I am too lazy to write complete sentences and paragraphs. I am not in any mood, really, to order my thoughts into correct grammar and sentence structure. I suppose that makes this worth a little less than it normally would had I felt the need (and had the energy) to write it out fully, but c'est la vie. Right?

Where to begin? Summer. Hot. Unseasonably hot for Upstate New York. Unseasonably hot and dry for this land of perpetual clouds and fresh water. Mosquitoes and flies by the thousands...even this late into Summer. And despite the dry-spells. And so on. Everything is two weeks ahead of schedule. Plants, animals, weather. Even people. Kind of. Not really. But the idea is the same.

Tomatoes are catching a bit of the Early Blight and the Fusarium Wilt. Yellowing leaves and some small splotches of brown. But the fruit is forming and there has been some success with the Zebra Stripes. Even the nearly and apparently dessicated Italian Heirlooms are producing. I cannot complain too much.

Peppers are dead, killed by a disease that wasted and runted them. I assume it was from the nursery I bought them from. Next year I have resolved to grow everything - everything and anything from flowers to Eggplants and Peppers - from seed. Finally.

Corn is seriously depleted. There was a heavy rain several weeks ago that basically drowned the corn. It has yet to recover fully. Along with Cucumbers. And some of the Sunflowers. But whatever.

I had a good, long look at Jupiter the other night with the telescope. I could make out five of Its moons (forgive me for forgetting the names...I believe Ganymede and Io were two of them) and I could faintly make out two dark, almost red-ish stripes on the planet itself. I understand those stripes to be elements of the Jovian atmosphere. Jupiter is beautiful, but it does not have the same enchantment as Saturn with its spectacular and almost unbelievable rings. The Moon is a constant source of amazement. At 4:30 AM, the Moon is half-heartedly illuminated in its particular phase, and the whole of the Moon is somewhat visible as a darkened grey in contrast with the bright, white Crescent. It is all so gorgeous and it takes your breath away.

There are moments throughout the day when the pressure of loneliness almost tugs at my chest. And my mind and its attendants rush into the fray to dislodge the invader.

There are no maps for this region. Wandering with no instincts for it at all.

Wedding Season. One this weekend and one big one next weekend. Terrible opportunities for contemplation and reflection.