First goldenrod I spent the day, yet another scorcher, in court, where I was thoroughly vetted for possible jury duty. I didn't make the cut, but the process was traumatic and long enough that by the time I got home, I didn't have the energy to take any pictures. While this shot of the first-blooming goldenrod was actually photographed on the 18th, it was almost flowering on the 16th, so it's close enough for the purposes of this chronicle. (I wrote this entry a bit later than the published date.) It's not a sign that fall—and the end of the heat—is around the corner, but it definitely suggests that we're moving in the direction of more-sane temperatures... well, eventually. After the Dog Days of August.