various things

Yesterday, I spent most of my time in meetings. They were meetings about things that interest me, but they were meetings.

A purple cone flower blossom

But this morning, the weather was dry and out to the garden I hied meself. I yanked about a bushel of grass and trimmed lots of heads off our purple cone flowers (echinacea). This evening, I harvested the seeds and began to package them. If anyone would like some, send me a self addressed stamped envelope. Better make the postage for two ounces. I'll poke an envelope full of seeds with instructions for planting in yours and post it back.

Harvesting cone flower seeds is pleasant, mindless work. The cones dry and the petals fall off. What is left is a ball of seeds on a stem. When the seeds are ready for harvest, they displace easily and it is almost like stroking a stiffish puff ball. I let the seed fall into a sack, then repackage it in 3"x6" envelopes.

The cone flower is a native flower to the prairies of North America. It reseeds itself, so is considered a perennial. The nicest thing is that it blooms most of the summer, when the spring flowers have faded. Best time for planting is early fall. It is a light lover, so stick in places that get full sun.

While I was harvesting, I thought. A couple of recent news stories gave me pause. A man rammed a police car twice, then ran off into some fields. He was easily captured. He had firearms in his car. Since he was a convicted felon, that was charged against him as well as the traffic foolishness.

A woman was speeding frantically. When she was pulled over, her back seat was full of drugs.

A man set fire to the house he was renting. The fire department found drugs in the house, called the police and when they arrived, the man was found, sitting in his car, watching the fire.

These things reminded me that crooks are not the brightest bulbs in the box. Where oh where is Dr. Moriarty? Are there no more master minds of crime? Had Sherlock Holmes been around today, his client list would have been very slim indeed.

The political silly season has arrived. Each candidate vies for the title of most abusive and least substantial. I think Fran has the right idea. Don't vote for Democrats. Don't vote for Republicans. Don't vote for anyone who is already in office. If we do that enough times, maybe the people who run (you have to be a little off to want to be an elected official) will get the idea.

It amazes me how men and women who are so darned bright, head of their class in university, Eagle Scout, and all the rest can just let things go by them the way it is here. How many congress critters do you supposed read all 2,000 pages of that blasted health bill? Heck, the media are just now getting finished with the fine print and finding the little holes negotiated into the law. Perhaps we should insist that no elected official many voice an opinion or vote on a law unless he or she has read the whole thing and had the parts they don't understand explained to them by experts.

Okay, that's enough of that. Thanks for looking in. Please e-mail me if you don't have my snail mail.