This photo is actually a couple of months old, but it illustrates the condition of the lake at Roundrock pretty well. This is the season of exhaustion in my woods. The heat and humidity pull every ounce of enthusiasm from my flesh and make even the simplest jobs too much work and trouble to pursue. All of the ambitions to change the face of Roundrock to match my imagination seem unworkable, impossible. The plants in the forest show their exhaustion too. The robust, riotous growth is over and the leaves on the scrub hang in a state of fatigue, as though the big idea of growing so robustly in the spring was maybe not such a good idea after all. The trees don't tend to show similar limpness; they take a longer view of things and sink their roots deeper. Even the trees, though, can begin to look exhausted if the heat and drought persist. There may be a few good rainstorms yet this year to recharge the lake, but by August, much of the water has drained and the west end bottom is exposed. The ambitious idea of a large lake in the Central Valley seems presumptuous this time of year, like so many other big dreams I have. But that doesn't stop me from wishing I was there right now, scheming and dreaming and maybe putting a hand to bringing some of them about. Missouri calendar:

• Wild grapes begin to ripen.

Today in Missouri history:

• Duff Green was born on this date in 1791. During his years in Missouri he served as a secret agent for President Buchanan, attempting to negotiate a deal with President-elect Lincoln that would provide a constitutional solution to the secession that was pending. The effort failed, but Green, served in many capacities of the federal government for years later.
• The Battle of Lone Jack near Kansas City occurs in 1862.
• Character actress Alice Ghostley is born on this day in 1926 (or is it 1924 – she may have lied about her age to get into acting sooner) in Eve, Missouri.

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