WTF-Beta

@AndyD Your Dad's pergola reminds me of my aunt, who is a master gardener in Washington State (or was -- she's in her 90s now) and has a beautiful trellis filled with the most gorgeous and fragrant pink roses. I commented on it when I last visited her and she shrugged it off, saying that she can't smell them. She had no use for them since she specialized in growing things to eat.

I think I remember that lack of smell can be correlated with dementia. She was exhibiting some signs during that visit.

I agree it's challenging to capture the experience in a photo.

Love it!

Today, we finally have the first peony blooms. They reliably bloom on Memorial Day weekend except this year

We have another with white flowers that still hasn't bloomed. And another that rarely flowers (maybe too close to the sidewalk?)

Today, our first rose bloom--it's a David Austin floribunda and the only non-native rose I haven't killed yet. The natives are doing fine, but of course they aren't so showy and they aren't in bloom yet.

Today we have the New England native Canada windflower/anemone on the hellstrip

Good for Ukraine. Although, US may be equally vulnerable. https://www.stripes.com/theaters/europe/2025-06-03/ukraine-drone-attack-russia-17996048.html

@Big_Al Clutch went out in our 2013 Subaru Outback at 67k miles on a very bad stretch of road on the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut. Steep hill, no shoulder, steady traffic, me alone with a car full of my son's stuff as he was moving to Brooklyn, waiting an hour for a tow truck. Shudder. Some days are like that.

@Daniel. We've had good luck with Toyotas. Learned to drive stick on my Dad's Corolla in 1980ish, drove my 2006 Prius for 19 years until replacing it this year with a new 2024 Prius (which is currently being repaired from a not-my-fault collision)

Our mechanic had good luck buying from CarMax. He went over the vehicle and it was perfect. We sold three cars to CarMax this past year, and that was painless.

Your words are worth a thousand pictures

MTG admits to not reading what she voted for

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/03/marjorie-taylor-greene-trump-tax-bill

Not regarding Real ID, but there's this lawsuit just filed by the mayor of Newark against the Acting US Attorney for false arrest and malicious prosecution:
https://apnews.com/article/newark-mayor-ras-baraka-lawsuit-arrest-immigration-0d17f4adb136b9fefc02ea8b498124ed

@Steve-Miller nice. my mom always had a hanging basket of fuchsia. I never had any luck with them. Probably wrong climate.

I planted some a few years ago that disappeared. I found a volunteer on the hellstrip this season and found these really healthy specimens at a native plant sale. Figure I'll put them on the hellstrip if that's where they want to live. Do yours volunteer in a sunny spot?

@AndyD thats's a cool photo. @Steve-Miller , Love those yellow roses.

Today I present blue-eyed grass, a New England native, and a member of the iris family

Kids--zip tied
https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/migrant-kids-zip-tied-20351707.php

Remind me to stop driving before I turn 97.

Volleyball, band, honor student, friendliest kid in the school---disappeared.

https://www.wcvb.com/article/milford-student-detained-by-ice-massachusetts/64935176

I think it will be right up your alley.

@ShiroKuro I have the piano solo book from the movie, available from Hal Leonard. I used to play these all the time. So pretty

Comedy grackle from my Birdfy feeder this morning. I think these need a caption.

Lovely roses. I've given up on hybrid roses. My family in Oregon can grow them spectacularly, but my luck with them in New England has been kinda heartbreaking.

My bloomscroll today is the native blue flag iris.

Just think, today's students will be perfectly prepared to work in today's Health and Human Services Department.