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Republicans do not trust women.

These days, even the boring Republicans are nuts.

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

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

Cancel the cowardly Times and Post and set up an equivalent monthly donation to ProPublica.

No one could have predicted…

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

The desire to stay informed is directly at odds with the need to not be constantly enraged.

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

Republicans: slavery is when you own me. freedom is when I own you.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

Dear media: perhaps we ought to let Donald Trump speak for himself!

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Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

One way or another, he’s a liar.

Fight them, without becoming them!

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

The current Supreme Court is a dangerous, rogue court.

This country desperately needs a functioning fourth estate.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

You are here: Home / Garden Chats / Sunday Afternoon Open Thread

Sunday Afternoon Open Thread

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I know it does not look like it, but these two pictures constitute about six hours work (the boys were over):

The grass in the backyard looks like hell, but right around the stairs is where I am putting in bricks and you can see the dogs have created a desire path to the back gate, so I guess I will just put the walkway there. Got everything weeded, the perennials are all cut back, and the thousands of twigs that the pines blew into the yard are all corralled. Next week will be powerwashing, and then another coat of stain for the deck.

Seedlings are late this year, but what the hell, it was freezing the first week of May last year and 70 in the last weeks of October, so screw it. They’ll grow.

My trees look so fucking good I am just over the moon. The ones out front have just really grown and the trunks are sturdy and there is good tensile strength to the limbs, I am just so happy. If you look closely enough you can watch the dammned willow tree grow.

Reader Interactions

70Comments

  2. 2.

    mrmoshpotato

    If the Willow is growing that fast, we’ll start saying “The willow is in the house.”

  3. 3.

    WhatsMyNym

    You’re brave having white deck boards, they would turn green every winter up here in the NW.

    Good News – the WA state Democratic party will use the results from the Primary in March instead of local caucuses.

  5. 5.

    philpm

    John, you do realize that as soon as you put the walkway in, the dogs will create a new path right next to it, don’t you?

  9. 9.

    MomSense

    Woah, daily beast is saying lyjng NAZI bitch
    Nielsen’s resignation is imminent.

  10. 10.

    MomSense

    @debit:

    Just like my dogs will walk through rooms of hardwood floors to poop on the carpet, my dogs have always taken dumps in the flower beds.

  11. 11.

    J R in WV

    John,

    The grass will always be thin in spots. I don’t know, but I imagine you have what wife calls “slave dogs” in your neighborhood — poor puppers with a little doghouse on a chain, unable to run free. There is never any grass within the bounds of their chains.

    Yards aren’t as bad, since the free dogs have free choice of where to run and hang out, but they still run in their preferred places, and hang out too. We don’t have a yard, we’re just in the woods, so not a problem for us! I hated mowing yards, so now I bushhog the bottoms a couple times a year, scrape the gravel roads, use the backhoe for culvert cleanup, etc. No grass, just moss on rocks, native plants that come up every year, etc.

    I like your back yard, and I don’t care what the other jackals say about the willow. Hope it doesn’t attack any subsurface infrastructures, will be years before it shows if they do.

  12. 12.

    debit

    @MomSense: My two poop on the sidewalk. I don’t know why. I mean, it’s easier to pick up but it makes going outside at night an adventure.

  13. 13.

    Brachiator

    @rikyrah:

    Sen. Bernie Sanders campaigns in Oskaloosa, IA: “If you open the borders, there’s a lot of poverty in this world, and you’re going to have people from all over the world. And I don’t think that’s something that we can do at this point. Can’t do it.”

    Sounds just like Trump. I wonder how Sanders’ fans will wave this away?

    More seriously and sadly, Trump has defined the terms of the debate on immigration with these lies that Hotel America is all full up.

  14. 14.

    Dan B

    @rikyrah: OMG! Wilmer is off the deep end on immigration. Does he believe this message will win over “heartland voters”?

    It’s especially cruel when the headlines are about kids not being reunited with their families for two years. If ever.

  15. 15.

    Jeffro

    Just chilling here in Minneapolis, about to go get some dinner. Still in mild shock from last night’s game.

  16. 16.

    J R in WV

    I wonder how long before former Nazi Secretary Kirstjen Neilsen is secretly indicted by the war crimes court in The Hague? Will she ever think it will be safe to visit Europe without a US Gov security detail? I sure hope she feels safe to travel!!!

  17. 17.

    MomSense

    @MomSense:

    When my dog was a pup she was housebroken during one of the worst winters ever. It snowed into May. She had only ever pooped on snow. When the snow was melting and there were only little islands of ice and sand left on the lawn, she would run from one to the next trying to poop on them. She had her first accidents in the house when all the snow was gone because she thought she was only supposed to poop on snow.

  19. 19.

    JPL

    Since this is a thread my little grand pup Nona the six pound maltese died today. She was only eleven but started spitting up blood today and my son and DIL brought her to the emergency clinic. She had congestive heart failure. fkfkfkf Yesterday she was playing with Mr. Finch at my house and seemed fine. Her name is Nona because they could not decide on a name and the vet labeled her no name.

    Also I hope Nielsen is brought before the Hague. fuck her too

  20. 20.

    Brachiator

    The good news. Neilsen is out.

    The bad news, per the Guardian.

    According to CBS News, which first reported the news, Nielsen’s departure was yet another victory for Stephen Miller, the far-right senior adviser in the White House who has consistently steered the president in a hardline direction on immigration.

    Not Nazi enough?

    Trump is emboldened both by his defeats and his victories. This really pleased his base. Trump is going to double down on persecuting immigrants.

  23. 23.

    Barbara

    @JPL: I am really sorry. It’s hard to know what wish for when it comes to dying, but 11 is too young to die for a little dog like that., and of course, no one is ever ready.

  24. 24.

    Duane

    Glad to hear your trees are doing so well, especially the willow!
    Consider putting sod in the area where its so bare. It will look great and less mud tracked in too.

  25. 25.

    JPL

    @Brachiator: The problem I have is those that have departed don’t speak shit about the fascist asshole. They make money on the tour and put it in their pocket. I hate them all with a passion.

  27. 27.

    WaterGirl

    @J R in WV: The thing is, Trump and his administration are probably not upset at all that she separated all those families and put kids in cages – but they are surely upset that she did so in such a way that it blew back on them.

    She was probably the right amount of evil for them, but not competent enough in carrying out the evil they all condoned.

  30. 30.

    PaulWartenberg

    just hearing myself that DHS Sec. Nielsen is resigning.

    My first thought was “OH GOD who will trump pick to fill that spot who will be WORSE at the mistreatment and suffering of asylum families?” Seriously, trump is not going to pick a happy, friendly soul for this. He is going to want someone who would openly call for Latino babies to get thrown into wolf pits. I am not exaggerating. This is how bad it is going to get under trump.

  37. 37.

    WaterGirl

    @JPL: I was remembering how you worked to keep her safe from the big birds. I’m really sorry.

  38. 38.

    dmsilev

    @Brachiator: It’s not like she was out there advocating for less deportations or whatever; she seemed pretty much all-in on the whole ‘be as cruel as possible’ approach to immigration policy, so I have to wonder if there’s something else.

  41. 41.

    Emma

    @JPL: I am so sorry. We’re watching our twelve year old schnoodle age, so far very gently and with no major illness. But we know what’s coming. It’s devastating just to think about. May your memories of Nona keep your heart safe.

  42. 42.

    Amir Khalid

    Help! I made a boo-boo and accidentally blocked all the thumbnails on YouTube! What do I do now?

  44. 44.

    Jay

    @Duane:

    Not sod. Sod is grown in soils with high clay content, so that it stays intact when cut and handled.

    Just throw down some quality grass seed and cover it with a high compost soil.

  45. 45.

    Gin & Tonic

    Kind of warm here, or warm-ish, so went for a moderately long bike ride both yesterday and today. Odd thing is I felt better today, and there was less wind, but my time was worse. Can’t figure it out. I have very familiar routes, and this early in the season I always take the same one, where I know every hill and turn. Oh well, not going to worry about it too much, this is just about getting some miles in and prepping my butt for the longer rides.

  46. 46.

    rk

    @rikyrah:

    I listened to the question and Bernie’s answer. I’m not seeing where Sanders is wrong here. The questioner basically stated that “you’re for open borders”. Sanders responded by saying something along the lines of that’s not my position and I’m for comprehensive immigration reform. Yes he did say the bit about poverty. Could have added escaping from violence as well. But are democratic candidates seriously supposed to be arguing for open borders? Which is actually not a thing, but you have to answer the dumb questions that you get. I think he shut the questioner up quiet well.

  50. 50.

    Jay

    @rk:

    Democrats shouldn’t bother to answer stupid questions built on ReThug ratfucking framing.

  52. 52.

    eldorado

    what are the details regarding your little seedling station? i’d like to have something in place so i can have late summer seedlings.

  54. 54.

    TomatoQueen

    I wanted to mention to John that his seedlings are not close enough to the grow-lights. If there’s a way to drop the lights down to very very close, or raise the bed up to very very close, then that should happen now, and then gradually increase the distance once the true leaves are showing. Otherwise, my past experience says your babies will be leggy and prone to woes by potting up time. All this is by way of unsolicited advice and on the assumption that the seedlings are tomato plants. Ymmv.

  56. 56.

    cain

    it’s nice your showing off your grow operations.. when will you start selling the stuff?

  57. 57.

    sukabi

    @WaterGirl: yes they do. The numbers in that article are #!$@##%%&. They’ve minimized # of children taken and their ages in every leak and report, it appears kids disappeared is at least 10 times larger than thought….and no way to track at all. Sounds like they wrote names on paper and dumped them in a pile in a large box. And that might be giving them too much credit.

  59. 59.

    J R in WV

    Dear Secretary (ret.) Kirstjen Neilsen:

    This is formally invite you to attend the Monaco F1 Grand Prix races next year, as the guest of Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene. You are welcome to bring up to 3 relatives or friends, and will have a suite in the Palais du Prince for your convenience.

    Of course you will view the races from the Royal Balcony overlooking the race’s finish line in the company of Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene.

    We recommend you travel via KLM and arrive through Amsterdam’s airport, where the Prince’s private jet will meet you for transit to Monaco proper!

    Thank you for sharing your presence with the Royal family of the Principality of Monaco!!

    With warmest regards;

    Chancellor of the Principality of Monaco
    Raphael Antoine Melchior

    Heeheehaha !!!

    And welcome to The Hague you corrupt witch!!!

  64. 64.

    Anne Laurie

    @JC:

    Plant trees along your fence line NOW!

    Hell NO — Cole wants to grow veggies in that yard, and it doesn’t look like it gets any too much sun as it is.

    I know there’s a pious meme that every tree is a good tree, but Cole’s doing his part already. Give the grass & the raised beds in his back yard a chance to flourish, too!

  65. 65.

    Anne Laurie

    @debit:

    They will poop on it. Then they will create a path right next to it.

    Yes, but it’s easier to hose the poop off the walkway, so there’s that.

    Also, if Cole ends up shovelling a path for Lily once the snow gets too deep for her next winter, it’s a lot easier to clear a paved / graveled walkway than to fight dead grass. (Yes, I *do* have small dogs with dainty ways… )

  66. 66.

    Anne Laurie

    @debit:

    My two poop on the sidewalk. I don’t know why.

    I’d guess they were trained to poop on concrete when they were puppies.

    Dogs can be *insanely* conservative about retaining old habits. I knew a sheltie whose humans had to carry a newspaper when they walked her for the 15 years she lived with them, because she’d been paper-trained when they got her (at 4 months of age!) and that was The Only Correct Way for A Proper Lady.

  67. 67.

    Anne Laurie

    @JPL: My condolences to you & the rest of Nona’s family, JPL.

    P.S. Your vet probably already told you this, but it’s not uncommon for really little dogs (under 8lbs or so) to go so fast, so unexpectedly. The emergency vet who consoled us when we lost a dog under similar circumstances said the tiny ones are like babies — they have no reserves during a physical crisis. It’s so hard for us survivors, though…

  70. 70.

    opiejeanne

    @WhatsMyNym: Thank God for that. Caucuses are for the birds. Mike J told me last week that instead of just going to straight primaries they were going to use a hybrid of the two systems. I have no idea how that would have worked and I don’t care. I’m glad they decided to listen to the 93% in their polls to do away with caucuses.

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