Paper Wasp

It has been a very hot week here in central Oklahoma. It hasn’t rained at all this week and the UV has been high. I usually check the UV when I go out because high UV can make my lupus flare up. I have been watering my balcony garden daily but it is still looking rather crispy out there. The basil is living its best life and loving the hot weather. The marigolds, zinnias, moonflower, and nicotiana are hanging on but struggling in the heat. The hardy banana tree and two vitex are still growing. The scarlet runner bean is getting sun burned on the leaves. My one bell pepper is still growing and doesn’t seem to have blossom end rot as I had suspected. The peppermint has not been doing well in the heat. The hydrangea is still looking good. I will be going to the farm next week to do a lot of maintenance. I am sure it will be quite overgrown since it has been such a rainy summer. I had a few small sunflowers or possibly Jerusalem artichokes bloom this week in the balcony. They have yellow centers so I am not sure if they are sunflowers since most have black centers. I saw that sachem again this week on the zinnias. I have a small bowl of water I keep on the balcony for the birds and squirrels that I refill daily. When I refilled it today, I saw a little paper wasp getting a drink. I finally made the butternut squash and apple soup and it turned out great. My boyfriend especially liked it. I used onion, celery, carrot, garlic, butternut squash, unsweetened applesauce, vegetable broth, paprika, nutmeg, salt, and pepper to make the soup. My boyfriend’s birthday is coming up in a week and a half. I may cook him a steak dinner for his birthday. If I don’t have time, I may buy him a dinner from a Thai restaurant instead. I think he wants a banana split instead of a cake this year. I am still reading the book from last week, Learning to Paint and Draw by Hazel Harrison. It is really thorough and I hope to finish it this week as I need to return it to the library soon. I think it will continue to be hot and sunny here next week. I am hoping for some rain to come and drop the temperature before I go work on the farm on Saturday. But then it would be humid and that isn’t ideal, either. I always feel so grateful for air conditioning this time of year and think I am lucky to work indoors. Stay cool, y’all. 🍦