn't even sit in their front yard, either from the rotting weeds next door or the algae.  I walked out on the dock this morning and it looks like the rain from early morning, about 3/10ths of an inch, has dispersed most of the algae.  It tends to grow in hot weather in pockets where there is little movement, stagnant and windless.  At least the local papers have had all kinds of stories last week or so about the condition of the lake, what they hope to do about it, and the fact that all local communities have signed up to work towards being good stewards.  We will see if anything gets done or it makes a difference.  It still seems as though most people who live east of 394, meaning those not connected with the lake, could care less about its health...it does not effect them.

Garden Glass

One of the sights and sounds of summer weekends is early morning skiing by our neighbors, the Bairs and it was nice to see them go by this morning, suggesting the lake may be cleaner than I thought, as I have seen little swimming or skiing recently.  It was a green color or variations of green the past week or two, though clear out towards the end of our dock.


It's cooled off a bit, a result of the rain, I suppose, about 68 right now and it looks like the high my be in the 70's today, not 80's.