On a warm afternoon, I broke up and turned over the soil in one of our garden boxes, then saturated it with water from the garden hose and smoothed the surface over until it was flat again.
Next, using a chopstick, I’ll create 1/4” furrows in the moist soil, into which I’ll set some cucumber seeds.
Yes, I’m resuming my Quixotic quest to grow crops that elude the garden thief that stole our tomato plants. That mystery remains unsolved.
But assuming that it is a small mammal, I’ll cover my new plants with protective wire cloches and hope for the best.
This will require patience.
***
Something else that requires patience is the California Governor’s race, which is much like watching a competition between turtles. It took days for the Democrat Beceera to pull ahead of the Republican Hilton, but he has finally done so and will apparently slowly pull further out there in the lead from here on out.
But they stop a lot.
Meanwhile, the third turtle in the race, Steyer, is ever so gradually sneaking up behind Hilton, but he’s never going to catch him.
Only two turtles can advance to the fall election, so that ballot will feature a rerun (or should we say a rewalk?) between Beceera and Hilton. Counting the ballots will go slowly, like on turtle time.
Because they stop a lot.
HEADLINES:
More Republicans are breaking with Trump. Is it conscience or politics? (Guardian)
The Congresswoman Who Got Trump’s Name Off the Kennedy Center (Atlantic)
Pentagon Sees Growing Espionage Threat From Israel (NYT)
Graham Platner’s troubles grow in Maine, and Democrats are increasingly nervous (The Hill)
Graham Platner: The Personal is Not Political (Journal of the Plague Years)
At least 12 shot near Ohio festival, gunmen still at large (NBC)
Tehran targets Gulf neighbors after US attack on Iranian military sites (CNN)
Tehran says US ‘lacks will’ for stability after latest clash (Al Jazeera)
U.S. mortgage rates are staying high – and the Federal Reserve can do little about it (PBS)
Pope Leo, After Taking on Trump and A.I., Prepares for New Duels in Spain (NYT)
Ebola outbreak in Central Africa could reach 20,000 cases without strong public health measures (AP)
Voters in this city handed the tech industry its worst defeat yet in data center backlash (WP)
AI is going to drink even more water (Reuters)
Revenge of the AI bubble (Axios)
4 surprising ways AI is making your life more expensive (WP)
Mom Disappointed Kids Not Coming Home For National Donut Day (Onion)