A sure sign of fall - the days ARE getting shorter. Because of that and because evenings are getting cooler as we progress into autumn, the concert on Saturday the 15th at Richard and Carmen Gagne's will begin at 5 o'clock and last until 8. This is a change, beginning an hour earlier than previously posted and ending at 8 instead of 9 o'clock.

We had showers last night that gave a little relief from the dry spell - but only .35 in. We really need more precipitation than that, but instead we'll be getting more really hot weather. That's not all bad - it will no doubt be a long winter, as usual.

I was stung by a bee of some sort today. I pulled up a weed along the walkway and apparently disturbed some kind of insect - it got me on my hand between my thumb and index finger, and was gone before I could see what it was. A hornet of some kind, I'm guessing - it was really fast. It didn't swell up much, but I can still feel the bite. Fred was stung a few days ago when he was trimming the cedar hedge and there was a ground nest next to it. He was stung a few times. I was hit only one time today. I don't like getting stung much, although I recall one time several years ago, being stung on the base of my thumb when I was having a lot of trouble with both my thumb joints, and it actually made the joint pain go away for some time afterwards. Not the sort of treatment I'd want for the long haul, but it was interesting. I used to be stung often when I was a kid on the farm. We were always running into bees - and running away from them. Often after one of the cows we were driving home from the pasture disturbed a nest. They never seemed to bother the cows, but they sure made us kids scatter in a hurry. We would plaster wet mud on the bites and find a way around the nest, which wasn't always easy when we were in a wooded, swampy area - which was a good share of the time. All part of herding cows, I guess.

Between bees and ticks, I don't have much enthusiasm for gardening this year. Actually, it was black flies this spring along with ticks, then it turned too hot to work in the flower beds, and I finally gave up. I'll try to reclaim things this fall. Nobody sees the weeds but me - Fred can't tell weeds from perennials - and I am just determined to not let the weeds and random trees sprouting from my flower beds bother me. I have more important things to take care of - and a book to finish.

Stay well, be safe, and enjoy the rest of summer.