Dog Days Dominate

In the last posting I wrote about the spectacular thunderstorms, which added wonderful shades of lively spring colors to the visual appeal of the prairie. It was incredibly exciting to drive over a hilltop and witness rolling greenness under a brilliant blue canopy. The open sky is what I love about this part of the USA.

In all fairness, the summer in SW Oklahoma as well as in Texas has been brutal with weeks of triple-digit temperatures and little rain. The ranchers are taking another hit with dried up pastures and low water levels in ponds for their livestock. The temperatures have forced me to hide indoors embracing the air conditioning vents and thanking Willis Carrier for being so clever. The dog days of summer trigger sympathy for the polar bears as they wait for the returning ice floes to provide relief.

During the last brutal blast of summer heat in 1998, I designed a landscape to acknowledge what was happening out there on the prairie day and night, and in church on Sunday mornings.

The scenario is repeated this year as

in Summer Prayers,

©Carol Ann Sinnreich.