The end of the two weeks

Okay, my husband has been out of town a bit. First, it was two or three days here and there, and I couldn't go with him because a.) it's hot here and the plants need to be watered everyday except when it rains, and it doesn't rain much, and they still might need to be watered even on a day that it rains, b.) I knew that the exterminator was coming at some point, and I wanted to be here when he came to my place so that I could ask him some questions, and c.) I can't justify little get-aways when there is still so much work to do. And then sometimes he goes out of town for a whole week, which I just can't do at all when I have plants to look after, unless maybe it is very early in the spring and there is a lot of rain, or maybe in the fall when there's rain or just the plants don't need to be watered anymore. The main time that I would go out of town for a whole week would be after first freeze in the fall and before spring planting.

This is August. I usually don't go out of town for a whole week in August, unless maybe the plants have all died or I've just given up on them. And I certainly am ready to give up on a lot of them. I have seven squash plants, and I've yet to get even one squash. They are probably going to die now. I don't know why they didn't have any squash, since they had plenty of flowers, both male and female. I have yet to see any beans, though I'm seeing flowers there too. The popcorn seems to be producing, though maybe not as much as I would like, and it won't be time to harvest that for a while yet. The sweet potatoes seem to be doing fine, but I won't really know until I dig them up in the fall. The cucumbers were really going at it, but now seem to be taking a bit of a break. But I think that the cucumbers are sending out new vines and will get back to work soon. The chayote died when it was about four foot tall. Most of the tomatoes look dead, but they aren't, so they still might recover in the fall. One of the luffa vines has really taken over, while the second one is still quite small, and there are no flowers on either vine yet. I think that I planted the pumpkins too late and nothing will come from them, even if they don't die.

And that leaves the peppers, which are taking a break in the heat, but the plants look good so long as they are watered everyday, and I expect to get a lot from them in the fall if I can keep them alive a bit longer in the hundred degree heat.

So, I am not ready to abandon the plants, since several are still working at producing something. So no week long trips for me.

And, while my husband was out for a week, we found out he was scheduled to work another week in a place that was closer to where he was than here, and he only had the one day off, so he might as well drive to the next place for the next week instead of coming home.

So that was two weeks away. And I had plenty of work to do here, and I usually get more done while he's away, and I try to do all the other things that are best done while I have the place to myself for a bit. But after awhile, two weeks by yourself is two weeks by yourself. It seems a long time to be by yourself when you aren't used to it.

Okay, so he's home now, though probably not for long. Tomorrow, he has jury duty. If he doesn't get picked he'll work two days in Dallas and three days out of town. The three days he is out of town will be 103 degrees here, and no more rain expected (we got some Friday), so I won't be going with him. And then he'll come home for a day or two before heading out again, for a week, and I won't be going then either even though he would have liked for us to head out someplace new as long as he was already nearly out of the state. But I can't leave the plants, and my friends are having a party a week from Saturday.

A week after that, it will be nearly the end of August. Maybe in September we will get a lot of rain.