Fire, Flowers, Invasive Plants

Southern California is on fire again.  On NBC last night they were talking about evacuations.  I just don't know how they keep going back and doing it all over again.  Anyway, our sunset was very red due to smoke from their fires.  Pretty dang eerie.

Up and out again early today for the hot ride over hill and dale.  My bougainvillea has been worrying me lately because it was not blooming in its normal riotous fashion.  Apparently they have bloom cycles, and now we are entering in to a bloom period.  I fed it yesterday, so hopefully he's happy.

Our Blue Sage is blooming.  We planted him about 18 months ago, but this is the first bloom.  Every one in the neighborhood has burst into flower since the rain.

There was a weather alert this afternoon for dangerous thunderstorms, 50 mph winds moving from the north to the south.  We checked weather radar, which clearly showed it moving north.  Hail was also in the forecast which we didn't get.  The thunder was good, but the rain was mediocre.  More doves on the flower spike.

This is what's in the Republican bill to help Americans in financial distress.

This is McConnell trying to blame the democrats for not signing off on the bill as it stands.

Ted Cruz has been on twitter today spouting his usual inane stuff.  Today it was "people with blue checks are afraid of pick-up trucks."  I know - right?  He has a blue check.  Anyway someone put this up, which I thought was funny.

Here is another obituary with a message.  Too bad no one in the Republican Party is reading them.

As if things weren't bad enough, what with global climate change, the plague, and murder hornets in Washington state, there is Knotweed.  It's an invasive, brought from Japan with the best of intentions, and it's practically impossible to control.  In Japan, there is an aphid which keeps it in check.  It's all over the UK and now it is here.  It's in New York City.  It likes moist soil, once it takes hold everything else dies because no sun can reach the ground. It spreads by underground runners, or even little pieces of runners.  It's bad. You can read all about it here.

So there you go.