And then, there's always the fields upon fields of Iowa corn. Our corn has just exploded with growth during this hot spell. Its been said that on hot July nights, you can lay in bed and actually hear the corn pop as it grows. Of course, this was many years ago when people slept with their windows open instead of being shut up with the advent of air conditioning. Josh says he has heard it when he was a teenager and his Grandma Elizabeth has told me stories of hearing it even as recent as the summer before they moved to town.
By the way, all this humidity isn't just what came with the heat wave. As corn goes through its stages and especially hits the stage of tasseling, silking and producing the ear, it gives off humidity all on its own. The process is called transpiration, meaning the plants "breath" out water vapor. An acre of corn will transpire 3,000 to 4,000 gallons of water a day!!! Multiply that by the thousands upon thousands of corn acres Iowa has and you can see where the humidity comes from. Crazy, isn't it? Have you ever been in an area that was surrounded by a corn field? You'll notice that the heat and humidity the plants give off makes the natural air temperature seem much hotter. And since Iowa is full of corn, we naturally go through this extreme humid phase every year, regardless of temperature. Did you know that?
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| Josh standing in the end rows of the field next to our house. Josh says this corn is over nine feet tall, but as he gets into the middle of the field its even taller! Our corn is pretty healthy, but we could use some rain. That's my garden in the foreground...the cabbage seems to have rather enjoyed the heat, too. We've eaten cabbage at least every other day. |
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| "Theeeere he iiiiiis..... Mr. Cooooorn field Maaaaan!" Sung to the tune of "Miss America". Come on, you know you want to sing it! |
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