Good Tuesday to all out there wherever you are.  The weather people say it will be cooler today--mid 80s instead of mid-90s.  The temperature on the patio hit 98F yesterday.  I soaked everything in the gardens really well in the morning so the plants are looking good.  I saw the beginnings of blossoms on the Butterbush squash.  I think I will have to transplant the marigolds I have sharing the pot with the squash.  They will soon be crowded.  I may have to move a couple of other plants also for the same reason.  The pyrethrum are sharing their pot with the vine peaches.  I will try to train them on the cage and see if that won't make them play nice with the pyrethrum.  I also need to harvest some more spearmint, lemon balm, and orange mint.  That I plan for tomorrow.

We have, again, had choppy internet and cable service with long periods without any at all.  Comcast called to confirm our appointment but, when Mom answered, the connection broke.  A few minutes later we got a robo-call informing us that the appointment had been cancelled.  Mom called back and complained that we were home, waiting for the call, and had in fact answered the call.  After a verbal tussle with the rep she got a new appointment for today.  But the window has only another 10 minutes to run; I am not hopeful they will make this one.  I wonder if the rep even made the appointment but rather just promised something to get the angry woman off the line.  We have already had another appointment promised but never noted.  We are getting very tired of this run-around.  They are about to lose both the internet and the cable accounts.

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As you can guess, it is now Wednesday.  We finally got a Comcast tech out yesterday.  He thought the problem might be a failing cable outside so he laid a new wire.  We'll see.  His explanation made sense with what we had been experiencing.

The weather people say that our high temps today will only top out in the high 60s and will not get out of the 50 for the next two.  After the 90s this week we will enjoy the cool.  The weather reporter last night predicted rain over night tonight and tomorrow but with a little laugh that said he didn't really believe the forecast.  I hope he is wrong.  We do need the rain.

I have read about the Flame virus for about a week now.  I noticed yesterday that the mainstream media has finally taken notice.  I am not surprised that it might be a 'product of U.S.A.'  Its predecessors (Stuxnet and Duqu) were also suspected to have been created by U.S. cyber warriors.  Unfortunately, these things have a habit of rebounding on the creators.  As they say: what goes around, comes around. It also makes one very cynical about our claim to be the good guys, doesn't it.

MSN has a fascinating slide show titled 'Your House Used to Be What?'

As I read this piece I was reminded of a comment put in the mouth of a one of my favorite sleuths (Lord Peter Wimsey) in a favorite mystery (Gaudy Night): The first thing a principle does is kill people.  The guiding principle for so many of Europe's (and U.S.) economic/political powers is 'Austerity.'  For some time now I have read about people driven to suicide because of the privations caused by the financial crisis coupled with 'austerity.'  I wonder how far they will drive this perversion.

Margaret and Helen have some very apt comments on both the political situation and an economic conundrum.  Having just discovered a newly opened pint of half&half had gone bad long before the sell by date, I understand the frustration Helen expresses.  I definitely don't want to live in the United States of Repthuglicanism.