Good morning, everyone. We have some relief from the heat. Low to mid 80s and dry. I can get out and get some gardening done and the gardens really need the attention. We took the first of the dragon egg cucumbers for the salad yesterday. It met expectations--sweet, not a trace of bitterness, and thin skinned. It is definitely a keeper. The Vietnamese multicolor pepper wasn't a disappointment because we really didn't know how it would turn out. It is absolutely beautiful and unusual. The fruits are smaller than I expected--only 1 to 1 1/2 inch teardrop. But it is much hotter than we wanted--a bit below cayenne and considerably above jalapeño. We wanted a bit milder than jalapeño for salads. I won't harvest any more but I will plant one next year for the beauty of it. I found three small melons developing nicely. This variety is only supposed to get about 1 to 2 pounds so they should be ready soon. We have several plum and cherry tomatoes with more coming along.

I can only agree with you, Kay. I think our political/economic systems are like the great tree we grew up loving and that seemed so solid and eternal until a sudden storm toppled it and we found the inside rotted out. And we wonder how long the appearance of strength had been mere illusion. I have already turned off the news this morning. There is simply nothing out there that justifies that designation and I am sick of getting the same old swill.