July 2022 brought both dry heat and heavy rain to my part of the country. The high temperature topped out at 109 degrees Fahrenheit. Multiple rains of over an inch also occurred. The heat is a normal occurrence in July on the High Plains of America, July 2022 was not exceptional. The rain was a bit above average but not unheard of as compared to other parts of the United States getting a once in a lifetime storm, over and over again.

Ever since Hurricane Harvey dumped feet of rain on Houston, Texas, I keep an eye on storm systems. Slow moving rains can saturate the ground, even when the ground is parched. Furthermore, the storms don’t need to be hurricanes.

Last winter we suffered through 100 plus m.p.h. winds which devastated my garden fence and blew away my garlic. Click here to read the January 2022 Wrap-up. Winds this summer snapped my almost 30-year-old, borer-riddled, prize-winning peach tree in half. The fruit was too immature to ripen.

I am not old enough to personally know how this year’s winds differ from the Dust Bowl years. I am thankful these winds did not occur ten or so years ago when we witnessed less than ten inches of precipitation two years in a row. No rain and high winds make a deadly combination in my part of the world.

Finally, I feel like I am back on track with my writing, both on the blog and otherwise. Writer’s block exists. My goal for July 2022 focused on output first and then on quality. Hopefully the content did not suffer much.

Perhaps re-reading the Diane Mott Davidson books helped. Certainly, Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant’s Option B helped my malaise. Plus reading and reviewing the two new fiction books, Meant to Be and We Begin At The End was time well spent.

Once again rural county fairs are in full swing. Carnivals and parades augment the showcasing of 4-H projects and Open Class exhibits. Funnel cakes, snow cones and Bierocks are sold at concession stands to fairgoers. Everyone needs to experience a county fair at least once in life. Those of us involved in rural life look forward to the fair each year.