Summertime, and the livin' is easy

Nothing beats an ice cream on the last day of school. Can you believe it? Starting first and fifth grade in the fall.  

Weeding the garden...

And swim team for Nova this summer. Where does the time go?

Nice crop of critters

The plum tree is covered again with nasty aphids. In fact, each year it gets worse. So much for that environmentally friendly dormant oil spray.  But there's no way I can use real pesticides in this yard, not with a hive of nice bees across the street.

The tree was pruned heavily in February, and the new growth doesn't produce fruit the first year. I counted a total of 8 plums, all covered with sticky aphids.  There may be a few more hiding up there, but it certainly won't be a bumper crop.  

Speaking of bees, we just saw an interesting 2012 movie called "More Than Honey," a documentary about the disappearance of honeybees around the world. Did you know there are no bees at all in China? We like nature documentaries and this is one of the best, with incredible bee images and photography.

Minding the store

I was the lone cashier at the Stop n' Shop yesterday. Yikes. The teenager who usually volunteers with me was a no show. It hit 95 degrees in Seattle-- maybe she went to the beach?

The store manager is also on vacation, so I was responsible for closing out the till, doing the daily accounting report, and then locking up the shop. One of the things the manager told me was, "you will never work alone." So much for that. Anyway, everything went fine. Guess I'm getting the hang of it. 

I enjoy chatting with the customers, and the time goes fairly fast when you're busy. Most folks are nice; many are odd. It's surprising how many people try to bargain at a charity shop. I tell them I'm just a volunteer and not empowered to change prices. Or sell things without price tags, for that matter.

They keep a binder called "The Book of Thieves" behind the counter.  It has security camera photos and unflattering (definitely not PC) descriptions of repeat shoplifters. I guess we're supposed to confront these scary people if we recognize them. One volunteer cashier actually chased a woman down the street with an armful of old clothes she was stealing.  (Not in my job description.)

Well, I'll get that thrift store smell out of my nose today.  It's 15 degrees cooler, and we're going trail riding on Vashon Island.

Way to go, Maya!

And here's a little song for you...

Jupiter

The sun doesn't set until after 9 pm, and it was brighter than a December noon when I curled up with my book last night at 8:30. June is a tough month for the sleep challenged.

If you're still awake, there's a good view of Jupiter this week after sunset. The planet is at its closest point to earth for the year, and looks like a big yellow star in the southeast sky.

Speaking of celestial bodies, we heard Gustav Holst's "The Planets" at the symphony this Sunday.  It's an old chestnut, but audiences love it and it's fun to hear all seven movements in one performance.  Each planet has a theme, loosely based on astrology. 

Jupiter is one of the most popular movements, full of loud brass and swelling strings.  He is the king of gods, the big cheery uncle of all the planets.

Weather whiplash

A bamboo skeleton

Is the bamboo finally whupped?
It's been so long, I searched the blog to remember when we had it removed.

 A sad sight, August 2015

Of course "removed" doesn't tell the story, because the underground roots sprouted for another 4 long years. They spread like a thick network over the back yard and even under the garage, poking through the floor.  No way to get them out, without knocking the structure down.

The bamboo expert said if I persistently cut off new growth, the roots would eventually run out of steam and the plant finally die.  Woman with clippers vs prehistoric bamboo, but I finally won the battle.

What a plant!  You have to admire the sheer persistence. No doubt, when the world is nothing but a baking hot cinder, bamboo will still thrive.

After unseasonably cold weather last week we are warming up.  It should reach the high 80's on Wednesday. The weathermen this morning look grim and serious, warning everyone about heat exposure. People are freaked out by hot weather in Seattle. No one has air conditioning. You'll hear the cries of complaining all across the country.

The family flies back to Seattle today.  Sadly, we won't see the girls at all, as they are heading straight back to Twisp from the airport.  A long travel day, but school and work tomorrow.  From the photos, looks like everyone had a great time.

At the Las Vegas Natural History Museum yesterday...