Monday--
The weather people predict three days, starting today, with temps either in or feeling like the low 90s. I have already spent about two hours out in the gardens harvesting gold marie beans and trimming some of the semi-jungle in that area. It isn't nearly as bad as in years past but it is still thick. After picking, trimming, watering, and drowning every Japanese beetle I got my fingers on, I am done for the day. Need to start early tomorrow so I can get some more done before we go grocery shopping.
Tuesday--
Wednesday--
It was very warm and humid yesterday but we didn't get the rain the weather people thought we would. They say we have another chance later today. I did only the minimum in the gardens because we spent the morning on our errands. That minimum was watering. Everything is so dry. I think I have to shift into high summer mode: doing small tasks with long periods inside to cool down.
I got a laugh out of the title of this article. Back to the future, indeed!! But I have heard similar stories out of Michigan and Iowa over the last year or so. Here is a link to the Wired article cited in the Grist article. It is odd to think that there are whole occupations and research institutes devoted to tearing out and not replacing infrastructure we were once so proud of and can no longer maintain. Or, rather, replacing it with lower cost/lower tech older alternatives.
I hope this stands.
Interesting notion but I have a couple of questions. First, who is going to pay for this. Second, how does it help a country's "competitiveness" to invest if more education for people who have, as the article states, five to ten more years before retirement?
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Friday, July 8, 2016
Thursday--
Very foggy this morning and we got more rain overnight. I will check the gardens a bit later and may water some plants. The monsoonal type rain we got Wednesday didn't touch several of the pots. We may get more rain later today. Hope so.
I wonder if this will affect workers over there as severely as it has workers over here. And think about the problems that come with 56% of the labor force displaced into (mostly) lower paid work.
National Geographic posted this article about the massive effort to save nearly 400k ancient manuscripts from the library of Timbuktu from destruction by jihadis with Al Qaeda in the Maghreb.
I can so thoroughly agree with the sentiment of this post. Our political leaders have lost any sense of decorum or decency and certainly don't know how to either admit defeat or simply being wrong.
Very foggy this morning and we got more rain overnight. I will check the gardens a bit later and may water some plants. The monsoonal type rain we got Wednesday didn't touch several of the pots. We may get more rain later today. Hope so.
I wonder if this will affect workers over there as severely as it has workers over here. And think about the problems that come with 56% of the labor force displaced into (mostly) lower paid work.
National Geographic posted this article about the massive effort to save nearly 400k ancient manuscripts from the library of Timbuktu from destruction by jihadis with Al Qaeda in the Maghreb.
I can so thoroughly agree with the sentiment of this post. Our political leaders have lost any sense of decorum or decency and certainly don't know how to either admit defeat or simply being wrong.
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Thursday--
This story puts a different complexion on the Clinton e-mail "scandal." It may be a scandal but not for Clinton. I remember the tiff when Obama insisted on using the Blackberry with which he was familiar and, lo and behold, the wizards at NSA provided one. But for some reason they couldn't do the same for her??? By the way notice the date on this article: March 16, 2016. Why hasn't the media mentioned this since? And is this why the FBI director decided no charges were warranted against Clinton but then lambasted her for the lack of security? Nice way to take the heat off the NSA.
"...millions of people in a society-wide experiment." An "addicted generation'? I would say so. But, in truth, we are an addicted society with the first solution offered to any problem being some medication.
Tom Englehardt gives a brutal assessment of "the American century." And he is right in asserting that inspired leaders with new alternative visions are very thin on the ground--especially in this election year.
Ronni Bennett posted some interesting thoughts this morning on "Growing Old in a New World." Perhaps every generation goes through the phase of thinking the world is their own through to finding it slipping from their grasp. Mom used to do crosswords but so many of the clues now involve a popular culture we don't participate in which makes the puzzles so much more frustrating and unenjoyable. The books and the movies seem incredibly repetitive. We wonder how many past works have been plundered by authors/filmmakers who don't seem to have any creativity. I won't even go into the politics. It isn't my world any more beyond my little patio garden.
This story puts a different complexion on the Clinton e-mail "scandal." It may be a scandal but not for Clinton. I remember the tiff when Obama insisted on using the Blackberry with which he was familiar and, lo and behold, the wizards at NSA provided one. But for some reason they couldn't do the same for her??? By the way notice the date on this article: March 16, 2016. Why hasn't the media mentioned this since? And is this why the FBI director decided no charges were warranted against Clinton but then lambasted her for the lack of security? Nice way to take the heat off the NSA.
"...millions of people in a society-wide experiment." An "addicted generation'? I would say so. But, in truth, we are an addicted society with the first solution offered to any problem being some medication.
Tom Englehardt gives a brutal assessment of "the American century." And he is right in asserting that inspired leaders with new alternative visions are very thin on the ground--especially in this election year.
Ronni Bennett posted some interesting thoughts this morning on "Growing Old in a New World." Perhaps every generation goes through the phase of thinking the world is their own through to finding it slipping from their grasp. Mom used to do crosswords but so many of the clues now involve a popular culture we don't participate in which makes the puzzles so much more frustrating and unenjoyable. The books and the movies seem incredibly repetitive. We wonder how many past works have been plundered by authors/filmmakers who don't seem to have any creativity. I won't even go into the politics. It isn't my world any more beyond my little patio garden.
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Tuesday--
The heat has been turned back on along with the humidity. I watered everything in the gardens and hunted another dozen or so Japanese beetles to drown or stomp on. I will be picking herbs again next week and trimming some of the tomatoes. We may get rain over the next few days. I certainly hope so.
Wednesday--
Thunderstorms rolled through last night and will continue through the morning to resume later tonight and into tomorrow. We do need the rain but I wish it came without the high winds driving it. So far as I can see right now from our patio door, the damage has been minimal. I think I see a couple of tomato branches that may be broken but I was debating whether I should cut them off or try to tie them back. I will check them out during the lull between the waves of storms. At least none of the plants are lying flat in a tangled heap like they were last year after similar storms.
I did get outside a little bit ago. The tomato branches weren't broken so I was able to tie them up. I didn't see any more problems.
The heat has been turned back on along with the humidity. I watered everything in the gardens and hunted another dozen or so Japanese beetles to drown or stomp on. I will be picking herbs again next week and trimming some of the tomatoes. We may get rain over the next few days. I certainly hope so.
Wednesday--
Thunderstorms rolled through last night and will continue through the morning to resume later tonight and into tomorrow. We do need the rain but I wish it came without the high winds driving it. So far as I can see right now from our patio door, the damage has been minimal. I think I see a couple of tomato branches that may be broken but I was debating whether I should cut them off or try to tie them back. I will check them out during the lull between the waves of storms. At least none of the plants are lying flat in a tangled heap like they were last year after similar storms.
I did get outside a little bit ago. The tomato branches weren't broken so I was able to tie them up. I didn't see any more problems.
Monday, July 4, 2016
Happy 4th of July to you all.
Although it seems that some of our neighbors have been celebrating for the last two weeks. For us it will be a quiet day at home.
Another interesting post from Scholars and Rogues--much of which I agree with. We don't celebrate this day much either--nor most other holidays. They have all become commercialized. After the fourth (or fifth, or sixth) time the same irritating commercial came on this morning I remarked how much I like turning off the damned idiot box. There is an emptiness in the flag waving, the parades, and the selling jingles that I find depressing and would rather miss as much as possible.
Although it seems that some of our neighbors have been celebrating for the last two weeks. For us it will be a quiet day at home.
Another interesting post from Scholars and Rogues--much of which I agree with. We don't celebrate this day much either--nor most other holidays. They have all become commercialized. After the fourth (or fifth, or sixth) time the same irritating commercial came on this morning I remarked how much I like turning off the damned idiot box. There is an emptiness in the flag waving, the parades, and the selling jingles that I find depressing and would rather miss as much as possible.
Sunday, July 3, 2016
Saturday--
I saw this first thing this morning. It is another story which hasn't hit the major news media. I love the way the Repthuglican governor who hates the Federal government interference wants the Feds to solve the problem by improving the water storage system while he refuses to put any undo pressure on business (or anyone else) by regulating pollutants. If it really is a water storage problem and not a water quality problem why not act at the state level?
I got to that story by way of my bookmarked weather site where I checked on our local weather. I wanted to check on the temperature because it felt a bit cold this morning. It is only low 50s.
Sunday--
Another cold morning, like yesterday, which promises a cool day. Although we do enjoy a bit of cool temperatures it certainly does not feel like July. It is July, right? My computer hasn't gone insane?
This story provides a gently humorous contrast between generations with their responses to an old riddle.
I saw this first thing this morning. It is another story which hasn't hit the major news media. I love the way the Repthuglican governor who hates the Federal government interference wants the Feds to solve the problem by improving the water storage system while he refuses to put any undo pressure on business (or anyone else) by regulating pollutants. If it really is a water storage problem and not a water quality problem why not act at the state level?
I got to that story by way of my bookmarked weather site where I checked on our local weather. I wanted to check on the temperature because it felt a bit cold this morning. It is only low 50s.
Sunday--
Another cold morning, like yesterday, which promises a cool day. Although we do enjoy a bit of cool temperatures it certainly does not feel like July. It is July, right? My computer hasn't gone insane?
This story provides a gently humorous contrast between generations with their responses to an old riddle.
Friday, July 1, 2016
Wednesday--
Cold this morning--only 50* and the high will only get into the mid 70s. Well, it is a nice change from the heat and humidity.
Thursday--
When there is no difference between Christian extremists and Islamic extremists. Remember when the Taliban destroyed the ancient Buddhist statues in Afghanistan and the outcry from the world. My we had an orgy of press coverage and recrimination. Nothing of the sort when Christians do the same.
Friday--
Well, a busy day so far. Two mini-loaves of bread rising for about another ten minutes before I bake it. I bake the small loaves now because we are sure to eat them before they have a chance to grow something we don't want to eat along with them. Yesterday I dried seven trays of spearmint and ground it for teas. Today's haul consisted of three trays each of peppermint and lavender. We can start adding lavender to our tea again. I saw a small clutch of tomatoes that are almost ready to pick.
Cold this morning--only 50* and the high will only get into the mid 70s. Well, it is a nice change from the heat and humidity.
Thursday--
When there is no difference between Christian extremists and Islamic extremists. Remember when the Taliban destroyed the ancient Buddhist statues in Afghanistan and the outcry from the world. My we had an orgy of press coverage and recrimination. Nothing of the sort when Christians do the same.
Friday--
Well, a busy day so far. Two mini-loaves of bread rising for about another ten minutes before I bake it. I bake the small loaves now because we are sure to eat them before they have a chance to grow something we don't want to eat along with them. Yesterday I dried seven trays of spearmint and ground it for teas. Today's haul consisted of three trays each of peppermint and lavender. We can start adding lavender to our tea again. I saw a small clutch of tomatoes that are almost ready to pick.
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