Some things are good dry, gardens are not one of them

Dry wine, good.  Dry humor, good.  Dry clothes, good.  Dry garden, not good.  Plants are beginning to suffer as a drought takes hold of our particular area of the upper Midwest.  Any percent chance of rain that isn't 100% (it's actually raining) doesn't seem to be good enough because rain events are happening to the north and south of us.  Now dry lawns don't even concern TPP a little, but lots of plants are beginning to wilt, especially with some hotter weather that always seems to come with drought, and then not recover late in the day.  Now compared to last year, it's not bad yet.  This was the first week that we had to do a lot of watering, and some gardens have yet to be watered.  Here TPP should point out that a friend gave Mrs. Phactor a new rain gauge for her birthday, and it hasn't rained since.  Unfortunately, when we're away, and some upcoming travel is planned, plants really do get neglected, and keeping up with just the minimum amount of watering is a major job.  Some things don't matter.  The tomatoes are basically terminal; some potted replacements will provide some fruit but later, if they get watered.  Any disease that interferes with water transport just makes things worse when it's a bit dry. Anybody got a good rain dance?  Even hanging out laundry didn't do any good today.  A major front moved through the area, but no rain!  Of course sometimes some decisions get made for you.  A big old yew is in decline as well as some American hollies growing near it, and we had been talking about redoing that part of the garden, so now it looks like the decision is being made for us.  Ah, well.