Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

This blog will pay for itself.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

All your base are belong to Tunch.

A Senator Walker would also be an insult to reason, rationality, and decency.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

No one could have predicted…

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

Let there be snark.

Second rate reporter says what?

The willow is too close to the house.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

People are complicated. Love is not.

Meanwhile over at truth Social, the former president is busy confessing to crimes.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / I’ll Hire The Muscular Descendants Of Roman Gods To Do The Heavy Lifting

I’ll Hire The Muscular Descendants Of Roman Gods To Do The Heavy Lifting

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Spring Tulips1

This is my neighbor’s yard. Every year I say I’m going to take photos and every year they are done before I remember. Not this year! I made a point the other morning to get it done. Click on the photos to see full-sized.

Spring Tulips2

Just a small sampling. Next up are his irises, followed by roses and assorted summer blooms. He uses crushed coconut shells mulch, which is not only beautiful, but stays nice all season long. He refreshes it each spring and that’s it. No weeds. It is difficult to keep Bixby out of it, because it must smell really good.

No recipe exchange tonight, I didn’t even look at my kitchen this week. Back at it next week. Have a great weekend – TaMara

Consider this an open thread.

Reader Interactions

179Comments

  2. 2.

    Soylent Green

    Rich people are concerned about the entitlement crisis.

    Just something to think about.

  3. 3.

    Miss Bianca

    Cruel, cruel! To post photos of pretty posies when we are buried in 8 inches of snow, and more to come! : )

  14. 14.

    MomSense

    I have a deck and it is beautiful!

    Hooray! Just in time for the hordes of people I’m cooking for on Sunday.

    It’s been so cold the grass hasn’t really come in yet but now that we won’t fall through the deck I’m thinking dance party.

  16. 16.

    gindy51

    When my husband flew for a commercial airline he brought me back hundreds of tulips from Holland. It was lovely for one spring. It never got cold enough again to activate the damned bulbs over winter so they died. I have ONE left, out of hundreds I spent planting and it rarely flowers, just puts out leaves. The daffodils go nuts every year and have spread all over the “bulb” garden, which is now full of native trees like catalpa, box elder, and grey dogwoods. I let whatever native grow that wants to and get rid of invasives like Russian olive trees.

  18. 18.

    MomSense

    Also too, FLOTUS and POTUS traded some fighting words with the Royals on Twitter over the induct us games.

    They have managed to make me like the royal family.

    Thanks, Obamas.

  21. 21.

    debbie

    A house nearby has a side yard which is filled every year with irises and peonies. I feel very yard-deprived.

  22. 22.

    jl

    Thanks for the wonderful pics. But I would prefer descendants of Greek gods, and I don’t want to pay.
    Looks like I am feeling entitled today.

  28. 28.

    Uncle Ebeneezer

    A couple years ago we were visiting Seattle and my wife insisted that we drive up to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. I was down with it but not super-excited because, how exciting can a bunch of flowers be?

    I was wrong. If you are ever in that area in April-ish, definitely go. It was jaw-droppingly good on the eyes. The whole valley are is lovely/charming too.

  30. 30.

    jl

    @Baud:

    ” Give me Baud!, or give me Death! ”

    Why haven’t you admitted that your campaign is a miserable failure, you have lost and you are a loser, and that you are a generally miserable specimen in every respect, for the sake of Party Unity?

    That is pretty close to your campaign platform though, so I guess you have to do some wordsmithing for the announcement. I’ll give you a few minutes before I denounce Baud! 2016! again.

  31. 31.

    jl

    @Baud: Unless you are a Greek god, in which case, your kids should be mowing my lawn tomorrow.

    Edit: I’m feeling generous, I’ll make them some lemonade or something.

  37. 37.

    Uncle Ebeneezer

    @Trollhattan: Your link is broken but I watched a couple YT vids of scenery, looks breath-taking. When we went to Skagit Valley we returned via Whidby Isle to the ferry at the South end of the isle. We always love a good scenic drive. Already planning several for a trip to New England in October.

  46. 46.

    LAO

    While I’m personally all in for BAUD!, between the Obama’s throw down with the British Royal family and CJ Cregg’s appearance at White House briefing today, I’m going miss this President (and his family).

  50. 50.

    geg6

    Wow! Here I was, feeling all proud and happy about our bumper crop of tulips in all types and colors, from the bulbs John planted last fall. The front yard looks so pretty and colorful and tulips are my absolute favorite flower.

    But this makes ours look lame. :-( I’m totally jealous.

  51. 51.

    ? Martin

    I mentioned this morning that CA might be pretty active in the 5 weeks prior to our primary, and that’s certainly playing out.

    Protesters — some of whom wore bandanas over their faces and carried Mexican flags — blocked off the road in front of the Hyatt Regency here, forcing the GOP front-runner’s motorcade to pull over along a concrete median outside the hotel’s back entrance. Trump and his entourage got out and walked into the building.
    “That was not the easiest entrance I’ve ever made,” Trump said once he began speaking at the convention, adding, “it felt like I was crossing the border.”
    At one point before Trump arrived, about two dozen protesters tried to rush barriers near the hotel. Police officers then rushed to the building’s doors, successfully blocking the protesters from getting in. Some of the doors’ handles were handcuffed from the inside so they couldn’t be forced open.

    I wouldn’t be surprised to see some really big demonstrations in the next 5 weeks – on the order of what we saw in 2006, with half a million people protesting. The latino community here is really fired up and seems to be organizing (more than usual for May 1).

    Notable too, that Trump didn’t have much trouble evading the wall that was intended to keep him from crossing the freeway.

  57. 57.

    Major Major Major Major

    The pickle:sandwich ratio is off at this restaurant and I have a sneaking suspicion that $hitlery Clontom won’t do a damn thing to address it. Baud! is our only hope. Who has the superdelegates’ home addresses?

  58. 58.

    Pogonip

    It was a bright cold day in April [around here, at least] and President Baud took the oath of office as the clocks were striking thirteen.

    Foot fans, one blister broke and drained, waiting on the other. The nurse will bring some sort of super-special bandage tomorrow, and change it every day; apparently dire consequences ensue if laymen mess with it. I envision a sort of Bandage Bat-signal going off. Dad says he feels good, and he does seem reassuringly grumpy.

  60. 60.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @MomSense:

    I think it’s a hoot to see the Queen being silly in public. I’m sure she often is with family and close friends, but except for the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremonies, and now this with Harry, one almost never sees her in a playful mood.

    I tried to post the clip earlier today to share with everyone here, but it seems to be Facebook only and was showing my own FB page which I didn’t particularly want to do, so I deleted it. But it is very cute and worth watching (for POTUS and FLOTUS if not the Royals).

  66. 66.

    MomSense

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    It really is fun and you can tell there is real warmth between the two families which pleases me.

    Twitter has the videos on Harry’s Kensington Palace account but tweets don’t link well here.

  68. 68.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    Thank you for the reminder that I need to put the opening day of the zoo’s tulip rehoming on my calendar. And sorry about the Colorado weather ladies (+ any Juicer gents out there).

  69. 69.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @MomSense:

    The Obamas had dinner last week with William and Catherine and Harry. I wonder whether they worked all this out over the second or third glass of wine.

    From what I know about the Invictus Games, it is a legitimate and good charity. Really like that the Obamas are on board with it.

  70. 70.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @SiubhanDuinne: you ever get the feeling they’re just not gonna tell Charles when old Betty snuffs it, just let him ramble around whatever country house and garden he’s in and let the next generation save the family Business?

    too bad he’s not better at the job, as I think he’s a pretty strong environmentalist.

  73. 73.

    jl

    Hell, I give up.

    I laud Baud, the bipod god, the slipshod sod, the too-broad bawd, the unshod fraud, the cod who escaped the fishing rod.

  74. 74.

    Soylent Green

    Baud loves me,
    This I know,
    ‘Cause the Democratic Party Platform tells me so.

  75. 75.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Uncle Ebeneezer:

    I’ve been in Ottawa a couple of times for the Tulip Festival there, but IIRC it’s not until May. During WWII, several senior members of the Dutch royal family were given sanctuary in Canada, and when the War was over they said thank you by giving the capital hundreds of thousands of tulip bulbs, can’t remember how many, but LOTS. I believe the Festivsl has taken place every year since then, maybe the past 70 or so, and is among the largest flower festivals in the world.

  79. 79.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Actually, no. First of all, there’s no constitutional rationale for skipping Charles in the line of succession. Additionally, given his age (he’s 68 on his next birthday — already the oldest heir in British history — and the Queen’s own mother lived to 102, so the genes argue that it’ll continue to be a long wait) and given the fact that William probably doesn’t yearn for the job, Charles is unlikely to reign more than a few years.

    What could happen is that as the Queen gets older, or if she were to become ill or incapacitated, Charles (or William, I suppose) might be named Regent and fulfill the duties of monarchy without having actually become King. Already many of the younger Royals have taken on several of the Queen’s traditional duties. But skip a generation in the line of succession? No.

  83. 83.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    good christ, Hayes, if your commitment to diversity extends to right-wing morons (Mollie Hemingway, of The Federalist, in this case), you trying way too hard

  84. 84.

    Mnemosyne

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    IIRC, part of the agreement Charles had to make with Parliament when he married Camilla is that she will never be crowned queen, so after QE2 goes, there won’t be another Queen of England until after Charles does and William and Kate are coronated.

    (That’s right, kids — if you’re the heir to the British throne, Parliament gets to decide who you marry and what the terms are. Being King ain’t all beer and skittles these days.)

  87. 87.

    Emma

    @SiubhanDuinne: One of the things that makes me grin — I have a mean streak a mile wide — is the reaction of some royalist conservatives to the relationship between the Obamas and the Royals. When they were screaming madly about Michelle touching the Queen and Buckingham Palace showed photos clearly showing the Queen had also put her arm around Mrs. Obama, I thought they were going to have a conniption. The came the private tea for Mrs. Obama and the girls when they were traveling without POTUS, then this recent private lunch with the Queen and private dinner with the younger ones. Obviously a personal warm relationship and it drives them bats.

  88. 88.

    satby

    @gindy51: @geg6: Tulips don’t come back year after year without special treatment and specific varieties. And even trying to do most of that I’ve had mixed success.

    Maybe this year a sacrifice to Baud is in order. Can’t hurt.

  89. 89.

    Emma

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: He’s very good at the job. He just copped a bad turn of the wheel. His mother’s very long lived and his son and DIL are the epitome of royal glamour. He will be the place-marker between the two.

  90. 90.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    Baud was hiking one day and was bitten by a snake. After 3 days of excruciating pain, the snake died.

  91. 91.

    Miss Bianca

    @a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): Pretty bad here, but not so bad down the canyon where the horses are – hoping to get a ride in tomorrow. The Andalusian cross I hopped on for a few minutes last week – got a beautiful long swinging walk and trot, but a bit squirrelly from not having been ridden much lately – going to try again, tho’!

  94. 94.

    NotMax

    Attention, Mnemosyne: Lin-Manuel Miranda appearing on Chris Hayes’ show sometime in the next 30 minutes.

  95. 95.

    satby

    @Emma: and I doubt the son would agree to bypass his father in the succession anyway. He knows his father has been preparing his entire life.

  97. 97.

    Gelfling545

    Just finished helping my granddaughter pick mothers’ day gifts from Feminist Apparel for her Mom & Step-mom. Girl lucked out with both of those ladies in her life.

  102. 102.

    NotMax

    @Mnemosyne

    On Fridays, MSNBC (usually) does not do reruns and instead goes straight into the prison dreck. Of course, you can always watch it later online.

  110. 110.

    Miss Bianca

    @Aleta: For yea, Baud is the Light, and the Way…

    (stopping now before any gods, Greek, Hebrew, or Norse, decide to casually smite me).

  114. 114.

    Gimlet

    Proof of Heaven was just one selfie away, says South African pastor Mostsoeneng Mboro, until thieves scuttled his plan to show it to the world by stealing his smartphone.

    The pastor claims he ascended to Heaven on Easter Sunday, according to Nehanda Radio. Originally, Mboro was offering to show people the pictures for a small fee of about $340, after currency conversion.

    “The pictures were really there, I saw them. We suspect one of the boys washing the Prophet’s car took the phone. But they all denied taking it, even after we threatened them,” one of Mboro’s bodyguards told reporters. “All those who have deposited money will be refunded.”

  115. 115.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @NotMax:

    Great Britain does not have a constitution.

    Not a written constitution, no. But they do indeed have an unwritten one which is based on centuries of common law tradition and precedent, Acts of Parliament, various court judgments, etc.

    Every now and then there is noise about whether there should be a proper codified Constitution thingie, but the consensus seems to be that the present system has served pretty well since Magna Carta in 1214 and no need to mess with a good thing.

  117. 117.

    opiejeanne

    @? Martin:

    Trump didn’t have much trouble evading the wall that was intended to keep him from crossing the freeway.

    What does this mean? Did his motorcade stop on the shoulder of the freeway?

  118. 118.

    lollipopguild

    @jl: Bauds! Balls! are so strong that they bend Time And Space. The last time Baud! crossed his stream……..

  119. 119.

    eemom

    @Mnemosyne:

    They went to high school together.

    Hark, another opportunity to boast that I share said alma mater! I was there a million years before they were, but STILL.

    Also, my class was the first one in which there were boys. So I’m kind of historic too, sorta.

  120. 120.

    different-church-lady

    I’m pretty sure I have daffodils in my front yard.

    I wish I had time to go look at them.

    The roses had more die-back than usual. Odd, because our winter was pretty mild.

    I feel confused and unsettled.

  123. 123.

    Mike in NC

    Tulips and other flowers are blooming here at South Lake Tahoe, even though there’s snow still on the ground in spots. Seems to be one of those places where, if you don’t like the weather, just wait five minutes.

  130. 130.

    Gimlet

    Will Ferrell has backed out of a comedy about Ronald Reagan’s struggle with dementia.

    I wonder if SNL would have the effrontery to take the idea and run with it.

  131. 131.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @Pogonip: Reassuringly grumpy is a very good sign. And those are blisters that absolutely should be unattended by laymen. IANAMD, though I did issue sports rest medical orders to my doctor last week, regarding his cracked rib and proposed return to the soccer field. He was thinking 2 weeks and he plays keeper. I told him that in my opinion that was idiotic 3 weeks min for fullback and 5-6 to keeper; he’s 48 for crying out loud.

  133. 133.

    Mike J

    Sanders dropped his lawsuit against the DNC stemming from four different employees of Sanders campaign stealing Clinton data from eleven different states.

  135. 135.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @Omnes Omnibus: He is, but we are TVZ and DFW soulmates, which is pretty odd in and of itself. Plus he got Anyway* for his kids after I loaned him my copy.

  137. 137.

    lollipopguild

    @AkaDad: Small bills-10s and 20s, brown paper bag-leave it behind the dumpster. bills need to be nonsequential.

  138. 138.

    Snarkworth, short-fingered Bulgarian

    As Baud is my witness, I’ll nevah..be hungry… again!

  139. 139.

    Miss Bianca

    @a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): from the very little experience I have of rugby – getting beaten up as a novice half in the (not formally recognized) UM women’s league back in Tha Day, and a ravingly loony English dude I dated a little while back – that sounds about right on track. The dude is in his 50s, still plays, altho’ he has slowed down a bit after breaking his knee skiiing a couple years back – and skiing down on his own and – this is on Christmas Day, so does he go the clinic? NAH! – he powers his way thru’ on liquid anaesthesia till the next day! – when he goes and gets it set. Rugby folks iz crazy.

  140. 140.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @Miss Bianca: This was his 3rd rib over the years and his wife was less than amused.

    WTF? You know you’re not 30 any more.
    That’s why I play in an over 30 league.
    You’re an asshole.

    I believe we have a rugby player on this very blog, but I can’t comment as to his capacity for rational thought on the topic.

  145. 145.

    Robert Sneddon

    @Omnes Omnibus: There was an international rugby game a while back where the game was stopped while the players and officials searched the pitch for someone’s eye which had popped out during a particularly hard tackle.

    It was made of glass.

    They found it, the player “cleaned” it by spitting on it then wedged it back in place. His opponents thought he should have at least removed the bits of grass stuck to it before he did this.

  146. 146.

    opiejeanne

    @Gimlet: It was not really about Reagan’s struggle with Alzheimers, that is part of the story but the script is about IranContra.. Bob Schooley has been talking about it today and says that the bit about Reagan’s Alzheimers is actually touching.
    They read through the script in front of an audience a couple of months ago, with Josh Brolin as Reagan and Nathan Fillion reading Don Regan’s part. It was very well received.

  148. 148.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @Omnes Omnibus: Sensible. But aren’t you impressed by my daft doc friend’s excellent taste in music? Even if he is an asshole about the injuries.

  159. 159.

    The Lodger

    @efgoldman: Suddenly there’s violent opposition at a Trump rally? Topless women with Bernie stickers on their boobs? Call me cynical, but I smell a rent-a-riot here. This was dreamed up by someone who doesn’t know any actual leftists.

  160. 160.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @Pogonip:You are thinking of someone else, but one of the finest compliments I ever got was from a vet:

    How do you know all this? I’ve got vets working for me who don’t know as much about horses as you do.

    I told him they were younger. He’s a good vet and a great guy. He’s one of the only two reasons I miss Raleigh.

  162. 162.

    Miss Bianca

    @Omnes Omnibus: thankee, sir. “Praise from Sir Hubert is praise indeed.”

    @Mnemosyne: ‘Tis a frame of mind, to be sure. I was one of those squeamish tomboys who was not actually that good at sports as a tad, but damn…I enjoyed the hell out of rugby, once I got over that fear.

  165. 165.

    Miss Bianca

    @Omnes Omnibus: “Interesting”…is *that* what they’re calling it these days… ; )

    Our coach was an incredibly cute Welshman…which wouldn’t have had anything to do with my interest at all, of course…I ended up tending bar with his ex-wife a few years later…figuring out that connection was a hoot!

  166. 166.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Miss Bianca: The amount of time I spent with “I need to go back to my dorm room for a few minutes.” “We are in the middle of practice. You can’t go.” “I have to.” “Why?” “My bra broke.” “Oh, get back as soon and you can. You need to work on these drills.” A different world for me.

  167. 167.

    Miss Bianca

    @Omnes Omnibus: Damn…where did *you* go to school? We had tape to hand to deal with those things…and Lord – most of my teammates would have been Johnny (Janie?) on the spot to help deal…no need to let the boys know at all!

  168. 168.

    J R in WV

    @Pogonip:

    Oh, that’s good, the grumpy. It’s always a good sign when someone who has been down gets grumpy, it means they have a little excess energy that they can divert to the grumpys.

    Hang in there, Pogo!! We’re all with you here!

  169. 169.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Miss Bianca: My college had children of hockey team owners and movie stars attending while I was there – kids of factory workers too. And that particular north shore of Chicago girl would not have taped a bra under any circs.

  170. 170.

    Miss Bianca

    @Omnes Omnibus: “particular North Shore of Chicago”…h’mm…not Northwestern, I’m guessing…good Lord, you didn’t got to *Lake Forest College*, did you?

    ETA: Oh, wait…you did say the girl was from the North Shore, not the college…h’mm…mead, good…

  172. 172.

    J R in WV

    @Miss Bianca:

    I’ve been there. Not a student, just wandering by in the summertime. A lovely town, with an interesting beach. All very quaint. I was in school at Great Lakes, and it was one train stop south for us. Old fashioned movie house, some interesting architecture too.

  173. 173.

    Miss Bianca

    @Omnes Omnibus: you’re going to make me guess, aren’t you. *grump*.

    @J R in WV: Only time I was ever there was as catering staff at an incredibly fancy 1%-er party. Between the swinish stockbrokers smoking cigars and the other staffers who were pegging all the names on the designer dresses it was an…*interesting*…experience.

  177. 177.

    Miss Bianca

    @Omnes Omnibus: Ah…well, *that* I wouldn’t have guessed…only “Lawrence” I ever knew was Lawrence Tech, where my dad taught, but that was in suburban Detroit.

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