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[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

June, July and August are my three least-favorite months here in the  
mid-Ozarks. Their redemption, of course, lies in the cornucopia of  
garden produce. That is the case in a normal year.

This has not been a normal year.

This year was an anomaly. By the end of June we had received forty-two  
inches of rain, which is about our yearly average. With lots of wet  
and less than normal sunshine, the weeds and the bugs responded faster  
than the veggies. The tomatoes had a bad time of it. Now, after three- 
and-a-half inches of Hurricane Gustav's after-showers, only sunshine  
is needed for the second heavy load of green tomatoes to make it to  
ripening. For the first time all year the basil is coming on strong.  
Sweet potatoes look good. Early potatoes were fine. Squash had a devil  
of a time of it; I confidently gave away all of my zucchini plants  
save two and watched in bewilderment as both plants started setting  
fruit and then withered and died. A first.

September is starting out cool. There was a bit of sunshine today.  
Perhaps we will now experience the second coming.

I'm ready for it.