August doldrums

The garden is status quo.  We could use a shower, but I won't complain if we have sunshine for the next few days.  There is not a lot of political news either.  Talking about Republican stupidity and mendacity gets boring after a while.  It's like shooting fish in a barrel.   The Divine Mrs. M and I will probably make tomato sauce this weekend.  That's all I've got.

Weeds and Deer

The twin banes of the late garden have struck.  Weeds of course are and ongoing problem, and with a little (or a lot) of sweat and steel can be handled.  The bushy tailed varmints on the other hand are a real problem.  So far it is a single deer with a somewhat finicky apettite.  A bite here and there is not a big problem.  Lately however, Bambi has developed a taste for beet tops and radicchio.  It's definitely too late to start putting up fences and I'm not up to pre dawn patrols of the ultra secret garden, so I guess I'll have to hope for a little intervention in the shape of wily coyote or someone with a taste for out of season venison.

daylight on the wane

While feeding the local mosquitoes as I watered yet another planting of fall spinach, I noticed it was getting pretty dark at 8:15 p.m. last evening.  I was regularly staying outside for an hour longer during late June to mid July.  It always comes as a shock when I realize the summer is on borrowed time and fall is just around the corner.  Of course, the temperatures we are experiencing now would make you think we have already reached the autumnal equinox, but we still have over a month to go.  The only thing still growing strongly right now is spinach and weeds.  And the weeds don't have a damping off problem.   I guess I'll have to root for a long warm fall with just enough rain to keep things growing at optimum rates.  I'll have another dose of that hallucinogen also.

The One Percent Solution

Matt Damon's latest diatribe against the social stratification of America, Elysium is giving Rush Limbaugh heartburn.   The plot of this sci-fi thriller is based on the exodus of the planet's wealthiest 1% to an orbital habitat, leaving the rest of the population to eke out an existence on the miserably overcrowded and resource depleted planet.  Sounds a little like Detroit and its outer ring of hyper wealthy white suburbs, eh.   The bad guys are of course caricatures of real people, some of whom, presumably feel some empathy with their fellow humans.  Of course, Damon saves the day for the rest of us, but I felt somewhat deflated when I left the theater.  The too little, too late band aid being applied at the end of the picture was unsatisfying.  The clear message is we are playing a zero sum game and someone or some group has to lose.  Why not everyone be a winner?  That would really throw Rush for a loop!

Ham sandwiches and Obama

A Nassau NY, judge was once quoted by novelist Tom Wolfe that a district attorney "could indict a ham sandwich if he wanted to".  Likewise, the Republican majority in the House could impeach the President, according to a Texas congressman.  On what grounds he did not elaborate, but the sheer stupidity and racism showed through.  I think we ought to take governor good hair up on his threat to secede from the union.  It would certainly raise the average IQ of the rest of America.  It would also save the country a ton of money.  The lone star state gets far more money from the federal government than it contributes in taxes, so it looks like a win-win situation for the country as a whole.  The Gerrymandered congressional districts in Texas promote the most extreme demagogues at the expense of rationality and civility.  How else to explain Louie Gohmert to the rest of us.  The coming demographic tide of Latino voters will probably turn Texas democratic in a generation or two.  They can then petition to be readmitted to the United States.  In the meantime, let them work out their issues with evolution, climate change and science in general.  The spectacle would be worth the price of admission.  Or at least the cost of a ham sandwich.

Still planting and hopeful

After an orgy of planting and transplanting fall veg; lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi, spinach, radishes and rappini, the garden is looking like it should this time of year.  The lettuce especially is beautiful as well as tasty.  The weather remains dry, but not excessively, so everything is growing normally.  I'm still scarred by the miserable June weather, but things are definitely looking better for the late garden.  Growers whose whole season was planned around long season crops planted in May and June are probably not feeling the love right now. 

Teaser showers

The NCR was finally blessed with a few showers last night and for germinating fall spinach plantings it was just the thing.  I hope we get at least another couple of tenths today, but I won't complain either way.  The fall crops look good so far and the additional rain will help, but it is not really necessary.