Heat Dome.

6-21-24 VERMONT: Five years ago tomorrow was Anna and Gardner’s wedding—a sprawling, great party lasting until deep in the morning, held in the yard and pasture. Looking back, the roses and peonies were not out for the festivities, but this year they’ve been out for weeks.

We spent the last three days inside the house with the heat pumps running on ‘cool’, which kept the house in the seventies while it was 90+ outside. The whole North East was in a Heat Emergency. A front came through yesterday, and today outside it's 74°, and the heat pumps are off and the doors are open. It’s overcast and more rain seems likely. We got 0.4 inches yesterday. We needed that and more.

There is some sort of issue with the solar panel array on the roof that necessitates a service visit next week from Same Sun.

With more obliging weather, I did some weeding this morning before the bugs drove me inside. I need to do some pruning also.

New blooms: yarrow, dianthus, goats beard, lady’s mantle, single peonies, water lily, bishops weed, valerian, thyme, chives.  

Single peonies, these are my favorites, especially in red, although the Itoh peonies are pretty great too.

Itoh peony, blinding yellow color.

First water lilies.

Intruder in the dust.

Yarrow in red, just getting started.

Goats beard [white] and Ladys mantle [yellow] both thriving in the shade of apple trees. Actually they have been out for a while and should have been on last week's list.