And Just Like That

Summer arrived today.  

I stood outside on Saturday, without a hat, for more than two hours, holding a sign, and I was never too hot.  I was wearing two layers on top.  I was glad I wore a sweater over a cotton blouse on Sunday.

Today, I barely lasted an hour outside in Grandma's Garden.  From now on, I do my outside stuff before 9 am.

The humans aren't the only ones altering their patterns.  Those look like javelina tracks along the front of our property.  They haven't done that there since the last time it was hot.

My bearded iris are loving the heat,

and the store bought petunia starts are equally delighted.  

Mostly, it's the yellow season that announces the arrival of warmer temperatures.  This tree was bare and green a week ago.  Now it's providing yellow pollen to annoy the entire neighborhood.

It hasn't rained in a while, but, surprisingly, the ocotillo are blooming.

This is an ocotillo flower up close.

The succulent that volunteered several years ago has given birth to many pups (see the babies around her base?) and this year, for the first time, she's showing her floral stuff.

The wildflowers are starting to get into the act, too.

It's time to move the flannel shirts into the totes and take out the rest of the tank tops.  Just like that, summer has arrived.

 

Today

It's National Pygmy Hippo Day.

It's National Unicorn Day.

The stock market rebounded in a big way.

FFOTUS is thrilled - his name is leading the news, he's making waves, foreign leaders are lining up to kiss his ass.

I'm sticking with the unicorns.

A Gentle Suggestion for the Democrats

Speaker of the House Johnson represents a district in Louisiana.  38% of his constituents are on Medicaid, helped by the ACA, even if their minimum wage  job provides coverage.  Medicaid is less expensive for them.

He is promoting drastic cuts to Medicaid.  

CBS interviewed residents of Vivian, Louisiana.  Vivian has few large employers, and most employers pay the minimum wage, which hasn't changed since 2009.   It's $7.95/hour.  Take home pay averages $200/week.

We are just stuck was the prevailing sentiment. 

But neither of the two people interviewed voted in the last election, and neither knew that Johnson is their representative in Congress.

Perhaps some voter education is in order.  Organizing used to be the Democrats ace in the hole.  Perhaps they ought to seek out new territory and expand their reach.

Sounds like Vivian, Louisiana might be a good place to start.

Happy Birthday, HoneyBunny

She's two.  

She's magnificent.

Her big eyes miss nothing, from the squirrels (announced in Russian) scampering on the fence to the tiniest little booboo on her finger.  Immediate attention is required, and her persistence makes it so.

She climbs and jumps and slides higher and faster than the 3 year olds at the park.  It's her happy place, down a short path from her front yard, filled with all manner of potential adventures.  Sometimes the tan bark ground cover, sometimes the faux steering wheel, sometimes the swings, but always the park.

She loves her baby brother, treating her two little baby dolls the same way Mommy treats him.  When the little human isn't in his car seat or his high chair or his napping pad, those plastic babies take his place.  After checking with them, she is glad to assure anyone nearby that they are okay.

Okay, baby? from the mouth of one who was the baby until two months ago is possibly the cutest thing I've heard in recent times.

Her Daddy is improving his pony tail skills; today she had a top knot and a low pony.  Many colored barrettes keep the strands out of her face.  Not long ago we wondered if she'd ever grow hair to be styled.

She gave us a concert on our last video chat.  Old MacDonald led off, followed by fifteen minutes of songs she's heard at day care or on tv.  Most of the words were intelligible.  Her enthusiasm was contagious.  Her grandparents could not stop beaming.

She's not feeling well today, so her cupcakes at day care will have to wait until she recovers.  But birthday wishes will still flow her way, starting with this one, at 12:00am, the first one of the day.

Happy Birthday, HoneyBunny.  Grandma loves you a lot.

Hands Off Photos

I'm so proud of Tucson.  The local paper says 10,000 people showed up on April 5th to voice their concerns.  There were a lot of concerns.  Here are 93 of them.

They were multi-cultural.

 They were artistic creations from protesters with lots of markers.

Nobody liked Elon.

Or DOGE

Or FFOTUS

There were signs about issues

There were signs about signs about issues.

There were suggestions.

Democracy was on the minds of many of us

There were calls to action

And then there were the winners

It was a lovely day in Tucson