Drought continues

All of Texas is suffering, so I can't feel particularly put upon here in Austin, but it is easy to get discouraged. I would not mind the heat, and it's been over 100F now for I think, 25 days straight, if it would just rain every now and again.

We are fearing for our live oak trees, and are watering the canopy area intensively every 10 days or so. The lawn -- such as it was -- is brown except for a few alarming green spots around the pool, which I am hoping are just leaking sprinkler valves, and not problems with the pool itself.  Water restrictions in our area allow us to use the in-ground sprinklers two days a week, but you can water with a hose anytime, which does not seem to be much of a restriction to me...

I am concentrating my plant survival efforts on the handful of things I managed to plant earlier in the summer, including the five pumpkins my son and I planted on June 23. Amazingly, they sprouted and had leaves by June 26!  They are holding on admirably but have no flowers yet, which concerns me.