Turned cool, thankfully . . . or not

It has been very, very warm for New England.  Hot and humid.  Thank God for those window units that still work.  And lots of fans.  We have survived.

Last night I went out on the deck to try to find one of my cats (they must come in at night or they could become a meal for coyotes) and was shocked to find it in the 60's.  Oh, it was so refreshing.  Yes, to a person it feels wonderful.  To a squash or cucumber plant it means almost coming to a standstill in growth.

This morning is it 58.4 degrees Farenheit at 6:15 a.m.  Brrrr.  I am not complaining for me.  It is delightful.  But I want more squash, cucumbers and tomatoes.  Strangely enough, August in Connecticut tends to be cooler than July, the opposite of the southern states.  In Texas or Florida, August is usually the hottest, and I mean scorching hot, month.

Sugar pumpkin turning beautiful orange.  Look closely at the bottom of the picture.

With those cooler, fallish temperatures it makes more sense to have my first Sugar Pumpkin begin to turn orange.  What a gorgeous contrast between the green and orange.  And if you look closely at the picture, what do you see beneath that pumpkin?

Joey's pumpkin

See Joey's pumpkin? This is pumpkin number two what is growing on the fencing.  And boy how it has grown.

Joey's pumpkin

Did you know that if you scratch a child's name on a growing pumpkin it scabs over?  When the pumpkin is ready it has the child's name in light brown against the orange outer skin?  I took a nail to Joey's pumpkin on Saturday.  I took this picture yesterday (Monday) and it was already scabbing over.  This morning it is much more pronounced.

Pumpkin blossom

I have taken at least 50 shots of pumpkin flowers but this is my favorite.  The color is so intense as though the vine sends up a big party platform declaring, "sweet nectar for all!!!"  The stamen is huge (though not captured in this shot) as though it was designed for blind bees, or those who accidentally stumble upon this giant flower.

Moskovich tomato plant

The tip of my Moskovich tomato (driveway container garden) reaching for the heavens, soaking in a shower of rays from the hot sun.  

Have a wonderful Tuesday!