Things You May Need To Know Or Maybe Not

The Brazilian Plume Flower, aka Flamingo Flower, is blooming its head off. I have two of them, neither which I planted, one in the old kitchen garden area and one in the camellia bed. I've never really paid much attention to them for some reason, possibly because I didn't plant them and thus, have no emotional attachment. But they are very pretty, easy as hell to grow, do well in shade, and have nice color for this time of year. They are obviously a grow-anywhere plant. This is the distribution map that my plant app gave me. 

Is there anywhere on earth they DON'T grow? 

If I'm ever able to get back into the yard and clear some areas of the crocosmia and other invasive plants, maybe I'll try to propagate some new plants from the ones I have and plant them next spring. 

As you can probably tell, it's been a slow news day here in Lloyd. Well, I've hardly been outside so a Tyrannosaurus Rex could be terrorizing the citizenry and I wouldn't know it. For some reason, I can truly imagine one of those short-armed, big-headed dinosaurs tromping down the road in front of the Post Office, bent on catching and eating humans. Maybe it would kick over the My Gypsy Soul Boutique in frustration if it couldn't get one. How did Tyrannosaurus Rex catch prey? 

Just googled that question and here we go:

"The University of Maryland's Thomas R. Holtz Jr. has proposed that Tyrannosaurus attacked prey like canids and hyaenids do; seizing and killing prey with the jaws, with limited use of the forelimbs for capture and dispatch."

The limited use of forelimbs does sound correct. What in the world did they do with those tiny arms? 

Too much googling. 

Today was another excessive heat warning day. Temps in the high nineties and humidity of 85%. I swear- it's hard to breathe out there. Air just don't act right when it's this hot and this wet. Especially as applies to respiratory efforts. When I got up this morning I vowed that I was not going to do one lick of work outside the house and I didn't. It took me most of the day to make myself go dump the compost and taking that picture above was another concerted effort that I made only for Blogs' sake. The rest of the day was spent doing inside stuff and I am ashamed to say that I did not hang the sheets on the line or any other laundry either but instead, destroyed the planet even more by using the dryer. Which really is ridiculous but y'all- I could not make myself haul the laundry out and hang it up. 

So I cleaned toilets instead. 
Whoo-hoo! 

I've been cooking soybeans all day long after having soaked them all night long and I'm still far from certain they'll be soft enough to eat for dinner. I wonder how many people within a fifty mile radius will be having martinis tonight and then sitting down to a hearty bowl of soybeans and brown rice? 
Probably two. 

You never know though. 

All right. I've been saving this little gem of information for just such a slow news day. Maybe I've already told you this but even if I already have, it bears repeating:

If you leave Crocs (the shoes, not the reptile) out in the direct Florida sun, like on a porch, they will shrink up. 

The first time this ever happened to me was on St. George Island when I left my strappy sandal Crocs on the deck of the house we were staying in. I couldn't believe it! And yet- it happened. 

And then a few weeks ago I left another pair of Croc flip flops on my kitchen porch which gets sun-surface intensity temps in the late afternoon and they shrank. My GOOD Crocs. My fancy Crocs! 

Now one would think that after these experiences I would have learned my lesson but NO! 
Just a few days ago I left my gardening Crocs which are the true and real and ugly Croc clogs in the same place I'd left my flip flop Crocs and, well, yesterday, I threw them in the dump. Some would say that I should have done that a long time ago anyway but obviously they are the people who have never seen my other gardening shoes. (Super Glue is involved in their maintenance.) 

I did order a new pair of the fancy-style Croc flip flops last week and they arrived yesterday. I am grateful to have them. They are so nice and springy and cushy. And I will NOT be leaving them on the kitchen porch no matter what. 

The only other thing I have to say today is that I am just about to finish listening to Prince Harry's "Spare," read by him. By the way, he is a very fine narrator. And I know that some of you out there have nothing but disdain for the man and his decisions. 
That's fine. But I will tell you a few things I have learned:

1. The British paparazzi and tabloid news "journalists" are ruthless and cruel and do not give a shit about who they slander, hurt.

2. Prince Harry is obsessed with these people. However, if my mother had died due to the chasing of the paps, as he calls them, into a tunnel in Paris, and then was photographed in the car by those same people who did not try to offer help or comfort, I would be too. 

3. Harry is very open about some of the very bad choices he has made. 

4. I would not be born a royal in a million years given the chance. And it's not always as glamorous as it appears on the outside. 

5. Mental illness doesn't give a shit what your title or rank is. Not one tiny little shit. 

Time to go make the brown rice and the delicious goop that goes on top of the soybeans and rice. I have made a lovely-looking blueberry and plum crumble (thank you, dear Liz, for the inspiration).

Happy Friday, y'all!

Love...Ms. Moon