Start of summer heat

Here in south Texas, summers tend to be hot and dry and it starts happening now. Most days the temp will top out in the upper 80's or low 90's and the rain never seems to come. We get teasers - little showers that pop up and wet the grass & then they are gone, but no real watering rain. The ground starts to dry out and cracks appear, lawns start to go brown as the grass goes dormant. You can water your lawns, but have to follow restrictions on when and how long. We also have to water around our house because of the way houses are constructed here. So around the house, the grass is green and the rest... well. Don't go outside without foot protection as fire ants are very common. Soon the temp will top out neat 100 every day. last year was unusual as we had well over 60 days of over 100. Usual average is about 35. If you get away from subdivisions you will see cacti growing. That said, winters aver very mild - a few days of 30's, a few hrs of upper 20's. Snow? What is that? The best time to be outside here is spring and fall. I have found I don't miss 4 seasons very much, although Christmas still seems a little strange with no snow or cold. Most years, Christmas is 70's .. Next time, I will ramble about what I am doing these days.
Chuck Maille