Welcome to the south side of hell...

The outside temperature gauge on my car said 108 degrees today when I was driving to the store.  Every year I wonder the same thing:  WHY am I living here???  Of course, there are a multitude of answers to that question, which I won't go into here.  Suffice it to say that the three month battle to keep everything in my garden alive has begun.

This is the view from my kitchen window (I love having a window over my sink!):

My aunt and I went to the nursery today and purchased a number of succulents to put in a planter, which I will do tomorrow morning when it is still relatively cool.  I planted cucumber and pumpkin seeds yesterday and will plant some corn tomorrow.  I don't know how much luck I'll have, but it's worth a try.  It seems crazy to be planting stuff in a blast furnace, but my master gardening guide says now is the time.  Updates to follow...