Good sweltering Tuesday to you all.  Our thermometer on the patio registered 100 yesterday though, as  I have mentioned before, our little patio is something of an oven that concentrates heat.  Today we expect much the same with the possibility of afternoon thunderstorms.  We told Sister yesterday that we won't be over for her 4th of July cook-out.  Interesting bit of weather trivia--we have had 19 days of 90+ temperatures.  Normal--5.  And that tis the most for this early in the year.  We need to do our bi-weekly shopping this morning so all I have done in the gardens is water.  I found only four plants needed water: two tomatoes and the lavender and rosemary.  I am very pleased with the results from adding vermiculite to my soil.  It has cut my watering by half to two-thirds.  I found some little cucumbers and a couple of little vine peaches.  All of the tomatoes are showing good fruit.  And those two peppers I thought were never going to develop--well they are flowering.  Go figure!!  The roses are  showing life also.  I thought I had lost them. I had tucked them into a space between two large pots and they responded by dropping most of their foliage and some canes.  I moved their pot onto my potting bench/patio table where they get more sun and air circulation, and then left them alone.  Sometimes the minimalist approach is best.

This is a very sad sign of the times.

I don't know about anyone else, but I think $3billion is much too low a fine for this kind of corporate criminality.  Actually, I am not sure exactly how much GSK is getting hit with and has agreed to.  Undernews cites the figure at $4 billion with another $2 billion possible.  I really should read a bit closer.  The GSK figure is the same while the rest of the money figures come from fines either levied (against Abbott) or pending (against Johnson&Johnson.)

Here is a clear indication that we are reviving 'debt slavery.'  Predatory capitalism at its finest. (And yes that is sarcasm.)

Update: I noticed that a few of my corn plants are tasseling.  I hope to get a few ears.  We just finished our shopping and found that our favorite stand-alone farm market is open again.  Yipee!!!

One of the many really good aspects of the Affordable Care Act.  I really resent these companies soaking it to me because I am a woman.  Just as much as I resent the private company that runs the Indiana Tollroad charging more for those who use cash.  They just raised fares again for the cash customers only while leaving the fares charged various electronic pass customers the same.  That is why we refuse to use the Tollroad any more.  We didn't use it much--3 or 4 times a year--so it wouldn't break us to pay the higher fees.  But the discrimination really pisses us off.