July 31st

 

Foghorn Leghorn is right!

It's so hot it takes my breath away.

That's right, temp is only 88 at 9:30 in the morning,

but the "feels like" is 100!

Don't let that 9 mph wind fool ya,

there's absolutely NO breeze.

So, we have a fan on under the patio

for the hens and we put ice in their water bowls 

that we move into the shade.

Poor babies will lay hard boiled eggs!

No, seriously,

they just don't lay in extreme heat.

But,

It won't stop them from

patrolling the yard for bugs.

That's Ethel.

Lucy.

Hazel.

Nugget

(affectionately known as Nuggs,)

****************

The veggie garden isn't looking too good 

but there's a few things still growing.

These are Sweet Banana Peppers.

Sweet Bell Peppers.

2 Cucumbers.

These guys are easily 10 inches long.

Eggplant, Purple Pepper

and Brussels Sprouts.

A Red and Purple Pepper with more

Brussels Sprouts.

We harvested the sprouts right before 

the plants died in the heat.

Every morning or late afternoon

we water the plants.

For some of them, water just isn't enough.

The just succumb to the intense heat.

**************************

An observation of stupid people.

I saw this online...

The story goes that, he didn't seek

medical advice for the constipation

because he was shy. 

China has a lengthy history of

herbal medicines.

I'm sure they have cures, teas,

herbs, poultices, that would 

have done the trick.

He said the "eel in the butt" is an old

folk remedy.

WTH?!

The eel was 16 inches long,

and had TEETH!

But, 

it wasn't dead when the Doctors

removed it!

It had eaten into his abdomen!

I don't have any other context to this 

except that man would have had to try

everything else on Earth first,

to relieve constipation

and this was his final thought.

"Oh, well, lemme jam this slimy, wiggly 

eel where the sun doesn't shine!"

and this.....

I know it's old news.

But it still baffles me.

According to the posts, 

she's in college and runs a day care,

is a mother of 5

(She was all these things BEFORE

she glued her hair!)

and,

she is now launching her own

"all natural" hair care products.

In case you're interested....

(Can you say IRONY?)

She also says that it has helped grow her hair

 3 inches in a month.

Human hair grows at an average rate of 1/2

inch per month.

(Claims that grow hair faster are impossible.)

Yeah, 

she's a great spokesperson for hair care.

I think being stupid is optional.

I don't think it really is an inherited trait,

although stupid does kinda run in 

families,

I think it is more of an uneducated

thing.

By uneducated, I don't mean

formal "schooling",

I mean common sense of the world.

Critical thinking and

being able to understand the inevitable

outcome of a dumbass idea

would more than likely improve

lives, or save them in some cases.

Mark Twain said

"Never argue with stupid people,

they will drag you down to their level

and beat you with experience."

To make matters worse, our society

is succumbing to the needs of 

stupid people,

especially on packaging.

Like these:

A label on a stroller says to "remove child before folding".

A warning sign on a Chipotle truck warns that drivers

"do not carry burritos". A warning on my dog's prescription

for Ultram said "may cause drowsiness, use care when

operating a vehicle". 

And this one...

It is on a can of pepper spray I have,

"may irritate eyes".

To quote Albert Einstein,

"Only two things are infinite,

the universe,

and stupid people.

******************

💚

 

July 21st

 

I guess this is the best way the Romans

could think of to honor a guy

they hated enough to murder.

Why is that?

Well,

I looked it up.

The Romans had the worlds 1st Republic.

Meaning that it was a government

by representation.

The upper class were the representatives.

Anyway, that's a whole 'nother can of worms.

Moving on...

Seems that Julius was an Emperor who

wanted more, like total power.

He wasn't a fan of the new checks and balances,

and equal distribution of power thing,

but he was a fan of bullying, bribery and murder.

So, he bullied the senate to name him Dictator of Rome.

Then as you probably remember from reading

Shakespeare's 'Julius Caesar' in high school,

he still wasn't satisfied.

So, back to the senate to demand that

they name him Dictator For Life!

Julius is thinking that he was

in the midst of the sweetest deal

he had ever connived to make,

when everybody else is not onboard.

So, his old buddy Brutus who now

realized that Julius is cra-cra,

decides to take him out.

Because the other senators wanted to 

keep their jobs, they said

 "Yeah, Brutus, that's a great idea. You do it."

But Brutus decided to form a small group

 and called it the Liberatores.

They had clandestine meetings

about how to do the dirty deed.

Finally they all were in agreement.

These guys had all kinds of ridiculous plans.

Ambush him when he was out on a walk,

push him off a bridge, make it happen when he 

was attending a gladiator event, but they shelved 

them because he was heavily guarded most times.

The only time he was alone would be within the senate.

So, 

on March 15th (Ides of March) against the

pleading of his wife Calpurnia,

he went into the senate and was

overtaken by at least 60

guys in togas led by

Brutus yelling,

"Sic Semper Tyrannis!"

(Thus always to tyrants)

History leads us to believe that

his turncoat buddy Brutus,

("Et Tu, Brute?")

actually dealt the death blow,

but he didn't.

He got him in his "manhood",

a particularly cheesy move,

but these guys weren't known for 

playing nice.

So, 

the real reason for naming the month?

The lower classes loved Caesar,

because he gave them free stuff

and the upper class senators didn't want

any revolts.

Hope that clears it up.

Politics as usual......

It remains the stuff of legend.

*****************************

The rain has ruined most of our crop,

even making the lawn soggy to walk on,

but the eggplants and cucumbers are thriving.

These are monster cukes!

The first 2.

Then 2 more,

with 5 eggplants.

I have an air fryer that I've been using with

the eggplants.

I slice them lengthwise,

put them into a Ziplock bag

with some olive oil, garlic,

seasoned breadcrumbs and 

my herbal blend, then shake it up.

I line the air fryer basket with a bit of foil.

Then place them into the air fryer

for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

They come out amazing!

We've had a Monarch Caterpillar

convention in our plants recently.

It looks like they are at the 

All You Can Eat bar at 

Golden Corral!

If you look closely, 

that's a raindrop on his antenna.

They have eaten the Milkweed

down to sticks in a manner of 2 days!

These guys are converging on our Parsley.

We counted at least 5.

This one had just emerged and was

basking on the porch.

Beautiful!

Oh well, when we get to see this

kind of beauty,

it's all worth it.

*****************************

I had to pet Hazel.

She was following me clucking

like she needed attention.

Hazel again.

I told her she was a pretty girl.

She's a sucker for a compliment!

Lucy, eyeballing the squirrel

on the fence.

She sometimes doesn't like them,

other times she'll tolerate them.

The squirrel.

Ethel, looking for bugs.

Nugget doing her Greta Garbo impression.

"I vant to be alone!"

Wasp on the mint flowers.

The spearmint has the purple flowers.

Peppermint has the white.

******************************

This is me.

Every day.

An old Wrought Iron Heater cover

in my bay window looking out

into the rain.

And this phallic looking rocket....

😆

Love ya sis!

💚

 

July 8th

 

Here we are, feeling the heat and the

endless days of rain.

Our crops aren't doing so well.

The constant wetness is taking its toll.

No more tomatoes.

The cucumber vine

seems to have blossom end rot,

That means the plant blooms and then

the flowers fall off.

Same thing is happening to the summer squash.

We think it's the weather.

So,

the CEO sprinkled some diatomaceous earth

over the plants.

What is that, you ask?

Lemme 'splain....

Well, it's literally fossilized remains of

tiny aquatic organisms called diatoms,

that died and accumulated in sediment.

These microscopic skeletons are

made of something called silica.

This substance is used in lots of products

ranging from "food safe" items to

non-pesticide pest control.

We use the food safe kind.

We either sprinkle it on the plants or

apply it wet with a small amount of Dawn

to make it adhere to the plants.

What happens is that it desiccates the insect,

meaning the microscopic sharp pieces

are eaten by the bug,

then it dehydrates and dies.

It can be an irritant to humans too if 

it is blown around.

Yes, we use caution.

Masks and safety glasses.

Only catch is,

you have to reapply if the weather is

particularly rainy.

That is an Assassin Bug on our Summer Squash.

Here's hoping our non-pesticide

solutions work.

***********************************

This is a Japanese Eggplant flower

Japanese Eggplant

This one is about 6 inches long.

We harvested the first one last week

and that one was about 8 inches.

It was very tasty!

I baked it, sliced and breaded,

with some bell pepper and onion.

Mmmmm, good.

Bell Pepper.

Nosy Miss Nugget.

The Herb garden needs a haircut.

With all the rain,

I haven't been out to cut it back.

Hopefully I'll get a chance today.

Ethel, Lucy and Nugget hanging out by the shed.

Hazel following me around the yard.

Nugget grabbing a bite

of cabbage.

We hang it on a string to 

make it a tad more interesting

for the girls.

Lantana.

Gardenia.

This little guy had better stay

up high on that window.

If the girls see him,

it'll be 

Katy Bar The Door!

They love to eat lizards!

At the front door are 2 large ceramic pots.

We planted Caladiums

and purple Sweet Potato vine.

Under the Magnolia tree,

we have another large pot with

Caladiums. and a few others.

This is called

"Silver Gumdrop",

and is a Heuchera.

Good partial shade plant.

This is called

"Bloodleaf".

It's a Iresine plant.

Also good in partial shade.

I'm trying to root them for more plants.

The Bloodleaf has a few roots already.

Nothing yet for the Silver Gumdrop.

**************************************

Well, 

on my last visit to the doctor

and after a bone scan,

I found out that I have low normal

results for osteoporosis.

So, now I have to take an extra supplement of

Vitamin D and Calcium.

Since I fell in the yard last month,

(didn't get hurt, just a couple bruises)

and my balance is like a drunken sailor,

I'm trying to be extra careful in the

wet slippery grass.

I don't wanna go down like a fat 

kid on a see saw and break a hip!

I should also be exercising.

Ha!

I'm not motivated.

Any amount of extra steps to me,

is like scaling the north face of

Half Dome in Yosemite!

But,

I told my doctor, with as much

gravitas as I could muster, that 

"yes, I will certainly exercise more."

Seriously,

I knew his BS detection meter was 

edging into the red zone,

but he said that was great.

So, 

to keep my half-assed promise to

the medical gods,

I'm determined to try to exercise.

(Saw that? I said "try")

So I'm looking into online classes.

That way I don't have to leave the comforts 

of my air conditioned den.

After all,

who likes to sweat?

*******************************

Winnie The Pooh quote.......

💚