Transcript
Alexis: All right, so I'm not gonna lie, every time I hear that intro, I'm like, is that what I sound like? Like not in a bad way, but I'm like, is that my voice? Is that what I sound like?
atack2010: your moderately caffeinated voice.
Josh: I feel the same way. I always think it's my voice. And then I'm like, oh, that way.
Alexis: Oh, that makes sense. That tracks. Yeah. Oh no, wait, that I think might be Alexis. I'm not positive.
atack2010: Could be me.
Alexis: Um, anyways, welcome everybody to another episode. We're talking about midsummer, the solstice, the changing of the days.
Brett: Woof! Mmm.
Alexis: We're talking about it.
Josh: The longest day of your life.
atack2010: This year.
Alexis: That was, uh, may was just, just may in general, the longest day of my life.
atack2010: Is it gonna be May?
Josh: Hehehehe.
Alexis: Yeah, pretty much the entire thing. But you know, that is that is farming for most of us. May is like wild time, so it's go time, but also oh god time, but also oh no. um
Brett: may is the May is the longest month of my life. is That speaks to me on a very deep level. i
atack2010: I mean, it could be all of the best of times and the worst of times kind of dichotomy.
Brett: not
atack2010: I don't know. I don't know.
Brett: Yeah, I mean, may May for me was not that, but it the concept, the sentiment.
Josh: Mhm.
Brett: has has cultural significance in my life, much like the Midsummer period has across human traditions in different places. And we find ourselves there at the Midsummer.
Josh: Mhm.
atack2010: Yeah.
Alexis: Hello. meet soma I to call it Midsummer.
Josh: Yes.
atack2010: Midsummer.
Alexis: That just sounds so much more like good and folksy and yeah.
atack2010: I don't know.
Brett: Germanic.
atack2010: Yeah. I like ah European traditions of midsummer festivals.
Josh: Yeah.
Brett: Mm -hmm.
atack2010: and It seems like when we're in June, I don't consider, I mean, because I'm looking forward to July here in Kentucky, at least in zone six and seven, where we're at.
Josh: The
Alexis: Oh, why?
Brett: Why what?
atack2010: Well, I'm just saying as far as, s as as far as summer,
Alexis: Uh.
Josh: I know, this guy, man, this guy.
Alexis: July, you are pale as pale can be.
Brett: You're looking forward to.
Josh: yeah
Alexis: How do you like July?
Brett: but
Josh: He likes seeing the big numbers on his electricity bill.
atack2010: Well, I do, I do.
Alexis: Mm hmm.
atack2010: i like I like the hard hitting. Now, growing up, we never had AC, so May was one of my absolute, for April and May, because of the moderate temperatures.
Brett: Mm hmm.
atack2010: Never had, you know, environmental controls. We talked about that on a previous podcast.
Alexis: Mm hmm.
atack2010: We did not have those. We had window fans, but I loved the cooler, the months, but yeah June was warming up and July was somewhat miserable and August could be as well. So yes, temperature wise,
Alexis: But here you are, loving July.
Brett: But now you look forward to July.
atack2010: No, I don't look forward. I look forward to summer and the long days. I guess I look forward to time after the typical, the typical work day, whatever that is, whatever, you know, if yes, it's yes.
Alexis: Gotcha.
Josh: I gotcha.
Alexis: Okay.
Josh: Yeah, like when they start still out, when you get off work, you can do things outside.
Alexis: isn
Josh: I gotcha.
Alexis: Yeah.
atack2010: it a More playtime, more outside time, more gardening time. But, uh, yeah, it's, it's tough when I go to work and it's dark and I come back and it's dark. I feel like a cave troll.
Alexis: Yeah, it's miserable.
atack2010: Yeah.
Brett: right Ray, I feel like i you're making me need to confess.
Josh: Yeah, yeah, I got that.
atack2010: us Yeah. Yeah.
Brett: I can't help but jump on a bandwagon when people are dogging on someone like we just all did on you for saying that you're...
atack2010: but it but it's but it's But it's fun, though.
Josh: but
atack2010: It's fun, though.
Brett: I... Yeah, it was very fun to to just to do that to you just now.
atack2010: ah But what are you going to admit?
Alexis: The dog on you, yeah.
atack2010: Do you have a confession?
Brett: i i i am I am confirmed officially a hot weather guy.
atack2010: a
Alexis: o
atack2010: Are you? Are you?
Brett: Yes.
Josh: Yeah, I knew a guy like that no, thank you
atack2010: Yeah.
Brett: I... Yeah, i i used to know I used to hate it.
atack2010: Mm -hmm.
Brett: And i I just love it. I just feel so alive. Yeah, I'm sweaty and like uncomfortable. And like sometimes when I'm working outside, I feel like I'm going to...
atack2010: Um just sounds good so far.
Alexis: Yeah, everything sucks about my life. but
Josh: All right.
atack2010: Yeah Yeah Yeah It's like your whole body's crying
Brett: You can make me feel like you're going to pass out. And like you know if you if you don't drink water, it's not...
Josh: All right. It's on the edge.
Brett: Yeah, if you don't drink water, it's not like a minor inconvenience. It's potentially healthy you know health problem -causing.
Alexis: yeah it's like
Josh: Right, right.
Alexis: detrimental
Brett: But I love it.
Josh: I will say what is cool.
Brett: I really do.
Josh: I will say what I appreciate about it is just when you're drenched in sweat, like nobody can tell that you're crying.
Brett: good And even if you were, they could understand why.
atack2010: Yeah.
Josh: Well, I'd be like, I get it.
Alexis: i i Do I have to pick just hot or cold? Can I just pick the shoulder seasons?
Brett: Oh my gosh, no, you can't pick the shoulder seasons.
Alexis: Because I don't...
Josh: Oh, yeah, yeah.
atack2010: Nobody cries on the shoulders, miss.
Brett: This is America, land of...
Alexis: Why? Who said?
Josh: you
Alexis: Who's...
Brett: This is America, land of extremes.
Josh: Yeah.
Brett: It's a two -party system, hot or cold.
atack2010: it's
Alexis: I, I just need to be acclimated. I think the acclimation like time period is the, I'm so pissed off that I'm not like, I can't, I'm like, I was fine last July, but now it's early June and I can't function.
Josh: yeah
Brett: Hmm.
Alexis: And it's like, I don't understand. I haven't acclimated yet. And so I had to give myself a little bit of grace, drink some more water, eat at a popsicle or two. And then eventually I get there. I felt a little better after this weekend, but, um, I don't,
Brett: See, your mistake was when you whenever you stopped eating popsicles last July.
atack2010: Yeah.
Brett: I just eat them year round and I'm ready to go ready for anything.
atack2010: You just year round just, you never, you you never have to reacclimate.
Alexis: just year round popsicles.
Josh: My mouth is hot. What happened?
Brett: Yeah.
Alexis: We, uh, I don't know if I, I don't know if I told you this or not, but we just got a fridge in the barn that I found on sale and I got like the first thing that went in there was, uh, those popsicles that like cut the sides of your mouth.
atack2010: If you never stop, you don't have to acclimate. Yeah.
Josh: Nice.
atack2010: um Oh, flavor
Brett: oh yeah, fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla - fla
Josh: Oh, nice.
Alexis: Like the old, yeah.
Josh: The push pops.
Alexis: Yeah. Yeah.
atack2010: blades.
Alexis: like have but That was the very first thing that went in the, in the fridge was bar, like barn popsicles, like, uh, Just doesn't, nothing hits quite like a Popsicle out in the heat, like.
atack2010: Yeah. ah My brother called him flavor shanks.
Josh: Nice.
atack2010: Yeah.
Josh: nice
Josh: I like when you you kind of get going too fast with the cold stuff and you get like the brain hurt.
Alexis: you Like that's something you enjoy, just status.
Josh: That's cool.
Brett: - fla
Josh: Yeah, it's good times.
atack2010: Yeah, that's always nice. Yeah.
Brett: see i knew you were a hot weather guy josh
atack2010: We're all admitting it.
Brett: after all
Josh: yeah
atack2010: I don't know, i I love the long days, he's not necessarily the extreme heat, but you know, I do believe that's one of the reasons that I love like woodland areas because that's where the shade is.
Josh: you know
Josh: Yeah, yeah, I got you.
atack2010: When it was hot out, you could be under like woodland, it dropped 15 degrees. Like if you got a large canopy overhead, a little breeze going, that's maybe why I love like shady woodland areas is because, you know, if you have to live with that day in and day out and then sleep in that kind of hot weather, then I grew to love like shady areas.
Josh: Yeah.
atack2010: So yeah, and I am blonde headed fire complected, so.
Brett: They're very brief aside, Ray, from a previous episode you referred to the blue side of the mountain.
Josh: Hahaha.
atack2010: Mm -hmm Yeah ah yeah ah Yeah It's a game changer and It needs to be normal people's next hour.
Brett: I think about it all the time.
Alexis: but One of the next songs Brett puts out
Brett: I it really that i don't know what, something about that. woof
Alexis: Normal people's next album, Blue Side of the Mountain.
atack2010: It really does.
Brett: I don't know if we're rustic and ah like authentically
atack2010: It was a big deal.
Brett: like
atack2010: I mean, you you go to the blue side and there's just ferns and moss because and I would seek those places out in and particular places with running water in the summer and you would go there and it's 20 degrees cooler.
Brett: Yeah.
Josh: Yeah,
Brett: Gosh.
Brett: Oh
Josh: yeah.
atack2010: Just the rock doesn't, you know, accumulate heat um and doesn't give that off on the day.
Josh: yeah
Alexis: that's That's where the fairies are.
Brett: man.
atack2010: That is where the fairies are.
Josh: Well, yeah. And if you're, if you're in that kind of like slope, like that's where my cabin was when I lived out in the Eastern part was like, quote unquote, the blue side of the mountain, but at the base of like a 1200 foot ridge, right?
atack2010: Oh, yeah, the shady part.
Josh: So there was just this constant cool airflow blowing by.
atack2010: It's awesome. Did you get any sun much during the day? Is it like really, really like, like a very short period of some 12 o 'clock?
Josh: You never get like, in order to get sun, you'd have to leave my house and maybe it and you'd have to leave my house at noon and walk like 200 yards away. Like it was just and the sun never hit that structure.
atack2010: Yeah. Yeah. Yep. Yep. It is. It is a different world in winter times. I mean, it can protect you in the winter time, but I mean, the trade -off is, I mean, how do you grow like a garden in those spots? and And I got questions like that in the past in a very mountainous county that I covered. ah People will try to grow gardens and, and you know, sunlight is the number one limiting factor in a forest. That's the first thing they teach you in forestry is sunlight's the number one limiting factor.
Josh: and
atack2010: It's not nutrients. It's not moisture. It's sunlight, you know, and those places you just are not going to get the sunlight.
Josh: right
Josh: Yeah, so you just eat, your diet becomes mushrooms.
atack2010: Oh, yeah.
Josh: It's all good.
atack2010: Yeah. Drowland fish and other such you know things that you could find in the woods.
Brett: Moss tea.
atack2010: You have some all -stain Yeah, lots of those around so Yes, yeah, that's part of the cycle yes a very very long leash I
Josh: Grubs, mushrooms, different lichens.
Alexis: Fiddlehead ferns. Fiddleheads are very high in vitamins.
Brett: Yeah, very filling.
Alexis: so
Josh: And animals. let Let the animal go out into the sunny spot, eat some some grass and then come back and then you eat the animal. It works out.
Alexis: It's all great.
Brett: Just need a 200 yard long leash.
Alexis: It's all great.
Alexis: However, on the solstice, you have to find some wildflowers because you have to make a flower crown to wear to ward off the chaos causing fairies. So um hopefully you have.
Brett: Whoa.
Josh: yeah
atack2010: Did you say chaos causing coworkers or fairies?
Alexis: I mean, what's the difference?
atack2010: Yeah, whatever, whatever.
Alexis: Just chaos in general. um
Brett: I'm going to say it again. The biggest mistake that you would make is not wearing the, the wildflower crown year round.
atack2010: Yes, I think so.
Brett: That's what I do.
Alexis: I, I'm just going to get it like tattooed across my brow.
Brett: and works It works. It's worked out great for me.
Brett: Oh, wow.
Josh: Yeah.
atack2010: Perfect.
Alexis: Just yeah.
Josh: There you go. Yeah, that will definitely slow the chaos in your life down.
Alexis: There we go.
atack2010: Draped.
atack2010: Yes, that will.
Alexis: What were those commercials where the guy was like, he'd like get in accidents. Mayhem. It was the guy who was like, he, he was mayhem.
Josh: Yeah.
atack2010: Yes.
Alexis: I feel like that's where we are here. Like the fairies are mayhem and you have to wear a flower crown because obviously that is the answer. Wear one.
Brett: Well, so I will say prior to when I started working um with the very fun, but admittedly quite crunchy crowd of the UK South Farm and other affiliated people, I never really observed the solstice ah or even knew it was happening.
Alexis: Mmhmm.
Brett: But among ah that type of people, I guess I'm one of them now, this also does hold some significance.
Alexis: Mmhmm.
atack2010: Thank
Brett: And in cross -cultures, it has it has held a lot of significance.
Josh: Mm.
Brett: We mentioned the kind of Midsommar, Maple, Germanic traditions and all these other things, that we some of which we don't even really understand the origins of.
atack2010: you.
Brett: um And obviously there's there there are some implications for growing things. you know It's the the daylight, the day length is getting shorter, but I'm curious for you all, ah you know it could be directly or just ah obliquely horticulture related.
Alexis: Mm hmm.
Brett: what What does the solstice, the summer solstice trigger for you all? Or what does it what how do you think about it? What does it mean? Does this mean anything to you?
Alexis: Um, I mean, I'll, I'll start out. I mean, we all know I like to grow flowers. And so a lot of flowers are daylight sensitive. And so the solstice is the longest day of the year. And that means that after that it starts getting darker. So, uh, you lose daylight starting, um, after solstice until When is it? Late December and then we start gaining light again.
Josh: Mm.
Alexis: and so ah For a lot of flowering plants, that this is a cue for them. so Once they hit certain amount of daylight hours, they will begin flowering or they'll begin vegetative growth or you know all of them are a little bit different. and so I know I get questions, I see questions on, you know, like Facebook groups that I'm in and I get questions as an extension agent a lot on why are my cut flowers, you know, they're flowering and they're only three inches tall. And it's because those plants are going to flower when that light changes period. It doesn't matter if it's three inches tall or 12 inches tall.
Alexis: It's going to start flowering once it hits certain daylight. and so you know You have to plant those things early enough to get the plant beefy enough so that it has long stems by the time those hours come along. and so Really, for me, that's um you know we don't always think of it as our planting time. We should plant it you know in March so that it's beefy enough by solstice, but really that's what we're talking about is is the light change. we want
Brett: what are What are examples of those types of flowers?
Alexis: Um, chrysanthemums are a big one. I think that everybody's pretty familiar with whether it's like a potted mum, right? That you buy for, you know, the holiday season in the fall or, uh, cutting mums. And so they start to flower under, I think it's under 12 hours of daylight. Don't quote me on that. Uh, another one that is Campanula, which is bellflower. It will flower. Um, it flowers. on less daylight, so it's the opposite. or it's the opposite itll It blooms early in the spring, so once we kind of hit solstice, it's done.
Josh: Yeah.
Alexis: It's already flowered and set seed. so and some you know There's sunflowers that are daylight sensitive and and there's a lot of crops. Some of that has been bred out of plants.
atack2010: Points at is that's a big one short name.
Alexis: That's a big thing now. Poinsettias are short day.
atack2010: Yeah big commercial crop And isn't that manipulated commercially ah How does that work?
Alexis: ah That's why we grow them in the winter here. A lot of the reason why, because we have short days, ah but they Mm hmm. Yes.
Josh: yeah
atack2010: I mean that you could you can't you don't have to rely on the Sun that do you?
Alexis: Yeah.
Brett: You put a blindfold on it.
atack2010: Yes, you covers relies
Alexis: Basically, yeah, like, so there's, there's shade cloth that they put on and they'll actually interrupt that. Uh, you know, depending on where they are in the season, they'll interrupt that. So they'll be dark all, you know, say they're dark all night and they're supposed to have, you know, only supposed to have six hours of night. Uh, but you know, the night is actually longer than that in the winter. They'll actually interrupt it with, you know, like sometimes even five minutes of light ah in the middle of the night, we'll interrupt interrupt that and reset the clocks for that plant.
Josh: No. Mm.
Alexis: And so it's like. throws that out of whack, but ah that's how you get them to bloom and set color.
atack2010: Mm.
Brett: that feels that feels like a torture torture under the Geneva Convention like waking someone yeah
Alexis: Manipulative.
Josh: Alright, right. You can't get more than 10 hours to sleep.
Alexis: Well. Yeah, yeah, but you're feeding them when you do it. It's like here, wake up and have an ice cream.
Brett: Yeah. So they can continue their hellish facade of, but I'm just kidding.
Alexis: And then go back to.
Brett: I'm just, I'm just teasing.
Alexis: If someone wakes me up at 3 a .m.
Brett: I'm just teasing.
Alexis: and is like, I usually am awake anyways at 3 a .m. because I don't know, that's when the fairies come out, I think, or you have a five minute life and someone handed me an ice cream, I'd be like, okay, that's fine.
Brett: Cause you got that five minute, that five minute light that comes on. So that used to,
Josh: And then right back to Ben.
Alexis: And then back to bed.
Josh: Now isn't that term, I always think of it as like it, cause I think we learned about it described as photo periodism and like photo period sensitivity for those of you that want to look it up and see what it does.
Brett: that's really cool.
Alexis: Mm hmm.
atack2010: Yeah.
Alexis: Mm hmm.
Josh: Cause it is plant specific as to what plants are sensitive to it and how the sensitivity comes up, whether it's like a broken, you know, a broken nighttime or shorter days or growing shorter days.
atack2010: here
Alexis: Yeah.
atack2010: How much? Yeah.
Josh: It can be all pretty different.
atack2010: And some plants really don't mind, do they?
Alexis: And yeah, they don't care.
atack2010: Either way, some plants don't care.
Josh: Yeah.
atack2010: They're just going to grow.
Alexis: They're like, I just give me, give me food, give me water. I will do whatever.
atack2010: I'm thinking of you, Zenyas. Zenyas don't care.
Josh: Day, night, whatever.
Alexis: Yeah.
atack2010: but They're very neutral. they they They just grow and are beautiful.
Alexis: Yeah.
atack2010: Yeah.
Josh: Yeah, it's like photo period sensitive and photo period neutral, I think.
Alexis: If you can.
Alexis: Mm -hmm.
Josh: Sounds right.
Alexis: We're gonna go with that. We can trust us.
atack2010: ah
Josh: yeah
Alexis: We're professionals.
atack2010: And the long day stuff is like my favorite garden grass, like tomatoes, pepper, stuff like that. That's like the sun loving long day. But, uh, what is it? If you, if you're considered a short day plant, you're typically, it has flowered before the solstice, which this year, the solstice, I don't know that we've said at June 20 at what time is it like four 50 PM exactly the polar there.
Josh: June 20 to 21, yeah, something like that.
atack2010: But, uh, the, if you're a short day plant, you're typically what done with the blooming. Sockle before that and if you're a long day plant you bloom or you're growing right around that at the best at around the summer solstice Yeah
Alexis: And as your as those days get shorter, so like mums, for example, they want to grow during the longest days and then once we get to fall, and those day that daylight drops under 12 hours or whatever it is, that is what signals the plant to bloom. so It's kind of some somewhat opposite of what you might think, um but yeah, long day plants actually bloom when the light gets less and short day plants actually bloom when the days hit a certain length, like longer.
atack2010: yeah
atack2010: mm -hmm yeah you can base it I mean and some people ah that you can get caught up in is it day length or night length but in the end it's kind of the same it's just however you conceptualize that
Brett: Yeah, i read I read something and I was doing a little background looking in on some of this stuff and they they talked about the the the summer solstice being the shortest night of the year, which I think that was the first time I'd ever heard it described that way.
Alexis: Mmhmm.
Alexis: Mmhmm.
Josh: Yeah.
atack2010: Mmhmm.
Josh: Mm hmm.
Brett: um And and that like some of the folkloric traditions were around like since the night is so short like the spirits are kind of wiling and so you got to be like kind of careful because It's just like I don't know.
Alexis: Mmhmm.
Alexis: The veil is thin.
Brett: They're yeah, I guess so um I think for me as far as the meaning of it ah It's it's this really odd ah marker of when things start to change in the year, but it, and unless I was like aware that it was changing in that way, I don't necessarily know that I would know.
Alexis: Hmm.
atack2010: Yeah. In Kentucky, you know, I see June 20th, summer's just getting cranked up.
Brett: oh
Josh: Yeah.
atack2010: We're just going.
Brett: Right.
Josh: Right.
Alexis: Yeah.
atack2010: I mean, now that may not be true of all parts of the country, but summer solstice is a little bit odd for me. I look forward to the the winter solstice. We were talking about this as we were getting ready for the the episode today.
Josh: Mm
atack2010: I look forward to the winter solstice because, you know, I'm going to get more daylight back, but the summer solstice always catches me unless I look at a calendar and say,
Alexis: Mhmm.
Josh: -hmm.
Alexis: Mhmm.
atack2010: It's going to be June 20, 2024.
Josh: Yeah.
Brett: it if It feels like the the crack of the whip, you know, where it's like, it's where the, je but but it happens, but then the actual like landing of of all of the inertia of the year happens after, you know, it's kind of like a delayed thing.
atack2010: It's like I don't see it being the height of summer. Like that's not happened yet.
Josh: Right, yeah, it's like the date. are Right, yeah.
Alexis: Like the start of summer, almost.
atack2010: Yes, it is a wake up call. Yes.
Josh: Yeah, yeah.
atack2010: Yeah. The wind up.
Brett: But yeah, what were we gonna say, Josh? Sorry, I cut you off.
Josh: Well, yeah, ah basically the same thing that like the you know we've been getting all these growing, lengthier days. Lots of solar heat is hitting the planet. But like the actual warmth and the heat of summer doesn't hit till later. like I don't think of June 20th as the hottest day of the year, just like noon isn't the hottest part of the day.
atack2010: No.
Alexis: Mm -mm. Mm -hmm.
Brett: yeah
atack2010: No.
Josh: It's like after it's had time to kind of build up. And while while doing a little bit of research on this, I was looking at, um terminology like ah how there's like an equivalent to like the mid somar kind of thing um i'm not even going to try to pronounce the word but in the uh kind of chinese uh lunar solar calendar they refer to june 22nd ish the solstice as the summer extremity but you know it's uh it's a month later that they refer to it as like the great heat of summer so it's like it there's that kind of build up
Brett: Yeah. Hmm.
Alexis: Mm -hmm.
atack2010: like a rubber band effect almost delayed.
Brett: It's like carry over when you're cooking.
atack2010: and
Josh: Right. So it's like, even though the days are getting shorter, the nights are coming in sooner, the heat is like really starting to settle in.
atack2010: my My brain doesn't accept like summer solstice until like October.
Alexis: Which is good that...
atack2010: And I know that's totally incorrect. You know, the days literally have to be getting cooler for me to think about it.
Josh: That is wrong. Right.
atack2010: Yeah.
Alexis: Yeah, it's kind of nice ah that the, I guess at at least in our area that the nights get start to get longer when the heat is starting to get the worst.
Josh: Mm hmm.
Alexis: So that could be kind of nice, but yeah.
Josh: Totally.
Alexis: And then from like a plant perspective, like a gardening, gardening perspective, uh, you know, we start talking about, um, thinking about at least planning for your fall garden. So even though it's a little bit early, you know your your summer plants may not have even started you know to fruit by now. if you just If you put your tomatoes in around Derby Day, you know you're probably not seeing a whole lot ah ah yet.
atack2010: you
Alexis: and maybe Maybe you are, but ah so but it's already time to think about, okay, when am I going to rip this out and put the next thing in? Because gardening, farming is all about the prep and you are essentially like at least a season ahead, which is can be great if you're a planner, like if you're like me and I just like love to plan, but can also it can make it hard to revel in the moment.
Josh: Right.
Alexis: And so ah that's always a struggle for me is like to appreciate what I've grown right now and the successes I've had when I'm already, it's almost like I'm just now picking it, but it's over for me. Like my brain has, is just finishing up the crop. Uh, when, cause I'm already planning the next one and that can be, that can be a struggle, but it is time to think about your August, September fall garden.
atack2010: Yeah, it is a real transition, yeah.
Brett: Yeah, yeah.
Josh: Yeah, especially longer stuff like potatoes are like mid June so you're you're there for your fall garden Yeah Parsnips
Alexis: Yeah.
Alexis: yeah
Brett: Yeah, I think i think that the the planting for the fall garden, because we think, oh, cool season crops, kale and broccoli, how nice, it's gonna be nice and cool. It's not when you're planting them. when you are if you're If you are planting a fall garden correctly, you are sweating a lot.
Alexis: No, it is not.
Josh: and
atack2010: Yes.
Alexis: Cranky about it.
Brett: Um very just mad, you know, you need the as a hot As a as a hot weather guy, I wouldn't be mad but a previous version of myself That was not so big of a fan Uh, yeah would be would be quite and it's ah it's very it's almost disorienting in a way.
Josh: Bye.
Alexis: These are cold weather crops. Why am I sweating?
Alexis: Mm hmm.
Brett: Um, but yeah, you are putting it you don't get if you're doing this professionally or just intensely in general
Alexis: Mmhmm.
Brett: you know't You aren't coming off of a restful winter ah where your all your energy and cabin fever and everything else is built up for that spring garden.
Alexis: Mmhmm.
Brett: You're coming, you're like, it's hot and it's like, oh man, I've got to bend over and plant this stuff again.
atack2010: Mm hmm. I used to wonder why people didn't do that.
Josh: Alright, I am over the gardening hobby.
atack2010: I just think you've nailed it, Brad. I used to wonder why people I'm like, ah when I first started, exciting you know, try to encourage people to maximize their gardens, you know, have that three season garden and definitely fall garden, the stuff so much better, yada, yada, yada. Your brassicas are amazing. But then I come to realize it's exactly what you just said. The energy and the vibe is totally different when you're trying to put something in the ground at 100 degrees.
Alexis: mhm mhm
atack2010: Yeah. ah You don't have that cabin fever and you're just bursting out with all this energy. You have this energy of, oh my gosh, I've got a thousand things to do with the family in the summer. So yeah.
Josh: where I'm committing another 90 days to this.
Alexis: mhm mhm
Brett: Yeah.
atack2010: Yeah. So it totally, I totally get it now. So every now and again, I'll do a let's plant a fall garden kind of program, uh, just to do that, but they are ah historically not well attended. Let's put it that way. People sometimes even give me the stink eye.
Alexis: Everyone's hot and tired.
atack2010: Yeah, they're like, we're already hot. And this is the home gardeners, not the pro gardeners, not the commercial gardeners, ah commercial producers. This is the home gardener where it's a tough sell. It's, ah as they say, a hard sell in the industry ah to do fall gardening. um But there are there are a few ah gardeners out there that do and undertake those activities and love it. And you do get you know crops that are amazing in the fall. But I am not one of those as far as a home garden goes. I don't, you know, I'm not planting a lot at this time of year. No, no.
Brett: Yeah, and to be clear, if you are planning a fall garden, you should not be doing it between the hours of 11am and 5pm, you know, take advantage of that sun going down or not yet coming up again.
Alexis: sir
atack2010: a
Brett: um You know, you're a hot weather guy, then you can pretty much do it whenever you want to do it.
Josh: Unless you're like a hot weather guy, then you're just out there like living the dream.
Alexis: Wear a hat.
atack2010: Unless unless you can reach around and put, you know, sunscreen on that part of your back.
Josh: you
Alexis: I mean, actually the plants don't love the middle of the day either, because they are not like they're hot weather guys, but also kind of not.
Brett: See?
atack2010: You know, that's a great point, of Alexis, and you might be able to speak to this some. are You know, this is the longest day, the most sun we're going to get during the year. Are there plants that need protecting during this time of year that we wouldn't otherwise have to think about?
Alexis: I mean, I don't love, have I done it?
atack2010: I mean.
Alexis: Yes. Will I continue to do it? Absolutely. But I don't like ah planting, not just personally, but I don't like to put the plants out when it's full sun.
Brett: Yeah Definitely
atack2010: Mm hmm.
Alexis: I like a cloudy day, ah ideally, where I plant in the evening when you know it's cooling down.
Josh: Yeah, yeah.
Alexis: ah because they are undergoing stress, right?
Josh: Mm
Alexis: they're Even if they're perfect transplants that not root bound, they are lush and just hardened off, that's the big thing.
Josh: -hmm.
Brett: Definitely.
atack2010: I've been hardened off. Mm -hmm.
Alexis: If they're hard enough and perfect, they're still undergoing a change of scenery, right?
Josh: Mm
Alexis: When you're moving your kids from one place to another, it can be really stressful.
Josh: -hmm.
Brett: Yeah. And the process, the process of transplanting them is like continually slapping the water bottle out of your kid's hand as they try to drink and rehydrate and yeah.
Alexis: Yeah, you're just like squirting it at their face, just like a little at a time. Like, can you catch it?
Brett: Yeah, here you go.
Alexis: Open your mouth.
Brett: You can have your water bottle back after you've settled in or after for after a few days.
Alexis: Yeah.
atack2010: Are we, are we just encouraging people to plant fall guns or what right now? I mean, we're just so encouraging.
Brett: i Just if you're you know, it's what is it if you're hot if you're hot then they're hot or something or if you're with their dogs or something ah Yeah that like there is something kind of poetic about that of like Do you want to go out and stand in the hot Sun right now and not have access to much water?
atack2010: yeah
Alexis: Yeah, if you're cold, they're cold, bring them inside.
atack2010: Yeah.
Josh: Bring them inside.
Alexis: Mm hmm.
Brett: No, then don't do that to your plants and and like you mentioned Alexis and we we recently transplanted some stuff some perennials, but And we had it in pots and they were doing fine and watering them. And and we were we had a window to plant them, but it was going to be extremely hot and extremely sunny for like three or four days.
Alexis: Mm hmm.
Brett: And so we decided to hold off and plant them. And then it was one of those moment proud moments where like everything works correctly, where you're like, you like put it in the ground as the first water droplet falls out of the sky.
Alexis: So rare.
Alexis: Yes, that's so satisfying.
Josh: right right yeah yeah
Brett: like ah and then For the next 48 hours, it was overcast, light periodic rains, nothing too deep.
atack2010: Perfect. Nice.
atack2010: Awesome.
Brett: it was like
Alexis: I got my dahlias in on that schedule and I was like, this is gold, gold.
Brett: oh yeah For every one of those, there's a lot of others.
Josh: yeah
atack2010: it's It's amazing. They do so much better.
Alexis: Yeah.
atack2010: that The stress is nothing compared to that if it were a sunny day. And I would remember watering plants you know during the heat of the day, because you're like, oh my gosh, this plant is super dry.
Josh: Right, right, right, yeah, yeah.
atack2010: And then the soil just turning to concrete. It's you know just so hot.
Josh: Alright.
atack2010: And I'm like, oh my gosh, you know depending on what type of watering you're doing. But plants, um they're growing well typically during that time of year. But that also means they're using probably the largest um quantity of water that they're going to be needing the entire season during that time period.
Alexis: Mm hmm.
atack2010: So good to keep in mind.
Brett: And I do think some, you know, we plants are resilient, they do, they can wilt and bounce back and do all these other crazy things that are amazing. But like, there's a difference between surviving and thriving.
Alexis: Mm hmm.
Brett: And when you push a plant to the point of needing to survive, it's just not going to do as well.
atack2010: Mmm.
Brett: And so if you're growing food, you're not going to get as much food, or you're not, it's not going to be as resistant to to disease or to insects or whatever, it's going to be more vulnerable. And and Sometimes it just happens. You just got to do what you got to do. But um yeah, I think you know something for me subjectively about the solstice that I feel like I notice, and you all tell me if I'm if i'm just crazy and this is confirmation bias or something.
Alexis: Oh we will.
Josh: And. And.
Brett: But i I feel that there is a notable um like color change in the foliage of the various trees and other ah plants, shrubs, parent mostly perennials, I would say, like in in the landscape or in the forest or whatever.
Alexis: Mm
Brett: like It goes from this very, like I would say it goes from a green that has more yellows in it to a green that has more like darker darker blues
Alexis: -hmm.
Alexis: Bright, yeah.
atack2010: Dark green.
Alexis: Mm hmm.
atack2010: Yeah.
Josh: Hmm.
Brett: And and i it's like i can it's almost like the there's this, I don't know, this is me getting into it.
atack2010: Some it's a maturation phase of new growth.
Alexis: Yeah, yeah.
atack2010: A lot of that. Yeah.
Alexis: Especially on your trees.
atack2010: The the li lime green growth.
Brett: But and along along with that, I feel like this you know energetic like crescendo of a lot of insects, a lot of other, I don't know, I can understand why someone would experience it as a magical time. um So you all are telling me there's a a botanical underpinning to what I'm
Alexis: Scientific.
Josh: and so yeah There's a physiological thing going on.
Brett: Well, thank you for killing my magic.
Alexis: Yeah.
atack2010: Thank you.
Brett: I'm just kidding.
Alexis: Sorry, it's science.
atack2010: Yeah. I know that there was, you know, historically there's the, you know, activities like bonfires that celebrated this and everything, the abundance.
Brett: Yeah.
atack2010: And I read some things that said the abundance of summer, but yet we're not harvesting a lot of stuff at that time yet.
Josh: All right.
Brett: Definitely, yeah.
atack2010: So I think that's why it's a, you know, um, the solstice celebrations historically was the, you know, if I could break it down, it's kind of the middle kid syndrome. It's like, you don't get those cool fall, like harvest celebration bonfires that are more predominant, you know, in history.
Josh: Hmm.
Alexis: yeah
Alexis: Yeah.
atack2010: Yeah.
Alexis: I, uh, it reminds me there's in the flower world, um, we say that June is, can be kind of like a, like a dry month for flowers. And I mean that as in like, it can be, uh, there's not a ton.
Brett: Yeah.
atack2010: Mm
Alexis: So like, you know, we say plant perennials, biennials, sort of sort of these things to fill that June gap because the, The natural thing is that your spring planted stuff isn't blooming yet. ah The stuff that overwintered and came through already bloomed. And so we hit this June is often a gap month for a lot of flower growers. So they have to do a lot to really make up for that.
atack2010: -hmm
Alexis: And I'm trying to think of if it's like that in like the veggie world. Because i know I know a lot of our farmers market people that I've been seeing lately ah you know sort of our, they're using season extension and things like that, uh, to really fill those gaps. But would you say June's kind of a low month even for like produce?
atack2010: It can be.
Alexis: Yeah.
Brett: Yeah, I would.
atack2010: I mean, that's buffered out some with the high tunnels.
Alexis: Mm -hmm.
atack2010: But yeah, the variety, what do you guys see at markets?
Brett: Well, I think I think one of the things about it is, you know, you can you can plan around like you're saying with the biennials and and stuff in the annuals, you can plan around it, you can kind of you know beat it, beat it out.
Alexis: Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.
Brett: in certain ways with strategies with and different and different hybridized varieties too where like you have a tomato that's really really fast and then another one that's a little bit less fast etc but yeah there always was feels like there always is kind of a lull
Alexis: buffer it out, yeah.
atack2010: Hmm.
Alexis: Just like maybe a lack of variety is a better way to think about it.
Brett: when In June, July, where you have just a couple of crops, and if you're trying to do like a diversified system, um it same for I'd say for like for the consumer, the that early June and like um like September are kind of like magical times where you start to get some of the summer stuff and some of the like cool season stuff.
Alexis: mhm.
Alexis: mhm. mhm.
Brett: And you can make like a really awesome salad with fresh tomatoes and um that kind of thing. But ah in general, yeah, I mean, you there there, I think there is a little bit of a lull ah in some of the it's not like nothing, you know, but it's
Alexis: Yeah, it's not bad or anything. Yeah. I won. And I'm thinking my CSA share. So like my spring CSA share ends the beginning of June and then my summer one doesn't start until the beginning of July. And so I think some of that is just, you know, family stuff and like good on them, but there is like a gap.
Josh: I know.
Alexis: And I think some of that is just that transition phase where they don't have enough variety to make up a CSA share. Um, because it's just a weird time.
Brett: Yeah, and like some of some of the diverse stuff, it it you know, is real, it can be real sensitive to heat. And so if you have a really intense hot spell, it bolts or it takes off or whatever, and then you know, it's no longer
Alexis: Mm
atack2010: Mm hmm.
atack2010: Yeah. You know, I think about how, you know, day length has just affected not only farming, but just our society in general. I'm kind of zooming out here, ah the thousand foot kind of view of things.
Alexis: hmm. Mm hmm.
atack2010: But if you think about the way that You know, even the time change, if it's real time change and whether or not that's a good or bad thing. A lot of, some of that historically has been based on like farm labor and taking advantage of the long days and, and how that played into decisions. But it's amazing even with school schedules and being off for the summer and how that affects family rhythms and the consumption of even things like fruits and vegetables and having time to cook fresh fruits and vegetables, or are you going on vacation to the beach or whatever.
Alexis: Mm
atack2010: But it's amazing when you really think about it, how, you know yes, we're advanced as ah as a society and we have environmental controls.
Alexis: hmm.
atack2010: We can be comfortable whether it's hot or cold outside. But it's amazing how day length really dictates
Josh: I
atack2010: Uh, you know, agriculture and farming and just society overall, if you're looking at it from the broadest perspectives, that's why the solstices are, you know, I poke a lot of fun and and have some fun with that, but the winter and summer solstice and day length and all that, it just affects everything.
Josh: know.
atack2010: Uh, it's still pretty amazing.
Josh: Amen.
atack2010: Uh, and it goes right back down to, as I said, the time changing stuff. You know, here in the Eastern time zone, we you know do switch back and forth, ah daylight savings time, so on and so forth. But some of those things are underpinned based on day length. So ah it's still everywhere.
Alexis: I have a, I have a question. So we know that in opposite sides of the world, like Australia, right? They're the opposite. They're, um, summer is our winner and.
atack2010: Yeah, first summer solstice is December 20th or whatever. yeah twenty
Alexis: Yeah. So do they call that their summer solstice, even though it's in December or do they call it the winter solstice, but for them winter solstice means days.
atack2010: I think it's summer solstice.
Josh: I think they call it like summer. Like they don't, they don't.
atack2010: We, yeah, yeah.
Alexis: Okay.
Brett: Summer's always hot, yeah.
Josh: i Yeah, right, right.
atack2010: And there's actually two summer solstices, and you just mentioned that northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere.
Alexis: Okay.
Alexis: isn
atack2010: So there's technically, you know, we only care about one, as somebody said earlier. In the northern hemisphere, we care about our own. But yeah, it is. I always love to think about that as a kid.
Josh: I always represent my home hemisphere.
atack2010: Yeah, you got to represent your homies.
Brett: The home is, you gotta represent the homosphere.
atack2010: your homosphere. There you go. But I always love thinking about like, on the other side of the world, what's going on, you know, when I was a kid, I would be like, Oh, it's probably just hot in Australia.
Alexis: Mmhmm.
atack2010: And I'm freezing myself to death, you know, here in Kentucky.
Josh: Mhm.
atack2010: So I love thinking about that.
Alexis: Mmhmm.
Brett: and we had ah I had ah a colleague in graduate school who was from South Africa and um she would talk about how at Christmas time, it was like a tradition in her family that at some point one of her uncles would throw a watermelon into the pool
Josh: Mhm.
Brett: And the kids would like try to get it and whoever got it out or something got a prize or something like a very, a very yeah fourth of ju a very fourth of July vibe at a Christmas party um and and being here.
Alexis: ah Very summer centric.
Josh: Got a free watermelon.
Alexis: Yeah.
Alexis: Yeah.
Brett: And and i when I was ah in a different part of my life, I ah ah went to Argentina for a while and I went actually left around the summer solstice here. And I came back around the summer solstice there. And so it was like 30 degrees Celsius there when I left and like 30 degrees Fahrenheit when I got back.
atack2010: Thank you.
Brett: And that was a very disorienting and strange experience.
Josh: Hahaha.
Alexis: Mmhmm.
Brett: But yeah, I remember what you're talking about Ray with like the It reminds me of the, I think they attribute it to Paul Harvey, the idea that we, ah despite how fancy we think we are, we owe our existence to a six inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains.
atack2010: Yes, absolutely.
Alexis: Yeah.
Josh: Hahaha.
Brett: It's just kind of a similar like, we're not out running this whole sun thing.
Alexis: No.
Brett: And the way, ah yeah.
atack2010: No, it has a little bit of an impact. Yeah. Well, what marks, I mean, we're talking about, I mean, we touched on a little bit that, I mean, the summer solstice, even though I technically know the days, you know, getting shorter, the nights are getting longer after June 20, that doesn't mark. So what does, I mean, what triggers you guys for the change of the seasons in summer or anything? I mean, is there an activity or a family tradition as far as what marks like end into summer or ending summer?
Brett: going into summer?
atack2010: What triggers that for you guys?
Alexis: Mm.
atack2010: I mean, the solstice doesn't do it for me. I don't know what does exactly.
Josh: Yeah, that's definitely something that's like going on in the background. It's noticing the day length. Because yeah, I mean, you know when you're when it's like 9 .20 outside, it's still like very light.
atack2010: Yeah.
Josh: It's like, man, this day just keeps on cranking.
atack2010: And all the people with young kids are like, these kids are not going to sleep. What's their deal?
Josh: Right, right.
Alexis: Yeah, yeah i would yeah, I would say end of summer for me is when I get to go to bed at a normal time because I'm not eating dinner at 9 .30 at night.
atack2010: It's terrible on parents.
Josh: but
atack2010: Yeah.
atack2010: Well, what do you consider a normal time?
Josh: Hmm.
Alexis: ah
atack2010: 8 .45?
Alexis: I want to be in bed probably asleep by like, yeah, I want to be dead asleep by like 9 .05, like dead asleep.
Josh: By 6 p .m.
atack2010: Okay.
Josh: Nice.
atack2010: Okay.
Brett: Yeah, no shame.
atack2010: And that's hard to do in the sun shining out. Yeah. It's kind of weird.
Alexis: Yeah.
atack2010: Sun's coming in and you're like.
Alexis: Well, you don't really even mean to do it a lot of the time.
atack2010: um
Alexis: Like you just get focused on a task. It's light out and usually, you know, in the summer it's starting to cool down. So you're trying to take advantage of it. And so you just, before you know it, you look at your clock and it's eight 30 and you haven't eaten dinner yet.
Brett: So you would say you are photo period sensitive.
atack2010: Yeah.
Alexis: I am very photoperiod sensitive. Yes, that would be, that's why I don't like the time change aspect of what we do.
Brett: There you go.
atack2010: Hmm.
Josh: That ain't right. That makes me bolt and bloom early and just go to seed.
Alexis: yeah and bolt Yeah, I'm very...
Brett: Yeah.
atack2010: Your reproductive cycle has just ran its course.
Brett: Only once every 10 years does Josh have poinsettia flowers for Christmas on his head.
Josh: okay
Brett: and
atack2010: yeah Yeah, I guess that's true. Lexus hadn't thought about in those terms, but it's a different kind of season. It's like when the sun shines, I want to be outside doing something. And it's so weird because sometimes, you know, in the winter, I go to bed earlier. I never thought a lot about it, but it's weird to think that by 905, if I were to do that in June, it would be weird because the sun's out.
Alexis: and
atack2010: People may judge you, ah but in the wintertime, it's totally acceptable for me to be in bed by 845.
Alexis: And it's, ah it also is a little annoying because you're going to bed later, but I'm also getting up earlier because number one, the heat and number two, just the sun's up, you know, like the sun's up at six 20 and I'm like awake.
Josh: Yeah right.
atack2010: true, yeah.
Alexis: My brain is saying it's time to get up.
atack2010: ah So you're kind of on a farm rhythm, yeah.
Josh: Yeah yeah.
Brett: So, so why are you, but are you, do you also, are you also perceiving like a cumulative tiredness effect?
Alexis: Oh yeah, I mean by by that's why there's a, and ah you all have experiences as people who have farmed, but as if if since you've if you've not been out in a while and a lot of people who are.
Josh: Mm.
Alexis: Whoever farming, we always say August is like by August 1st, we are dead tired. Like just because it's this, I have to farm when it's cool enough for me to be outside.
atack2010: Uh
Brett: Yeah.
Josh: Mm.
Alexis: um You know, a lot of farmers work other jobs so they can't take like a midday nap, but most that most of them wouldn't anyways because they're going to do computer work or a bunch of other stuff that they've got to do. And so um you just lose sleep for a couple months. And ah then by August, we all ask ourselves, God, we're just so tired.
Brett: Yeah.
atack2010: -huh.
Alexis: Why are we so tired? Well, because it's been 100 degrees for the past month and we've been getting six hours of sleep every night.
Brett: Yeah. I mean, that that that level, i can yeah i am I can see.
Alexis: That's why.
Brett: I feel like, though, I need less sleep in the summertime than in the winter or something.
atack2010: I think the sun just, I seem to have my energy seems to be, ah I don't know if that's a correlation with the sun and the technical aspect of it hitting my brain or the chemical reaction of our body when it's making vitamin B.
Josh: like Yeah.
Alexis: o
atack2010: I don't know, but it's a real pain.
Brett: Yeah.
Alexis: I also, yeah.
Brett: Or maybe the the extra extra activity.
Josh: Yeah, there is something about getting.
Brett: I don't know.
Josh: Yeah, I was going to say getting up and out of bed and rolling in the summertime is a snap.
Brett: sort
atack2010: Oh yeah.
Josh: Yeah.
Alexis: Well, yeah, because it's not freezing cold on your feet.
Josh: yeah Well, and it's bright out, right? Or, you know, the sun's coming up.
Alexis: Yeah, and it's bright out.
Josh: But like, you know, in wintertime when somebody's like, hey, let's get together at 730, I'm like, who are you?
Alexis: No, it's dark.
Josh: No.
Alexis: No, it's dark.
atack2010: Yeah.
Alexis: I'm not leaving my house in the dark.
Josh: Right, right. There's evil spirits out there.
atack2010: There's more friction in the wintertime, yeah.
Alexis: Right. No.
atack2010: The night is long and dark, yes. Uh -huh. Anybody else have anything different besides like farming and production rhythms, any traditions that remarks the season?
Alexis: Do you know what the um word solstice comes from the Latin words soul, which is sun and the stadium or still or stopped.
atack2010: Mm -hmm.
Alexis: So sun stopped is.
atack2010: Status.
Josh: Yeah, it's like this the sun just goes up there and hangs out. okay
Alexis: And you're just kind of like, what's going on here? The glitch in the matrix has happened. Really, secretly, it's just a weird algorithm in the matrix that like twice a year, the time gets thrown. And we're all just like, yeah, this is normal.
atack2010: It's fine.
Josh: Yeah.
atack2010: It's fine.
Brett: i I just keep coming back to like the metaphorical components of it because like it it's sort of both, you know, good and bad things. Sometimes when they are in the process of ending, you don't know that it's happening when it's happening. And like that, even the the beginning of the end of the long day,
atack2010: Like death by a thousand cuts kind of thing.
Brett: Um, or, or just like, let's say you've been going through a really hard period in your life and something, you know, bad happened to you or a series of bad things keeps happening to you. Sometimes it feels like it's continuing to get worse and worse.
Alexis: Mm hmm.
Brett: And in reality in the background, like, so for instance, the heat of August, right?
Alexis: Mm hmm.
Brett: It's like, God, it's just getting worse and worse. And in the background, actually the process of it becoming okay again has already started like two months ago.
Alexis: so
atack2010: yeah
Alexis: Yeah, you're on the down slope of the bell curve.
Josh: Yeah, yeah, right.
atack2010: yeah
Brett: Yeah, and I think there's just something really like poetic about that where where sometimes you just don't you don't really, your your perception your perception of what's happening and the underlying architecture of what's happening don't necessarily line up.
Josh: Yeah.
Brett: um And so if you're going through something really bad, you know that that that is something to at least kind of keep in mind that and you know it's
Josh: Yeah
atack2010: Yeah, yeah.
Brett: Not exactly the dawn is darkest before the but the dark is whatever night is darkest before the dawn or whatever kind of nonsense that is, but something along those lines that like sometimes things are getting better even if it doesn't feel like they are.
Josh: Yeah.
Alexis: Something along those lines that has stuck with me lately.
Josh: Right.
Alexis: It's just like been ringing in my brain is the, the saying that, um, day by day, nothing changes, but looking back, everything is different.
Josh: Hmm.
Alexis: And like that for some reason has just really been hitting me.
atack2010: Hmm.
Alexis: And like so that saying has been smacking me in the face a lot. And I don't, I don't know why I'm going to figure it out here soon.
Brett: Mm -hmm.
Alexis: I'm sure, but yeah, it just seems like nothing, nothing has changed in the past 11 years as me being an extension agent, but.
Josh: yeah
Alexis: when I look back to who I was when I started versus now, it's like, that's not the same person.
Brett: Mm -hmm.
Alexis: But I have somehow done the same thing every day.
Josh: Right. right
Alexis: But it's kind of that in plants as well.
Brett: And even so even season to season like with growing things, it's it's almost there's there's times where it feels in like February. It feels like it's very distant and maybe impossibly distant that you're going to be. you know, harvesting something that you harvest in June or July. Like it just seems conceptually so far away and distant. And then by the time like the day day by day, nothing changes and then you look up and it's June or it's August or whatever.
Alexis: Mm hmm. Yeah.
atack2010: Suddenly it has.
Brett: And and that that's a like perpetual mystery for me of growing growing things existing as part of the natural world.
Josh: Yeah.
Alexis: Mm hmm.
atack2010: Yes.
Brett: I mean, part of it too is that Wow, 25 seemed 25 years old seemed like just yesterday and then 35 and then you know, just keeps on kind of stacking in a similar way.
Alexis: isn
Brett: And I think we have we have negative associations with that culturally sometimes, ah but there's something really wild and and ah beautiful about that like that that contrast of like the cycles of nature kind of keep going and our perception our perceptions get skewed and
atack2010: I think a a lot of the markers of time are very natural you know all the things we're talking about today is I mean some of those are astronomical and they were you know very a cute observations made back then with kind of very rudimentary equipment but
Josh: and
atack2010: You know, a lot of the things that mark time for me, you know, I've said it before on the podcast is exactly what you're saying, Brett. It's ah the growing of things. And, you know, we've talked a lot about those cycles and, and it marking time, just like, I guess the, the dog days of summer is what I think about when I think of high stinking summer in Kentucky.
Josh: Mm hmm.
Brett: Mm -hmm.
atack2010: I used to phrase it like that in my head, but that kind of marked the time, not the not the summer solstice.
Josh: Okay.
atack2010: But I guess we have different ways of marking time and the passage of time. and And it's so cool. And that's one of the things I loved about growing crops.
Josh: Okay.
atack2010: Tomatoes was my time marker growing up because Once the tomatoes were all done on the vine, the indeterminates, especially that just kept producing, wouldn't stop.
Alexis: and so
atack2010: Once they were done, summer is over. I knew the growing season was done.
Alexis: Yeah, you were done.
atack2010: When you're mowing the tomatoes, summer is done because I'm so sick of those tomatoes, I grab a big piece of equipment and mow them down.
Alexis: ah sir
atack2010: But that, that signified, I mean, it's weird how would that picked up these random things that marks the end of summer for me.
Josh: Nice.
Alexis: Yeah.
atack2010: And that was it. That was one of the things that, that marked the end of summer. So yeah, the the passage of time, as you say, Brett.
Brett: i Yeah.
atack2010: Yeah.
Alexis: Does anybody still look for an adult of your adult in the situation or have you realized you are the most adulty adult in the room most of the time?
Brett: Yeah.
Alexis: Because I still look for an adult of your adult.
atack2010: Yeah, I do.
Brett: do
atack2010: And it's usually, yeah, it's becoming less, less and less.
Alexis: It's usually me.
atack2010: Yeah.
Alexis: Hi.
atack2010: Yeah, exactly.
Brett: You mean for to to to tell you that it's OK to mow your tomatoes?
Alexis: Just general. It can be like anything.
Brett: Oh, gotcha.
atack2010: Are you, are you, you're talking about getting older, like becoming, uh, the most mature adult.
Alexis: anything Well, yeah, it kind of goes back to what like Brett said, where you're 25 and then 35.
Josh: Yeah.
Brett: Ah, I see.
atack2010: Oh, ah I sensed your nervous laughter.
Brett: I see. I see.
atack2010: You're, nervous you were a little bit nervous about that.
Alexis: Well, I noticed it more when I got a coworker who is about 10 years my junior.
atack2010: alex this She's like, uh, yeah.
Alexis: and so ah
Brett: Yeah, that'll do it.
atack2010: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Alexis: And so I continuously look for an adult to your adult sometimes. And then I have realized I'm his adult to your adult.
atack2010: Mm hmm. You're yes.
Alexis: And I was like, Oh God, don't trust me.
Brett: Yeah, no, no.
atack2010: It hits. It hits completely different.
Alexis: I still look for someone else.
Brett: Just just pull a fire alarm and close its fire alarm.
atack2010: Yeah, it hits different, man.
Josh: yeah
Alexis: I don't know. I don't know.
atack2010: Yeah, it hits different. It really does.
Alexis: Yeah.
atack2010: When when you look around and you are part of the ruling class there.
Brett: What?
Alexis: Yeah.
Alexis: And it's not always age, right? Like it's just somebody who's more experienced in an area. They're just more adulty about something.
Brett: Totally, yeah.
atack2010: Yeah.
Alexis: But like, yeah, I'm that person for our new, a new person.
atack2010: And you're that person all of a sudden.
atack2010: So are you saying that your summer solstice may have happened a couple of years ago?
Josh: Yeah. All right.
atack2010: Your days are getting shorter. I mean, I don't know what are we saying.
Alexis: Yeah, about three years ago when my new age had started, bless his heart, he's like asking general questions and I'm like, why are you asking me?
Josh: so
atack2010: and Yeah.
Josh: and
Alexis: I don't, oh, I do know things.
Josh: right
Alexis: I know the answer to that. Okay. All right.
Josh: I guess the springtime of my life has closed.
atack2010: Just remember Brett started this. Yes. When you realize there's more days behind than before.
Josh: have
atack2010: Yeah.
Josh: Future's behind you.
atack2010: That took a yeah that took a dar dark turn.
Josh: It always was.
Alexis: Oh god, I'm gonna die soon.
atack2010: Yes.
Brett: ah Yeah, i well, I think part of part of this stuff that we're talking about and that we're, you know... grappling with and whatever makes it it's the reason for me why I have start have or had started paying more attention to things like the solstice is because it's it's this thing that has shared cultural meaning but it also allows you to take a beat and just kind of recognize that like this summer of my life is is at its peak right now you know and
atack2010: Mm -hmm.
Alexis: Mm -hmm.
atack2010: I like it. Yeah, that's cool.
Josh: Mm hmm.
Josh: Right.
Brett: um It's going to get hotter, yeah. but yeah and And I just think that those, when we we live in such like intensely culturally individualistic times, um and maybe it's been that way for a while, but I think the internet makes it easier to to live in a little private ah ah fort.
atack2010: Echo chamber.
Alexis: Mm -hmm.
Brett: um
atack2010: echo chamber
Brett: and And like things like when we were talking to Jonathan Larson a couple of episodes ago or numerous episodes ago now about um cicadas and talking about like the power of that natural phenomenon that just is like beyond control and the same way with the so of the equinox that happened back earlier this year.
atack2010: Hmm.
Alexis: What was
Josh: No.
Alexis: this?
Brett: There is something really, really cool about getting out of the individual artificial whatever and getting into something that feels like more shared, you know, when you walk out and you're on it's like a five old goes west, you know, knowing that you're underneath the same bright scar underneath the ah someone else is somewhere out there, someone else is wishing on that same bright star.
atack2010: Ox on the hound.
Josh: No.
Alexis: Yeah.
Brett: I don't know. I think ah not to get too hippy -dippy, and again, I've accused other people of being crunchy earlier, but ah clearly I've joined them. um But i do I do...
Josh: fifty but Clearly on I make my own granola.
Brett: Yeah, exactly. And the yogurt as well. oh
Alexis: Sauerkraut, proof my own bread. Where do I begin?
Brett: the same place that I ended. I don't know what that means.
atack2010: and
Josh: Nice.
Brett: But um but and I do think, to to bring it back just to the horticulture thing, I think that's one of those aspects of growing plants that we talked about the joy of plants in one of our earlier episodes. That is, it's part of what draws people to this in the first place is there's elements of being things being out of your control, there's planning, there's tending and caretaking, there's engaging with the natural world, there's submitting to things beyond your own power.
atack2010: Mm hmm.
Brett: And I think that the the solstices and the equinoxes and are as good a time as any to to recognize that and sit with it.
Alexis: To put your flower crown on and recognize it, just sit with nature for that extra hour or so. Enjoy it.
Brett: Yeah.
Alexis: Breathe it in deep. Notice the color change, the deep greens.
Brett: Yeah.
Brett: Yeah. that that is That is magical and in no way explainable by the powers of science.
atack2010: And.
Alexis: Yeah.
Alexis: Absolutely not.
Josh: yeah Wizards.
Alexis: That is all fae magic. ah We have no idea why it happened.
Brett: On this extension podcast, we will talk about.
Alexis: Fairies on the blue side of the mountain.
atack2010: Yeah.
Brett: Yes. Thank you. Yes.
atack2010: and And as a little bit of a bonus, I mentioned Dog Days of Summer, but it's interesting that that's a real thing. I looked it up. ah I can't remember the the details. I looked it up a long, long ago, and it could have been fake. So somebody correct me. But ah the you know ancient cultures, would they'd look into the sky and you know they would notice constellation.
Alexis: Fake news.
atack2010: ah movement and Sirius, when it was in the sky, when this was being observed, which is the Dog Star constellation, ah that was during the hottest months of the year.
Josh: and Yeah.
atack2010: That was July and August.
Brett: yeah
atack2010: And for much of the world, that was a very hot period. So they, I forget the name that they gave it. It was a very Roman name that they gave this time of year, which basically translated literally to Dog Days.
Brett: Hmm.
atack2010: So Dog Days has ancient roots.
Josh: Yeah, DS Canecularis, the puppy days.
Brett: No, no.
atack2010: Is that what it is?
Josh: Yeah, listen to this. Hellenistic astrology connected with heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy. God, I am so with this.
atack2010: Um, yeah.
Josh: and Fever, mad dogs, and bad luck.
atack2010: I'm lethargy. I'm on board.
atack2010: What's not to love about the dog days of summer.
Alexis: Well, that sounds positive.
Josh: I know, it takes a turn.
Brett: So what the one the one for bad luck wouldn't have no luck at all.
atack2010: it the Yeah. We don't want to end on a positive note.
Josh: well
atack2010: Okay.
Josh: Nice.
atack2010: Best be your impersonation.
Alexis: Eeyore.
Brett: I was going I was going where I was going where Freddie King.
Alexis: All right, folks.
Alexis: Oh.
atack2010: yeah Okay. and That's good too. Hmm.
Brett: Right on a bad sign.
Alexis: ah Oh, Lordy.
atack2010: Yeah.
Brett: If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all.
Alexis: All right. Well.
atack2010: Oh, he started. He's not going to stop.
Alexis: on Brett's beautiful notes here.
Brett: um
Alexis: Sing us out, Brett. um Thank you for joining us today and hopefully yeah you'll learn a few plant things. Maybe you felt better about loving or hating summer either way. you know we but we We're there with you in that grand spectrum of what summer can be. and what it can be annoying about. So we hope that you will wear a flower crown.
Brett: Bop bop bop bop bop bop bop.
Alexis: We hope that you will enjoy ah the solstice and enjoy those ah you know shorter nights that are coming up. i I certainly will love to get back to bed a little bit earlier. But on that note, thank you for joining us today. ah Thank you for helping us grow this podcast. And we hope that you will grow with us moving forward. Have a great one.
