Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

The words do not have to be perfect.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

Today’s GOP: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

We are aware of all internet traditions.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

No Justins, No Peace

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

Bark louder, little dog.

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

Innocent people don’t delay justice.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

Not all heroes wear capes.

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Open Thread

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Open thread.  Looks like we need one!

My tree peony blooms opened yesterday.  We came very close to a freeze last night, but it made it.  The sheet I covered it with lasted about 2 hours and then blew off.

Here’s a close-up of one of the flowers.  There are about 35 on the plant, and of course tonight we are getting a hard rain from 7pm tonight until noon tomorrow, so these guys are all gonners goners by morning.

Open Thread 14

I thought you guys could enjoy them with me this afternoon.

(Pairing this with an I Got the Shot! thread.)

Reader Interactions

58Comments

  4. 4.

    Mary G

    So beautiful! I’ve never seen a peony in person, but they are spectacular in pictures.

  5. 5.

    Fair Economist

    I am spending less time here than in the horror years. It just feels less urgent without the constant threat of imminent disaster.

    That said, the ongoing Republican plans to steal future elections probably deserve a lot of attention.

  6. 6.

    Another Scott

    Pretty flowers and a nice plant.  It’s a shame that so many showy plants aren’t showy very long, but that’s part of what makes life special.

    In other news, Reuters:

    Pro-independence parties won a majority in Scotland’s parliament on Saturday, paving the way to a high-stakes political, legal and constitutional battle with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson over the future of the United Kingdom.

    Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the result meant she would push ahead with plans for a second independence referendum once the COVID-19 pandemic was over, adding that it would be absurd and outrageous if Johnson were to try to ignore the democratic will of the people.

    […]

    The continuing saga of Brexit sagas on…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  7. 7.

    West of the Rockies

    Meanwhile, in California it’s about 87° and breezy. Right now I wish all arsonists terminal Covid.

  9. 9.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Fair Economist:

    That said, the ongoing Republican plans to steal future elections probably deserve a lot of attention.

    Josh Marshall @joshtpm May 7
    If GOPs take the House next year what makes us think they’ll agree to certify the election of a Dem president in 2024?

    the mid-terms are the next most-important-election-of-our-lifetimes

  10. 10.

    raven

    @WaterGirl: He was ok, mostly laid in the shade and then wanted back in the van. I have video of him chasing Llama’s out there about 10 years ago.

  11. 11.

    WaterGirl

    @Mary G: My regular peonies haven’t opened yet, but the “tree peony” opens earlier than the regular ones do.

    Someone like Dan B. will have to tell us why tree peonies are called that, and what makes them different, besides what the blooms look like.

    This is what my regular peony looks like.  All the blooms come up at the top instead of all over the bush.  (blooms haven’t opened yet, obviously)

    Open Thread 17

  12. 12.

    Elizabelle

    @raven:   A good day for the animals of Athens, GA.

    @watergirl:  I hope your peonies last longer than one day.  They’re beautiful, and too fragile for our unpredictable weather, no?

  13. 13.

    Cheryl Rofer

    I love tree peonies! In my last house, I had a bush that big. The flowers were pinker, but with those beautiful yellow centers.

    Here’s one of mine today.

    Open Thread 16

  17. 17.

    Geminid

    @WaterGirl: Last year I planted some “Itoh” peonies for a customer. My understanding is that Mr. Itoh, a Japanese horticulturist, developed them by crossing tree peonies with regular. They are blooming now, and are quite pretty.

  19. 19.

    raven

    @WaterGirl: We’re going to the beach Monday and hoping we can help him navigate the steps. We thought he was a goner when we were there in October so we have to look at this as a real gift at almost 17 years old.

  20. 20.

    WaterGirl

    @Geminid: The google tells me that an Itoh peonies are a cross between regular peonies and tree peonies (aka wood peony because the stems are woody).

    You should send me a pic, or you could send photos to Anne Laurie for the garden chat.

  22. 22.

    debbie

    Haven’t noticed any peonies around here yet, but the azaleas are brilliant, despite a lot of rain. Also, whatever kind of lilacs it is that have smaller flowers on smaller bushes are growing like crazy

    Also, spirea (Bridal Veil?) is everywhere.

  23. 23.

    Geminid

    @WaterGirl: Well, they are not exactly going on in my garden. But I could package them with a pics from my friend Joan’s yard, with its many planting beds, vegetable and flower. I help her some with weeding and digging.

    I also hope to make up a submission, titled “Garden Adjacent Paving,” with pics of some walkways and patios I’ve done. Might be good for the slow times in winter when the plant pics stop showing up

    I’ll try to send you a picture of an Itoh peony. Digital dinosaur that I am, it would be good practice.

  26. 26.

    WaterGirl

    I am catching up on 3 seasons of Suits this weekend – because I am supposed to be doing my taxes this weekend, and I have to have them done by Monday morning.  So of course I am catching up on Suits!

  27. 27.

    planetjanet

    Peonies are my favorite flowers.  Thank you, Watergirl.  They are lovely.

  29. 29.

    Geminid

    @WaterGirl: I could throw in a picture of a large elliptical raised bed I built last year out of two pallets of irregular stone. I haven’t been back since my customer planted it, so I need to get by and take pictures.

    I had never built an ellipse before. Once I figured it out, though, the layout was easy as pi.

  31. 31.

    Elizabelle

    RE Heather Cox Richardson:  she has a new book out, How the South Won the Civil War.

    Here’s a 30 minute segment she did for Seattle public radio’s Crosscut conference this week.  Hearing it was too short and technical difficulties, but the small segment I heard live sounded fascinating.  Going to google and catch her other virtual book tour stuff (assume that will be available).

    Here’s link to all the Crosscut programming; videos of Amy Klobuchar discussing antitrust, a speech by Nancy Pelosi, etc.  Lot of good content, it would seem.  I hope you are able to access it, and they are not sticky about having had to preregister.  (Most of the content was free, but ticketed.)

    ETA:  That book on the Civil War came out last June.  Although:  news to me.  Easy to find an hour long youtube from DC’s pre-eminent bookstore, Politics and Prose (right close to Comet Pizza, wink wink — the pedophiles in the basement restaurant …)

  33. 33.

    Beth

    @WaterGirl: That peony is so lovely!

    Have just discovered tree peonies this spring, after a move from the SF to the Seattle area, and have fallen in love with them. My problem is that no one ever seems to label many of them, so when I see a gorgeous photo, I don’t know what to look for to get one myself. Do you or anyone else have some suggestions? I love the showy ones that look like old Chinese paintings, much like yours. I hope they make it through the rain.

  34. 34.

    Van Buren

    Mrs. Van Buren and I are convinced that Tree peony blossoms cause heavy rain, as that has happened pretty much every year for the last 15 years.

  35. 35.

    WaterGirl

    @debbie: My azalea I planted in 2019 (too late for flowering that year) got only a few flowers last year, but someone here recognized which one it was a a post last year.  I can count about 10 buds looking out my window just now, but nothing has opened yet.

    It seems to be a great year for azaleas around town, though.  I am hoping for the first they sleep (2020) then they creep (2021) then they leap (hopefully next year!).

  36. 36.

    WaterGirl

    @Van Buren: For me, it has been that way every year until now.

    With the frost last night, I figured that was the substitute for the heavy rain this year.  But then I saw the 10 hours of heavy rain forecasted for tonight.

    I guess they are meant to be a fleeting beauty?

  37. 37.

    MagdaInBlack

    @WaterGirl: They’re suggesting Chicago will get some slushy snow tonight. Ugh, but it’s May, slush wont last long.

  39. 39.

    Cheryl Rofer

    @Beth: There is at least one company that specializes in tree peonies. Try googling “tree peony” and I’ll bet it will come up. I used them years ago, have forgotten the name.

  42. 42.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Baud: Yup, and state-level elections, too. It matters who works in your state capital.

  43. 43.

    Jay

    Today our family lost a true friend and loyal companion. For more than a decade, Bo was a constant, gentle presence in our lives—happy to see us on our good days, our bad days, and everyday in between. pic.twitter.com/qKMNojiu9V— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 8, 2021

  44. 44.

    WaterGirl

    @MagdaInBlack: Yeah, last night was our might to get down to 35, and Monday and Tuesday nights.  In between, we get rain from 6pm until noon tomorrow.

    It seems that the weather is out to get my tree peony blooms, one way or another.  I am not altogether happy with Mother Nature at the moment.

  48. 48.

    J R in WV

    We never hit 60 here today, don’t know if it will frost again tonight, sure hope not, the wild flowers and plants we have put in are all so beautiful this spring, so far. They aren’t calling for frost, low of 45, so we should be OK.

  50. 50.

    WaterGirl

    @Rob: Why, thank you!

    I do love them, and they all open within the same day or two.

    What I don’t understand is that if there is ALWAYS a big rain the day after they all open, what happens when your tree peonies open the day before mine and the other neighbor’s tree peonies open a day later?   Do we get hard rain for an entire week?

    Or do the tree peonies somehow know when a big rain is coming, and they all open the day before.  Are they  robots???

  51. 51.

    Platonicspoof

    @WaterGirl:

    Can you beg, borrow or steal a large deck umbrella with a heavy base to protect your tree peony?

    Or a couple sawhorses and a sheet of plywood?

  52. 52.

    WaterGirl

    @Platonicspoof: I have actually thought about a big deck umbrella, but the tree peony has grown so much that the back of it is up against the fence.

    I swore I would figure something out in advance this year, but I obviously didn’t get it done.  It’s so big.  This is the photo of it when I covered it with a sheet yesterday before the freeze last night.  This is a queen size fitted sheet, and it barely fit!

    Open Thread 18

    It’s really big.

  54. 54.

    WaterGirl

    @Another Scott: Huh.  That was really interesting!  thank you.

    I wonder if one of those little beach partial umbrella things might work to protect the tree peony from the rain, but I think they might be too short.  I may have to measure for next year.

  58. 58.

    WaterGirl

    @Beth:  I had bought a bunch of different plants that year and the tree peony settled in and took right off.

    Mine bloomed the very first year and it has bloomed every year since then.  Each year it has gotten bigger and bigger, with more and more blooms.

    I bet I had 7 blooms the first year, and I was absolutely thrilled.  Now I’m at about 35.

    Go for it!

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