I hear the siren song.

 All my flowerbeds are calling me – come out, come out, we are choked with weeds and grass, come out, come out.

Lovely green – yes?

No – Damn weeds!

Traditionally, sirens were dangerous creatures, who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and singing voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast.  The sirens that tempt me look less like buxom mermaids and more like a green man or gnome.  Believe you me, the song is just as alluring, promising, and deadly (well, maybe not DEAD deadly but troublesome just the same). 

or

  

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Alrightie now – June, July, and August have been hot – very hot as in 100° hot and dry, like almost no rain dry.  When it’s hot and dry here, the ground is baked into something similar to cement.  The carefully planted roses, hibiscus, herbs and such tend to do poorly, however the weeds, trash trees (like pecan and hackberry) and grass just suck the humidity out of the air and keep right on growing.  Then September arrived and the temps cooled down – ok, maybe not a lot but went from the upper 90’s to the upper 80’s – yea.  And, someone turned on the rain.  Double yea!  Again, not a lot – a trace here, half-inch there - about 3-4 inches so far maybe - but it’s been pretty consistent for the past 10 days.  It has been a good/bad thing.  Enough to keep the flower beds and plants in pots watered and, annoyingly, enough to awaken the mosquitoes. 

So, Sunday, I gave in to the song.  After donning jeans, heavy t-shirt, hat and spraying arms with mosquito spray, out I went.  I decided to start with the front yard – fewer beds to work on.  Yeah, yeah – not that tempted.

As, I knelt beside the newest and smallest flower bed, I was completely besieged by berserker mosquitoes – all aiming for the one place I do not spray – my face.  IT WAS AWFUL!  I managed to stay out about 10 minutes and then ran for the house. 

So, now I’m keeping my ears otherwise occupied so I don’t hear the sirens.

Take care.

By the way – this is one of those “Where were you” days

Nov. 22, 1963
Jan 28, 1986
Apr 19, 1995
Sept 11, 2001