Summer is here; temperatures this weekend are predicted to be in the upper 90 degree range with “feels like” ratings of over 100. The peonies bloomed and I attended a No Kings rally. Details below!

We have three varieties of peonies in the front yard. They include a deep red, white, and traditional pink. The deep reds bloomed first, followed by the pink and white varieties.

Deep red peonies flowered first
White peonies flowered next
Traditional pinks really popped this year

Unfortunately, a heavy rain and high winds did a number on the peonies and their blooming days were cut short. We enjoyed them while they were at their finest!

Note: I have added flower photos to my Gallery page. A few are from Colorado and the rest from around Heart House.

I attended a No Kings rally, held in Cresco, Iowa. The crowd was small, just over 60 attendees in this very small town, but we received many honks and thumbs up from traffic going by (in addition to a few thumbs down).

No Kings Day #1
No Kings Day #2

There were some really good signs from other protests as well. I liked these from Buzzfeed:

At any rate, it was good to get out and express my feelings with others of a like mind.

I have a few unrelated comments regarding some odds and ends. The first concerns replies to my blog posts.

A few weeks back I had changed a setting on submitting comments, removing the need to add a user name and e-mail address. I immediately saw a dramatic uptick in spam and advertising, so I have put the requirement for name and e-mail back on.

I hope this change back to the original settings does not make a problem for regular commenters.

Here is a photo that shows off a Christmas gift from Becky, a phone holder for my truck. I used the holder on my trip to visit Felicity and Peter in New York. The holder, which attached to the AC vent, worked fine and I was glad to have it.

A medical note: I had a routine eye exam this past week and it appears I have small cataracts developing, particularly in my right eye. Two more exams are scheduled to do advanced diagnostic, but it appears I may be having surgery sometime in October. This is a developing story.

Speaking of developing, here is a recent photo of the house going in across Main Street from us. Progress appears to be slow, but I believe the electric service has been installed and the porches have been framed in. Roofing should follow shortly.

Photo taken on June 18, 2025

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

The local weatherman predicted the weekend weather: NE Iowa would have humid “air you can wear.” An accurate prediction (this time). Elma is experiencing Midwest humidity at its most oppressive. These conditions are hardest on the dogs and outside cats; long hair and fur obviously are not an advantage in hot summer conditions.

Be cool.

Today’s Humor:

(Apologies to Carole King)