RAIN, RAIN, AND RAIN

I'm going to have to think of something really cheerful tomorrow to chase away this dismal feeling that the rains have brought upon me.  Then again, it is supposed to be sunny.  Now THAT would be a plus.  I can get the rest of my brugmansia plants out and get the sticky icky from the buggies cleaned up.  Maybe sweep the deck and wipe off the chairs.   Yep, tomorrow just has to be a brighter day.
 

AHA -- CLEMATIS

 

Here they come!  The first tiny green leaves of the clematis.  I am SO excited.  Last year they were hidden from the sun and from me by the over growth of bamboo.  The bamboo is gone.  Now to watch these wonderful new leaf sprouts and watch as the beautiful lavender flowers appear.  I think they are lavender.  Maybe they are blue.  Sometimes you have to remove what has been so what was hidden can come forth again on its own. 

The bamboo served its purpose.  It filled a gaping spot.  Now we can have clematis.  The transplanted royal hosta can flourish.  Maybe even the astilbe will come forth again.  Things change.  Life goes on.
 

SANDWICHED

I am somehow feeling very compressed by my 'sandwich' days. Not opressed. Just squished -- drained, used up, strung out, no cope, no reserve, no energy, no interest, in fact, no nothing. So I plan to turn in early and hope to regain some strength and perspective.

Tomorrow seven a.m. teeth cleaning and nine thirty taxes. That should get me back into the realm.
 

NEW RESIDENT

 

During the past year or so Bill has been building birdhouses.  He just likes putting things together and playing with color.  This is the one that he hung on the front maple tree last week.  And THIS is the new resident. 

He/she (I am NOT a birder) was busily bringing in twigs this morning.  Who woulda thunk ....
 

REPRESENTING WHO????

 

They are not being donkeys.  They are not being elephants.  They are being smug, stupid pigs.  They are wallowing in their own mud.  They are DUMB, DUMB, DUMB.  Our government at NOT working.  It is an embarrassment.  And what is the point? 
 

EWWWE BUGGIES

 

My brugmansia plants have been in all winter.  I have three in the guest room downstairs, one in the sitting room downstairs, and eight or ten upstairs.  Suddenly the upstairs brugmansia are covered with these teeny, weeny, little yukky buggies.  I have had them before.  They are late coming this year.  I am tempted to just put all these plants outside and let them fend for themselves with the coming temperatures.  They are such icky bugs.  They leave some sort of sticky residue on everything underneath where they infest.  Yuk. Yuk. Yuk.

No icky buggies on the downstairs plants -- this year anyway.  In fact, one of the guest room plants has three flower pods.  Three.  Count them.  THREE.  In past years, the guest room plants have been the ones infested with icky bugs -- ALL winter.  There is no rhyme or reason.  No pattern.  It just seems hit or miss. 

One of life's little mysteries.

 

PILATE

 
The video and discussion this evening focused on Pilate. Obvious and necessary overlap from last Wednesday's Trial of Jesus and next week's crucifixion. But tonight we focused on Pilate. My personal conclusion is that he was a political figure concerned with one thing -- Pilate and Pilate's career.

Jesus was one among many crucifixions during Pilate's reign and this one among the many was of no account to him. He was just doing his job. Period. An insignificant player. The gospeliers developed him into a sympathetic character and the Jewish leaders became the collective scapegoat. And just look what that has done to us as Christians. Shameful. Sinful.