I mulched the main vegetable garden -- and discovered that while it is not as humid as last week, it is just as hot. Those conditions meant the soil was dry, so with watering it turned into being more daily yard work than I anticipated.
 
The other problem was finding enough newspapers. I've written before that I stopped subscribing to delivery over a year ago. I'd received two morning newspapers for years, and at least one for my entire life. I expected to miss it and was sure I'd pick up a copy at Stewarts' occasionally, but as it turns out I didn't miss it at all after about a week.

Newspapers are hard to beat for mulching, so I intended to grab a few Metrolands and save them, but of course I didn't (loser). Every Thursday a packet of advertisements come in the mail, and I have been saving those since about April (somewhat redeeming myself). I pulled out the non-shiny circulars but I could see the stack was not going to be enough, even with skimping. It wouldn't have been enough in past years either, but it is worse this year because the seed germination rate was not that high (from two plantings!) so there is more bare ground than usual.

I lugged the bale of straw over to the garden, wondering if that will be the closest I get to haying this year. I only need a few flakes, probably about half a bale, so that's not a problem. But where to get enough newspaper? The Internet may be better than dead trees for some things, but mulching is not one of them!

I went in and somehow managed to locate an old, and complete, Times Union that must have been hanging out in the parallel universe. I didn't bother to look it over to see why I'd saved it but it couldn't have been a birth, death or wedding announcement, because I would have clipped those out rather than saving the entire issue. But if it was just a newspaper that had been overlooked for recycling, the sports section would have definitely been gone because I always used that section first as a pee pad for Sophie. So it must have been for historic event reasons -- the election of Obama? The resignation of Spitzer? I know it wasn't 9/11 because it wasn't that old-looking. Why would I save newspapers? I suppose because I love history and take such interest when I run across something about the Titanic or WWII.

I was in the zone -- meaning I was suited up with my smock, hat, gloves, sunglasses -- itching to dive in and start sweating. I paused for just a second when I found the newspaper, undecided about whether to get going and use it. Archivist or Gardener?

Here's the hint for which I chose.

I call this planter "Have Basil Will Travel" because it goes back and forth with me from Castleton to Samsonville.

The hanging baskets are splendid this year.