Hot Humid Hot Humid Hot Humid

Phytolacca americana. Pokeweed in late summer glory.
Survives fires and soil pH up to 8!

There is nothing more to say. It has been hot and humid and no rain at the house. We had a brief flood at school on Friday (water actually invaded the classroom during lecture). We soldiered on until they closed school. There was even some jelly bean (standard not jelly belly) size hail.

The best thing. The yard had to be mowed this week for the first time in three weeks and you could hardly call it a mow. I was really only mowing my C4 friend crabgrass. The cool season grasses are all brown and dormant. If you do your own mowing a brown crispy lawn is a thing of beauty.

New Seamus

I am not sure if Mom and Dad were able to follow the plot twist on this Sesame Street skit. If only I could speak, I could simplify it and explain it to them.

At last a dog that doesn't run from me!

Been a hectic couple of weeks...thought I would start a renewed posting initiative with a few new pictures of the boy.

You ain't foolin' nobody.....

An open letter:

1. Do not confuse my politeness with ignorance of the situation at hand.
2. Do not mistake my awkward silence for acceptance of your ideas.
3. Do not mistake my leaving the meeting for surrender.
4. Underestimating my patience is a mistake you have already made
   

...see this is an era of too many attorneys and not enough knuckle sandwiches, making quick resolutions to conflict a thing of the past

...I have only gone to quietly plan, my plans take time, they are like aggravating little puzzles, but trust me you will know when the problem is solved.

...and not a moment before. (evil laughter)

Frank Sinatra Jr. Jr.

Seamus is now just a hair over 6-months old. He actually likes his hat and sunglasses, which amuses us all. He reminded me of a certain member of the rat pack.

Visual Thesaurus

Mapping tools are becoming more useful for educational purposes. visualthesaurus.com has a great word mapping tool. The word for today was harlequin. My favorite related term has to be merry andrew.

I couldn't resist. From Wikipedia:

The following passage from Isaac D'Israeli (1766-1848) (describing the period around 1230 c.e.) illustrates its use: "In the church of Paris, and in several other cathedrals of the kingdom, was held the Feast of Fools or madmen.

"The priests and clerks assembled elected a pope, an archbishop, or a bishop, conducted them in great pomp to the church, which they entered dancing, masked, and dressed in the apparel of women, animals, and merry-Andrews; sung infamous songs, and converted the altar into a beaufet, where they ate and drank during the celebration of the holy mysteries; played with dice; burned, instead of incense, the leather of their old sandals; ran about, and leaped from seat to seat, with all the indecent postures with which the merry-Andrews know how to amuse the populace."

There must be a Monty Python connection somewhere!

Summer Heat

It has been hot here. The mountains usually help, but for the last week it has been so warm and humid I dare not even risk the bicycle commute for the thick fog that forms in the mountains during the early morning hours. We have a lot of retirees that don't see as well as they used to. My day-glo vest helps in bright conditions, but when visibility is low I worry. It has been great for the plants though. Above Echinacea purpurea framed in Rudbeckia fulgida.

Seamus is actually generating quite a bit of speed in his walker these days. The dogs have to be on constant look out. One of his favorite activities is to run into them and make them move. It used to be a minor nuisance to Tucker and Bear...but now they scatter when they hear the clacking of plastic toys and smell drool.

The kids make if fun...

Today I had the fun task of teaching 22 kids all about carnivorous plants. Here we walked through the three stages of a Venus Fly trap capturing its prey. The kids were really a joy. They are all participating in the a Summer Enrichment Program at the local community center.

They were remarkably well-behaved considering I had the time slot just after snack, but before recess. I am not sure I would have been so attentive had I had to listen to myself talk :-)

Kudos to the administrators and teachers who run this program essentially on a volunteer basis all summer.