July 22, 2024

Ah, July! Hot steamy days, followed by majestic frightening thunderstorms sweeping down the valley, and cool restful nights. The pasture grows much more slowly now. Clumps of grass have grown long, gone to seed, and fallen over. Farmer girl thinks it looks old and quite unappetizing. The cows disagree.

“She’s always doing it!” they hiss to each other, switching their tails defiantly as they head up the cowlane to the milking parlor. “Why doesn’t she learn?”

“There I was” said Sally “eating the most gorgeous grass, and what did she do but come walking up behind me and tell me to move on up to the milking parlor?”

“One of these days” said Dorothy “I will find her while she is eating and I will moo in her ear and tell her to leave it and get a move on!”

Sophie suggested revolt, but the others shot that idea down.

“It’s much too warm for all that running” said Alison. “Let’s just be really annoying once we get to the barn and she’s ready to start milking.”

“We’ll refuse to go into the parlor” said Joan. “And when she goes to put the milkers on us, we’ll switch our tails in her face. We could take a couple swipes at her too, you know! She wouldn’t know what to do about that, because we’d tell her we’re kicking at the flies.”

July may be hot and steamy, but the month redeems itself with riches from the garden. Our summer salad stars crisp cucumbers, fresh red garden-ripe tomatoes, green peppers, a bit of onion, and fresh squeaky cheese curds. Add a hard-boiled egg, aromatic herbs, and a lemony dressing. Finish your meal with wild-picked blackberries warm from the sun, and whipped cream….