Thinning The Zinnias
Lately, I’ve been thinning the zinnias in my garden. I planted the seeds and many came up. Now I have to thin them out to give the strongest ones room to grow and flourish.
Thinning Zinnias In This Pot:
I got my zinnia seedlings thinned out yesterday. But I didn’t throw the ones I pulled out away. I planted them in other pots and a few in the raised garden.
The photo you see above was shortly after I thinned them out. The seedlings left behind have not quite recovered from my reaching in and pulling out seedlings to transplant.
No telling how big and conspicuous these zinnias will get, so I guess I’ll just be surprised since I ended up planting them willy-nilly.
My petunias are bouncing back. I have 3-4 yellow roses blooming this morning. And I finally thought to go out and take a pic of a moonflower just about to open up.
A Surprise Moon Flower:
This one came up around the tomatoes. Surprise, surprise! I really don’t recall planting one there. When the moonflower germinates and comes up, the leaves are crinkly and a bit ugly.
But then when it produces beautiful white flowers that glow in the moonlight, I don’t much care what the leaves looked like in the early stages. By that time the leaves have begun to look more like morning glory leaves.
Zinnias & Morning Glories:
What you see above are zinnias and behind them are hyacinth bean vines (green with purple veins.) Then toward the edge, those crinkly, somewhat ugly leaves are moonflowers.
That tall stalk-like seedling must be an errant weed. I’ll have to pluck that out.
I’ll be interested to see how all this looks when it matures because it wasn’t well thought out at all. But then, I like a surprise or two now and then.
Gun drills at school were not in the equation back then because kids were not going to school and killing kids. Kids were also much more respectful of their teachers and adults in general. Yes, we may not have liked some of our teachers, but we were taught to show respect. Somewhere in our society we have lost the grip on our children, not all children, but some. There were guns back then too, but children were not killing their classmates with them. Kids are killing kids, people are killing people, not guns. We have always had guns for our own protection. Obviously there are serious mental issues with these people. If we do not address the mental issues and causes then it will continue. If not a gun, they will find another way. Whether it be children or adults committing these crimes, there has to be a mental issue of some sort to cause them to have a total disregard for life. The normal person can deal with disappointment or anger without resorting to killing. Let’s focus on the mental health of our society to help prevent such thoughts from entering into their minds and becoming a reality or their video game fantasy. We can all disagree on the causes, but one thing we all agree on is that we want it to stop happening.
I certainly agree with you on the respect factor. However someone with a knife or some other weapon could not kill dozens of people in a matter of seconds. I have no problems with guns. I don’t want to own one. But the assault rifles made for war do not belong on the streets. They need to stop just selling them to every Tom, Dick and Harry because eventually they get in the wrong hands, someone as you mention with mental health issues.
How scary for your daughter and her Family, while breaking to enjoy a vacation. Its a sad, evil and different time for our Grands… I can certainly relate..seems like a lot of times when I go into town area..drama… Was in a local dollar store just this week..in line to pay..when everyone was stopped and quiet watching two women out front arguing and making a loud scene in parking lot. One Clerk had already dialed 911 or cops…I felt frightened as we all would have been trapped in this small store if shooting ensued. Luckily, one of the two got in car and drove away..probably realizing they were being watched from inside. I hitailed it out of there swiftly…and told my husband I am done shopping this part of town..though we know evil has no discrimination of local and timing……..(.it has happened more than once..one day a bank robbery taking place as drove by in this area). Our hope and prayer is that our Grandchildren see more right and goodness .., rather than wrong and evil….and will pattern their lives in this way and follow suit…but that does not stop us from worrying about their lives. Crowds make me jittery these days…. Your quilt display has brightened my day…they are such quality heirlooms… Have a blessed one…
It’s not political! It’s a black heart filled with evil. The news reported the gunman was angry with his manager, the reason for the shooting. I can guarantee you if they took away all the guns from law abiding citizens, the evil thugs would have one. There is no way you can have gun control unless you live in a Communist/Socialist country run by a Dictator.
It is a sad world we live in now. There is no regard for human life by some.
Marilyn
Sociopaths everywhere it seems.
Yes, it is people AND guns but I still maintain that it’s mostly guns that’s the problem. Interesting how they don’t have this kind of violence in countries where only police and military have guns. There’s especially no reason at all for any Joe Blow Average Citizen out there to have an assault rifle.
Amen to that.
Remember when we had the nuclear school drills!
Was that in the mid-sixties? If so, that was what I was referring to.
So glad your family was safe!! There are no words for the evil in this world. And the fact, the law mostly favors the evil doers. The last thing our 6 yr old granddaughter told her mom was a most vivid description of a man’s private parts….plus telling her mom she thought her hairy dad was gross…she did not link the 2 but we can. Trouble is, no one cares…yes CPS was informed…don’t care. No one does who can change it. We should not be surprised to see very angry people killing other people…even sadder they kill folks that are strangers to them…they do not carry out the violence upon those who violated them generally. What a sad world. There is no safety anywhere!! If the courts and those who are PAID to help the victims do not care…we are in for much worse to come I fear. I am so glad to be old…but my poor children and grandchildren!!
That poor child. She will grow up with all kinds of twisted views of things, I hate to say. Hopefully she’s in therapy now. It’s like Nathan’s oldest boy. They just keep handing him back to the meth addict/meth making mother. Do they actually think she’s going to change after all this time? And then they take him out of foster care, where hopefully at least he was halfway safe, and give him to the meth making grandpa. That boy has so much stacked against him and he’s only 7 years old.
You cannot protect children from violence. They see it on TV.
It is not guns that are the problem; it is the people. They need health care.
I agree it is people and not just the guns. Mental health screening needs more attention. And yes, they need health care. We all do.
I live in Canada a no gun country. Here only the criminals have guns and there is gun violence everyday. Those who don’t have a gun use knives and machetes. There have been many times that people have been waiting at a bus stop and someone uses their car to run into the crowd. Many have died and been injured. Just crazy people everywhere. We need tougher punishment for criminals.
And better health care for people with anger
Yes!
Gun violence and the ongoing deaths should not be political. However, it is when our whole society is disrupted due to it. Their no longer seems to be any respect for others lives. I’m mad and I’m going to go kill people… when did this become the correct way to react to life? Now it’s becoming so commonplace we see it on the news and say… oh another shooting… how sad… but someone’s LIFE was taken and we can’t become used to this as ok. I’m looking at my candidates closely. I intend to vote with great care. I have grandchildren and I want to see our country returned to a more decent and caring country… I want my grandchildren to LIVE ! And I want everyone else’s to as well. I taught school for over 32 years and to me there is nothing more sacred or special than a child. Right now Elizabeth Warren has me very interested. I think she’s extremely intelligent and I think she’s also extremely tough. I also think a woman as a leader very well might take more care with our servicemen and women and not blithely place them in harms way because as a woman she knows what it is to bring life into the world and to nurture a child. The sanctity of life in most women’s minds comes first. I don’t want to get political and I’m not against guns. I was raised with a father who went deer hunting. I was raised to respect guns and not to touch what wasn’t mine. Today somehow we’ve lost our way as a society and think what “I” want is what’s important. Everybody else get to the rear of the line. We have to return to thinking about the greater good instead of being so selfish. I’m sorry if I’ve offended anyone by being a little political but if not through better governing and through our homes and how we raise our children how will our country ever return to a saner, safer more loving country… I pray for this every night.
Where did the respect go? I was certainly not raised like this where it was all about me and to hell with everyone else. I was raised to think about others and try to help them if necessary. I recall my granny left a rifle out and one day when I was about 5 I raised it to the screen and pointed it at the boy next door. I was just playing. They should have not have left that out around a child, and it horrifies me now that I did that.
????? It is changing in a very bad way in America! ?
I won’t even take a walk anymore bc a few yrs ago two guys were trying to coax me into there car til I faked an anxiety attack! Then the next yr I was almost kidnapped right in front of my granddaughter in a parking lot! I’ve been followed home b4 too, so I don’t go shopping later at night anymore! Sad but true it’s just. not. safe. anymore. ?
My goodness, you’ve really had a lot happen to you! I recall in my twenties I decided to start running. That didn’t last long. I went running near the elementary school at a park and two men started chasing me. Nipped running in the bud for me. I fear for all women alone out there, especially if they have music playing in their ears.
I don’t go ANYWHERE at night. Nowhere. Not that I want to. I just don’t need to. You thought quickly on faking the anxiety attack. My late MIL used to tell me that if someone accosted me with no one around, to fall to the ground and fake an epileptic seizure.
My dear niece was in the pick up line at Chik Fillet while this horrible shooting was happening. Southaven is a lovely place but no place is safe. I am praying for everyone impacted by this senseless shooting with an assault rifle.
Oh my goodness, the very same parking lot? What are the odds that my family and yours would be in the same place at the same time.
Along about 1960/70 common sense walked out the door and me,me,me walked in.
Yeah, me too. Who could have imagined this when we were kids. We were fearing Russians and told to hide under desks if I remember correctly.
So agree with you about the violence – sad beyond words, and really why can’t we have some common sense dealing with its prevention? These are difficult times.
I love your seedlings – and to me, the crinkly leaves are pretty. I’ve grown moonflowers in the past and they are wonderful. Such big flowers! And I love their scent.
Hi to the furry friends, hope Charlie’s doing alright and Ivy’s enjoying her shadows,
Mary
I just broke down and ordered two more air purifiers because I know some of Charlie’s problem is allergies. Dust gets in here like crazy. Ivy is enjoying her shadows. Common sense seems to have gone out the door.
I cried last year when my grandsons school had an active shooter drill, these are babies for crying out loud!
When I grew up schools and churches were safe places and we respected our police forces or else.
I know. They are babies. And even if they weren’t. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to shoot innocent people in any building, much less schools and churches.
No, people dying from gun violence is not political. Unfortunately, nobody told that to our politicians. Evidently America is just fine with living under a constant miasma of violence and evil – people filled with hate because someone doesn’t have the same skin color, speak the same language, practice the same religion – or no religion, identifies with different roles for their genders.
Our politicians know. But many don’t seem to care or it’s not in their best interests to do anything.
How frightening, I’m so glad your daughter and family were fine. So many tragedies in our country, it’s all gone to hell in a handbasket, no doubt. I think that’s why it’s so important we have our little sanctuaries in the form of our cozy homes and gardens….that’s what keeps us sane.
I agree.
Brenda,
I want to say something, but I cannot find the words anymore. It is tragic and heartbreaking. It should never be political. Where is the decency and where oh where is the common sense?
I wish I knew…