Good Saturday, Everyone.  The weather people say hot, with a chance of showers today through tonight and a tad bit cooler tomorrow.  But the predictions for this week is still hot over all.  The gardens are doing well so far--except for the roses.  Unfortunately I put them in a spot they didn't like much so they now are looking a bit sad and thin.  I have since moved them to a different spot and just sprinkled some fertilizer around them.  In the fall I plan to replant them into one of the large containers, permanently ( I hope.)  We found a way to anchor a light shepherd's hook in the largest containers.  The single hook we have in now is doing very nicely as a spot for the hummingbird feeder.  It actually attracted a little female Wednesday morning.  I am looking for a vine that attracts hummingbirds to plant on the trellis that anchors the hook.  We got two more double hooks that I will put in in the fall as I start cleaning out the beds and I plan to put the blueberries at the base of one and the roses around the other. We plan to put a small bird feeder off one hook and some small hanging pots off the other three.  The squash, tomatoes, one of the peppers, cucumbers, and strawberries are blooming nicely.  On to the internet.....

I agree, Kay.  I wish we could do something about the idiocy that seems to pervade our economic/political system.  Unfortunately, I remember an old saying that insists that any system that hopes to be 'idiot' proof underestimates the amazing ability of idiots to get around such systems.

I saw an interesting segment on the Nightly Business Report last night.  They have an ongoing series featuring young entrepreneurs in unusual pursuits.  The story last night featured two sets of partners who have gone into artisan foods: specialty popsicles and hand made cheese.  All four left more typical careers in finance and law.  They said that the economics are chancy but the satisfaction is much higher.  Makes you wonder about our fixation with college education, doesn't it?

The damage tally from those freak hailstorms that hit Texas keeps going up.  This story is the latest I have seen--$2billion.  I was a bit curious because I seem to remember a report last year that 2011 had the most $1billion damage events due to weather.  This site says that there have been 134 such occurrences since 1980.  Fourteen of those came in 2011.  Think Progress gives even more details.

I mentioned a few days ago the leak of parts of the draft of the Trans-Pacific Partnership treaty.  Susie Madrak has some commentary on it today at Crooks & Liars.  She makes an interesting point which should be broadened to encompass most aspects of Presidential power in economic and political affairs: whoever is President is is irrelevant because other, more powerful, interests are involved.