Scrubbed Air

Yesterday as we drove down the new Dorsett Shoals Road, we were treated to a view of bright green leaves and perky flowers due to the rains of the past few days. The air smelled so good my husband called it "scrubbed" air. The rain has cleansed the air of all the pollutants at least for awhile.

And today we awoke to 60 degree temperatures, very cool and refreshing after the hot muggy days of the past week. Douglasville weather has an answer for everything. Is fall so far away? I think not. I have noticed a few, a very few, turning leaves on the dogwood trees. They've turned to a bright red.

By the way, the new intersection at Dorsett Shoals and Chapel Hill Road is a job well done. Before the new road was put into place there was a very dangerous intersection at the intersection with Annewakee Road and Dorsett Shoals and Chapel Hill. But now traffic is able to zoom through safely. Chapel Hill road is being widened into four lanes as it has need to be for some time. When school began on August 6th, the traffic was maddening. One day it took me 20 minutes to move from Chapel Hill High School to the Publix Supermarket. I'm very grateful for the road construction this county is able to provide. I'm also grateful for the good weather. We're looking forward to at least three days of wonderful sunshine. Then maybe some more rain. The tomatoes and green peppers won't complain.

Rain, Rain Go Away

I know. We need the rain. In my last blog, I stated that my rain barrel was empty. But the rain comes at an inopportune time. I must travel to Virginia, and I don't want to drive in the rain.

Outside my window, the atmosphere is gray and stormy with rain so far gently falling. Will the fall increase in power during the night? I don't know.

The rain is welcomed by everyone because it has been hot and muggy for three days at least. We want to be comfortable to get out in our yards where the flowers bloom and the greenness comforts us.

Douglasville is covered with clouds dripping water.

For the Love of Rain

Will the tropical storm headed for Pensacola come this way? We all wait to find out. I hope so. My rain barrels need water. I am down to the last two inches. This morning I used what I could to water the tomato plants. I also restrung them so that the new branches could be elevated and get the sun better. I have many wonderful green full tomatoes and one is beginning to ripen.

The August weather has been hot so far, but also there's been an occasional muggy and hot day. What's the difference? Well, on muggy days, the air is so close you can hardly breathe and it is usually cloudy. It is on these days that I have to watch all the plants because they need water desperately.

We went to the High Museum today and viewed the Monet Water Lillies. What an honor! So many museums to choose from.

I have the crepe myrtles to enjoy still and I must say they have not yet waned. In fact, unlike azaleas, they are more beautiful than ever. One thing that amazes me each day is the variety in color and shape. I will try to get more pictures on this blog. You must share my joy with me.

In The Heat of the Night

Do you remember that old television series about a Mississippi sheriff of a fictional town called Spartica? It was always hot. Their skins appeared shiny from sweat and occasionally you could even see a removal of hats and brow wiping. Well, right now in Douglasville, there is even heat in the night. After the wonderful coolness of July, we find ourselves actually sweating when we go outside to get in the car. Even though the seats in my car are leather not vinyl, they heat up pretty well during the day so that I sit gingerly when I get in with shorts on. Last week, I got in the car go to Kroger's and jumped out with a loud, "Yeow!" No real burn on the back of my exposed legs, but it felt like I just sat in a hot skillet.

No matter. There's still a relative coolness in the morning. Although the time is briefer, we can still leave the doors and windows open for awhile before we must resort to the air conditioner.I don't mind cool weather. In fact, how could I appreciate the cooler weather if I didn't have the comparison to make?

The tomato plants are loaded, even the cherry tomato plants. They, unlike the rest of us, adore the hot weather as long as I keep pouring water on them. In the morning as the sun hits the plants, you can almost see them turning their faces upward to worship the heat.

The weather makes people in Douglasville head north and one of my favorite places to go is Fire's Creek in Murphy, North Carolina. Turn off Highway 64 at the sign. It is about 2 hours from here, and located down a long, winding road. By the time you get there, putting your feet in that cold creek water is all you can think about. The clear water is so cold that the only time I am comfortable in it is in August. Once I visited Fire's Creek in July along with my two granddaughters who were little tikes. They bravely wore swim suits and sat in the water fall until a short time later their lips were blue. They were shivering, but they still didn't want to get out. My step children grew up in Murphy. They tell me they used to jump off the bridge into the pool just below. I still don't know how their bodies took the shock of the cold water. I think next week-end will make a great picnic-at-Fire's-Creek week-end. I just might get rid of the heat of the night for a short time.

Stormy Weather

The past 7 days have seen several local area thunderstorms, even one that produced a lightning strike on a nearby home. Yes, one of my neighbors had serious damage to the roof and gable from a strike which traveled through the house, through the yard to the neighbor's yard and erupted at the end of his driveway causing concrete and flower beds to explode! Naturally, the commotion of the firetrucks and police created quite a stirring of neighbors who walked and jogged down to the end of the cul-de-sac to see what was happening. We even had a homeowner from a neighborhood down the road ride over and inquire about the action. We're pretty friendly folk around here, so nothing was a secret. Besides we enjoyed seeing people we hadn't seen since the last neighborhood party.

But this just reminds me that the weather can be a serious factor in Douglasville. We don't have to contend with hurricanes or earthquakes or tsunamis, but we do have the occasional thunderstorm which blows down trees and strikes lightning into our yards. Once in awhile we have a tornado threaten us but so far that danger has not caused any damage to our locale. The rain that came with the storms was welcomed however, because we had had several days of dryness. My rain collection buckets were dry, and I almost had to use hose water to keep the tomato plans and flowers alive. I'm not known for my gardening skills, but this summer I have been more successful. I enjoy the gardening and the thrill of seeing something growing but so far my thumb remains a nice fleshy color. I look for greenness each day.

This week-end was tax-free day, and so we spent Sunday at Lenox Square Mall buying school clothes for the grandson. You should have seen the line outside the Apple store as people lined up to buy new computers free of taxes! We couldn't even go inside and drool or wish for what has become our next planned purchase. We will buy a new Apple before the end of the year, but we couldn't buy school clothes and computers this week-end. Apple computers are favored in my household over pc's.

Lenox Square Mall has Arbor Place Mall beat a mile. The Anthropology store and Apple store alone draw me back over and over again. Not that the Arbor Place Mall is shabby. I've spent many happy shopping trips there. Lenox Square Mall, however, leans toward the upper end of purchases. It's only 40 minutes from my house. We go west on I-20 and then north on 85/75 to the exit for 400 which takes you straight to Lenox Road. It's not hard to figure out how to get around in the area. Since my daughter was visiting, we had to stop by Filene's Basement, a big disappointment since the store was pretty bare. Are they going to close as so many of our other stores have done? I don't know. But if you hear anything let me know.