It’s hard to believe it is the Fourth of July weekend and I barely have the spring planting done. Time really gets away from a person the older one is.

I am ashamed to admit that the last of my tomato seedlings finally got into the ground. Good thing we live where there is a late fall. There will be plenty of time for ripening and I’ll be less busy.

I pulled the rest of the English peas and froze several containers. The variety was Green Arrow, which is extremely productive. Each little plant yielded 10 or more pods filled with at least eight peas. Think about the wonder of a single seed and the life potential.

Sadly, I pulled up every single one of my eggplants. They were completely destroyed by the disgusting Colorado potato beetle. I put them in a metal trash can with a cover in hopes that they all die. It’s beyond me that I forgot that particular pest and did not take earlier action. I am the only one in my family who likes eggplant so no one could even feign some sympathy.

During the at-home time at the beginning of Covid, I decided to start my own sweet potato slips. An entire potato could be balanced in water. Since I had no toothpicks and wasn’t taking unnecessary grocery trips, I spent some time whittling chopsticks. After two months–still no sign of roots but the potato was still firm in the jar of water so I ate it. Oh, well.

The Oak Leaf hydrangea at both the entrance and exit to the Cronig’s parking lot are particularly nice this year. That entire parking lot is great. I love parking out of the sun and rain under the solar panels.

Also, the spirea are beginning to bloom. I’m fond of that shrub. If a person removes the spent flower heads in a timely fashion, it will bloom again.

A sturdy little annual is Melampodium. I rarely see it in the nurseries but started it from seed. It is a cheerful yellow that requires no maintenance and finishes the edge of a sunny border better than marigolds or portulaca.

Last week, I mentioned a little scooter that wheels along the paths with a revolving tractor seat. The brand name is Garden Scoot. My days kneeling in the garden are starting to be numbered. Just saying!

Speaking of numbered days… hope springs eternal that is true of the DJT presidency. I love The Princess Bride. Violet and I have watched it several times. Remember when Princess Buttercup calls Prince Humperdinck the slimiest coward to ever walk the earth? DJT may have surpassed him this week.

What if I had a child serving in the United States military in Afghanistan and found out that Islamic militants and/or the Taliban were paid a bounty by Russia to kill that American soldier? Trump has repeatedly cowered to Vladimir Putin and this time says he wasn’t told even if that were remotely true, he knows now and still refuses to act on it. Instead, he spends his time defending failed war heroes from the Civil War. Never mind the racist/slavery issue–they were traitors and they lost.

So, let’s recap… worldwide pandemic, which he chooses to ignore, failed economy, uses chemicals (teargas) on his own people, defends the lost cause of the Civil War and proves Hillary Clinton right—he is Putin’s puppet.

Vote Joe—make America decent again.