Labor Day

Well folks, I guess it is official.  Summer is winding down.  We just had our last official holiday of the summer season.  Since it was cool and rainy all day on Monday, I imagine a few plans got rained out or changed.  As for myself, I spent the day making jam from some boysenberries I got from a friend in Anza and canning green beans that I grew myself.  So I was happy for the less than perfect weather.  In my book, rain is the perfect weather.  But no matter, we hope everyone had a great holiday regardless of what they did.  And as the summer of 2011 comes to a close, we can take comfort in the fact that we  have the wonderful autumn season to look forward too! 

Autumn means cool, brisk mornings, spectacularly perfect sunny autumn afternoons,  leaves changing colors and that feeling in the air that the seasons are changing. We will smell the smoke from the first fires of the season as the evenings start to get cold and the smell of pine and cedar will permeate the cool evening air. It is also a time to get back to cooking soups, stews and all sorts of things that get put away for the summer months when cooking heats up the kitchen too much or there is just too much to do outside to be stuck in the kitchen over the hot stove.  But sandwiches and salads lose their appeal after several months and a bubbly beef stew with warm, homemade bread fresh from the oven and a fresh baked apple pie for dessert have been on my mind lately. 

While I am sure summer has a few punches left for us, I know it won't be long until my favorite season of the year is upon us.  Meanwhile, I will be having salad again for dinner tonight!

Pets and Heat

It seems we are having a bit of a heat wave this week.  Whew!  Can't wait until it is over, but in the mean time, we have to all try to stay as cool as possible.  Since so many of our customers are also animal owners or animal lovers, it is a good time to remind everyone to be extra diligent with their animals in this heat.

 Please do not leave your pet in the car during this heat wave.  I know many people like to take their dogs with them when they run errands, but if you can't do them early in the morning, then just leave them at home.  It is just too hot to sit in a car, even with all the windows down.  Your beloved friend will be much more comfortable at home, than in the hot car.

Water.  Make sure your pets have plenty of fresh, clean, cold water to drink.  This is especially important for animals kept outside.  Add ice to it periodically to make it as cold as possible.  It is critically important that they have access to fresh, clean, cool water at all times. Also, be sure to provide shade for them as a resbit from the sun and heat.  We all know it can be many degrees cooler in the shade than in the sun and this is a welcome relief to your animal.  Some animals enjoy a small kiddie pool full of water to cool off in.  If your pet doesn't like to get wet, try this.  Fill a kiddie pool or any container large enough to accommodate your pet, with sand.  Freeze a couple of gallon jugs or large freezer bags full of water and bury them in the sand.  Make sure you put this in the shade and it will provide a cool place for your pet to escape from the heat. 

If your pet isn't an indoor pet and if you have a nice cool garage, it can be a good idea to temporarily put your pet in the garage to make sure they stay nice and cool.  If this isn't an option, then you will need to take a couple extra steps to ensure your pet stays cool and comfortable during this heat wave.

Remember, our pets depend on us for their health, safety and well being.  This heat is hard on them and it doesn't take that much extra effort to make sure they are comfortable and well cared for during this heat wave.

Happy 4th of July!

Hard to believe but the 4th of July week end is upon us!  The Pine Cove Water District office we be closed on Monday, July 4, 2011.  We hope to see lots of you in town on Monday at the parade and out and about.  But no matter what your plans are, we hope you have a wonderful time and a great holiday weekend.  Stay cool and stay safe.

 And please remember your pets in this heat.  Make sure you don't leave your animals in the car and make sure they always have plenty of fresh water and a place to get out of the sun and or heat and cool off.

We will resume our normal office hours of 9 to 4 on July 5, 2011.   Happy 4th of July to everyone in Pine Cove!

Monday Musings

I think summer is finally here.  What an odd spring we had this year. As summer arrives tomorrow, the weather is due to heat up for the next couple of days.  I am sure since we had such a cool spring that this will feel like a heat wave to many people here in Pine Cove.   I think we have been having perfect weather lately.  It doesn't get any better than the low 70's in the day time and 50's at night.  What could be better?  The coming week looks to be very pleasant once we get past Wednesday's predicted high of 86.  It will then go back to the 70's and night time temps will drop from the 60's back to the 50's.  It is during this type of weather that I enjoy living in Pine Cove the most.  It is truly idyllic.

Autumn, where are you?

Here it is, the end of September and we are having a heat wave. Anyone who knows me, knows I loath the heat or any temperature extremes. Winter and summer are both too intense for my delicate sensibilities and I could live happily with just spring and autumn year round. Maybe a week of snow around Christmas for ambiance and a week of heat in the summer for beach going. Other than that, I could do without the extreme seasons. By the end of August, I feel like a wilted flower and have had more than enough of summer. Once September arrives, I happily looking forward to the cooler days and chilly nights of fall and wait with great anticipation for the changing of the leaves.

Autumn brings even more delights as the cooler days mean I can turn my oven on again! During the dog days of summer, my kitchen seems to go on hiatus with the exception of salad, sandwich and iced tea making. The oven sits idle and even cooking something on top of the stove is avoided for fear of making the house hotter than it already is. Even with the ceiling fan running full tilt, it still seems to be too hot to do anything but open the fridge. In this hot, non cooking state, ice cream suddenly seems to be an acceptable dinner entree!

Eventually though, one does grow weary of the no cook, pick something out of the garden or eat a Popsicle diet. Even ice cream looses it's appeal once you have eaten several gallons of the stuff. I grow weary of cleaning the ice cream maker and I am tired of making a gallon of tea each and every day.

The onset of autumn is a welcome relief because it means fully cooked meals are on the menu again. Things we haven't tasted in months are suddenly appearing on our plates. Meatloaf, stews and casseroles are bubbling away in the oven. Zucchini and bananas are magically transformed into delicious breads and tomatoes are baked up into pies. Beans and other garden delights are canned and put away for later. Hot tea in the tea pot replaces the gallon pitcher in the fridge and ice remains in the freezer for more than a few hours. In the fall, the kitchen seems to suddenly spring back to life!

Cooler autumn nights mean throwing a blanket or quilt on the bed and digging out that nice fuzzy bathrobe that has been in hiding for many months. That chill in the air as you rise in the morning is invigorating. Sleep is much more comfortable and the pugs are content to snuggle up in their doggy beds with their blankets instead of walking around most of the night constantly trying to find a cool spot under the ceiling fan.

As you make your way to the kitchen, you know that first cup of hot coffee or tea is going to taste so good. It is a bit chilly and don't break into a sweat by the walking into the kitchen. Instead of cold cereal, you can actually entertain the thought of cooking something for breakfast. What could be better on a chilly autumn morning than coming down to the kitchen, turning on the oven and baking up a batch of cinnamon rolls or biscuits? The heat from my 1950's O'Keefe and Merritt oven takes the chill off the house and the smell of coffee perking in the percolator and cinnamon rolls baking in the oven permeates the air. It is on these mornings that I know why I moved to the hill and why I love autumn so much. So Autumn, where are you?

Heat Wave

After a couple of very hot weeks, it was nice to have the clouds roll by on Saturday and spritz us with a few rain drops. It would have been nice to have more rain, but at least the clouds provided a little relief from the previous 2 weeks of heat and humidity. This type of weather is hard on not only us humans, but on our gardens as well. If you haven't already done so, perhaps now would be a good time to add some mulch to your garden.