HUMMINGBIRD VINE AND WHINING

         

This is called a hummingbird vine…I think. This is the vine that grows next to my favorite dahlia and their colors compliment each other. I ordered this vine from Michigan Bulb a long time ago and planted it so it would grow on my back fence. For a long time it did absolutely nothing, and then put forth a few blooms. This is the first year it’s really bloomed so much.  I think if I’m not careful it just may grow down and cover up the Annabelle hydrangea.

They say tomorrow (Sunday) is supposed to have temperatures in the 90s. I’m not sure I actually believe that because sitting here in a skort and tank top, I’m cold. Not freezing you understand, but nowhere close to sweating. I think it was last weekend when I closed all the windows and most days didn’t open the sliding glass door to the deck. Sitting on the deck or my hammock swing, the wind was chilly. I don’t feel as though we’ve really had much of a summer.

Beginning tomorrow, I’ve decided I’m going to get off my butt and clean up this house. If I do one room a day, it should be squeaky clean in five or six days. This cleaning project would include washing the windows, inside and out, vacuuming the furnace intake screens, vacuuming, washing the floors and dusting (hate that last one). I don’t have to do my bedroom since I cleaned the hell out of it just last week for like the third time because I though I was sleeping with spiders. Nope, just shingles which, since it was/is a light case, I’d rather have than spiders. I know I’d most likely feel better if everything was clean and sparkling.

And, it’s not that I’m feeling bad or worse than any other time because that’s not the case. I’m just flat-out bored with what life is offering these days. And I know I’m not the only one feeling that way. Plus, the news, what little bit of it sneaks through is like something that’s out of bad science fiction. The United States Post Office is saying mail-in ballots might not make it to where they need to go in time? Supposedly post offices and post mailboxes are being closed and taken away? Plus, there was one headline about mail sorting machines being removed? Does tRump have something to do with this? Does he figure that if we choose mail-in ballots he’ll lose, so let’s not do that? Why don’t other states have ballot boxes where you can choose to take your ballot like we do in Washington?

Writing about the post office, did you know there is a division within the USPS that is known as (or was) the Postal Inspection Service. This service is the oldest federal law enforcement agency and is even older than the Declaration of Independence? Ben Franklin was appointed as postal surveyor in 1772 and his job was to make sure mail was safe and delivered to its recipient. That makes this USPS division 248 years old. Ben was named postmaster by the Continental Congress and when George Washington became the first president, he had Ben stay on in his position. It was the first federal law enforcement agency that used the title Special Agent for its officers. Special Agents kept that title until 1880 when Congress decided they had to be called inspectors. Interesting huh? And, how can US citizens allow our oldest agency to be eliminated???

What’s with some people who think this is all a big hoax? Seriously??? Is it really possible that all the countries in the world are making up information about their citizens getting COVID and dying? WOW!!! With all the availability of social media, how could such a hoax be perpetrated so successfully throughout the entire world? And, if it is a hoax, why hasn’t anyone come forward with substantial proof? I just don’t get it even though I do feel as though I’m living in a really really bad science fiction movie.

Speaking of movies, AMC and Regal are supposedly going to be opening up again. I don’t remember the date for AMC, but the very first day, the admission will be 15 cents…that’s what it cost 100 years ago. There won’t be any popcorn or soft drinks available, just the movie on the screen. Well, that doesn’t sound much fun or even safe to me. I think I’ll just continue to watch movies at home and make my own popcorn.

Then, there’s the whole schools will/won’t be open. I’ve seen a couple of photos where the school hallway was packed, heard about kids diagnosed with COVID days after returning to school in person. I’m so grateful my kid-raising days are behind me because I’d be so frightened and/or angry about my children being exposed. I try to imagine what it would be like to have to home-school my kids via an online program and wonder if child abuse is going to increase what with parents having to spend 24/7 with their children. It certainly seems scary.

Can you tell I sat down here without a single idea in mind for today’s post? Instead, I simply whined about everything that was top of my mind. I think I need to get the photographs out or make an attempt to look at the digital ones and share more interesting stuff. What I’ve written this time is simply information you can obtain by watching/reading the news or looking at social media. I’m sorry…and if I could include an emoji here, it would be one of a very sad face.