July 31

 Damn!! Last day of July already. We have had a nice break from the brutal heat but the next week (first week of August) will be hot again. 

I don't have to water the plants outside because I watered them yesterday. The plants are doing very nicely. I think I need to add some fertilizer to the squash pots. The plants are doing very well and I think I saw a little squash developing. The bees are back hitting the squash and the bee balm. 

I may have a problem: I gave in to an impulse when buying plants and got a Meyer lemon. I knew I would have to bring it inside for the winter but I didn't think about how it would do with the cats. Evidently the fruit and the roots are toxic for cats and dogs. I am not worried about fruit since it is a young tree that hasn't bloomed yet. I don't think the cats would dig it up so the roots aren't likely to be a problem. I hope the little monsters won't munch on the leaves.

Last weekend one of the local news shows reported that many everyday items in drug and convenience stores were being put in locked cases. I found this report this morning. We haven't seen it here yet beyond the high priced cosmetics, pharmacies, and photo areas. But sooner or later those strategy appears here as well. Target and Meijer no longer display their computers and smart phones. We lost a small Apple centered store when it was hit by smash and grab thieves three times in two months a few years ago.

I love the cartoon at this link. We have often thought that every election should have an option to vote for "none of the above."

The new fire in California has pushed the fires in New Mexico out of the media spotlight. However, this article indicates that the New Mexico fires, which are still burning, may have a much more severe consequences that we thought. The city of Las Vegas, New Mexico (population about 13k) has, maybe, 50 days of water left because they get most of it from the Galenas River and don't have the capacity to filter out the ash and contaminants.