If you sang the title, you’re definitely one of my people! Like many of you, the heat has been unbearable lately. When we decided to move down here, we thought we could tough it out without air conditioning. We even had a backup AC in the camper just in case we needed it. Well... our cat, Hawthorne, fell seriously ill. He was vomiting a lot, and of course, he chose the weekend to do this. We barely slept that first night, constantly cleaning up messes. The next day, he seemed to improve for a few hours, but then the vomiting started again—though not as frequently. We were so worried about him getting dehydrated in this heat and humidity. Thankfully, our dear friends lent us an old floor model AC. Was it cool in here? Not really, but it was 15 degrees cooler than outside. Some days, with the heat index reaching 110, we knew we had to do something. Eventually, we broke down and ordered a floor unit for ourselves, which was another unexpected expense. While it works better than the one we borrowed, it still doesn’t cool as well as the camper. We had wanted a window unit, but none of our windows could accommodate one. We considered cutting a hole in the wall, but none were small enough to fit between the 2x4s, and Rick wasn’t keen on major reconstruction. Anything is better than being outside in this heat.
When Monday rolled around, we took our boy to the vet, he cried the whole way. My cats are homebodies and despise car rides. The clinic staff was incredibly kind to both him and us. We provided all the details about his symptoms, and they took him back for an examination. They returned with good news: he’s healthy! They suspected he either had an upset stomach or a hairball that he couldn’t pass. They prescribed two medications, and thankfully, the bill came to just $77—much lower than we had anticipated. Just another bill to manage. We cried part of the way home, and as soon as we pulled into the driveway, he knew we were back. He bolted out of the car and darted straight under the conex, managing to wriggle out of his collar. We finally coaxed him out, but we had never seen a cat pant before; poor baby! Once we got him inside, our other cat, Sadie, greeted him with nothing but hisses and swats. we swear she’s bipolar! She doesn’t like him going outside, and since she prefers to stay in, we leave her inside.
Hawthorne was not a cooperative patient when it came to taking his medicine. He’s usually so chill when we clip his nails, but you’d think we were torturing him. Cat had to syringe some liquid down his throat, and the other medication was a paste that he refused to eat. They suggested smearing it on his paws if he wouldn’t eat it, but he barely groomed his paws. They also recommended putting it on the roof of his mouth—yeah, right! I ended up smearing it on his lips. He didn’t like it, but we managed to get it into him. It took a few days for him to feel better, but he’s our boy again! He was never lethargic; he just wasn’t eating or drinking as he should have. Usually our chatterbox, he barely meowed, and his purr, usually like a motor, was almost non-existent. We knew he was back to normal when he started talking, purring, and trying to sneak outside.
With this heat wave, all our projects have been put on hold. We’ve focused on only the essentials: picking produce, watering, preparing meals, and doing dishes. That’s about it. Cat did manage to bake some bread, which was an interesting experience. The humidity kept the dough sticky, and Cat gave up adding flour. It turned out delicious! She also made a crustless pumpkin pie using a recipe from our friend Brenda. We had to pull the carrots since they were starting to bolt, and we harvested the beets too, as they were being munched on. Cat did some canning, though it wasn’t a very bountiful harvest. she even had to break down and do laundry a few times.
We’ve been blessed with several days of afternoon storms, which dropped the temperature by 30 degrees and saved us from watering the gardens. Speaking of gardens, the new herb garden isn’t doing well at all. We saw some sprouts, but one of the rainstorms was a downpour that flooded the area. Our brassicas are still not producing, and the brussels sprouts have started, but we might just eat the leaves and call it good. The pumpkin plants are thriving, although one is only producing male flowers. The cucumbers are blooming, and the green beans are thriving, with our second planting not far behind. The sweet corn is sparse, but we can still hope. Cat reseeded the zucchini, trying new seeds and planting the rest of the bum packet. It looks like we’ll have a ton of them since most of the seeds germinated. We’re proud of the progress we’re making in the garden for our first year; next year will be even better!
We’ve had the pleasure of spending time with some of our neighbors and friends lately. It’s always nice to sit down, chat, and lend a helping hand to one another. Ty and Shan kindly loaned us their air conditioner, and in return, we sent them home with some pine berry and medicinal herb plants. We also had the chance to see the wood mill in action at his daughter's property, where he generously offered us some slab wood and pine shavings—what a treat! Bertha has been wonderful as well, gifting us fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and a goji berry plant. Cat sent her off with pine berries and medicinal herbs too, as she intentionally over-seeded to share the bounty. Chad stopped by as well; he had been out of state for a few months, so it was great to reconnect. He has quite a bit of work to catch up on at his place. One thing I've learned about this lifestyle is that when you put good into the world, it often comes back to you. We barter time and resources, and there’s something deeply fulfilling about helping others, even if it’s just by sharing advice or directing them to helpful resources.
It’s been nice to have the air conditioner running for a few days now as we prepare for our next round of projects. Yesterday and today were filled with appointments and business matters. Tomorrow, we’ll finally stain the remaining sections of the kitchen that have been waiting patiently for our attention. We also need to cage our berry plants and hope to hang all our cast iron pans on the wall soon. A screen door is on our list as well, as we sometimes struggle with airflow in the cabin. When we open that door, it feels like heaven! We’ve even started putting the cats on leashes so we can enjoy the fresh air until the bugs come in from the lights. Additionally, milling shelves and tackling the cabinetry in the bathroom are up next on our agenda.
We hope you had a fantastic Independence Day! We spent ours relaxing at home and enjoying the outdoors. We’d also like to give a big shoutout to Cat's daughter Allison, who turned 25 today. We’re still working out the details for our trip to Michigan in August. The new air conditioner has disrupted some of our automatic systems, but we’ll get it all sorted. We’re really looking forward to seeing everyone and meeting the new grandbaby.
Remember Small Steps Get You Miles
Rick & Cat
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