5/09/12 LAWN MOWING, MOUSE EARS AND POLITICAL NAIVITE

FORGET-ME-NOTS

GREFSCHEIM SPIREA

A GREAT DAY TO MOW THE LAWN

Wednesday, 8:00 AM.  47 degrees F, wind W, calm at present. The humidity is 75%. The sky is mostly cloudless but the barometer predicts rain.  It looks like it will be a great day to get the lawn mowed before possible rain tonight.  With the weather as cool and damp as it has been the daffodils should still be O.K. for Friday’s Bayfield in Bloom kickoff. 
    Don’t forget to listen to the Garden Talk radio show this Friday from 10:30 AM to noon CDT on Wisconsin Public Radio.  It also streams live on the internet.  It is always fun and gives me a good mental workout. 
    Forget-me-nots are blooming in grassy areas, wet spots and woods edges now.  The genus is Myosotis, which translates to “mouse ear” from the Latin, referring to the appearance of the little leaves.  There are a number of species which grow throughout North America, some native, some not, and I have never bothered to try to differentiate them.  They are a very welcome, pretty sight, even if somewhat weedy in the garden.
    The shrub pictured is a hybrid Spirea, Spirea x cinerea ‘Grefsheim’, a very showy rival to the popular old-fashioned Bridal Wreath Spirea.
    Well, maybe I got a bit over-excited yesterday about the faux Republican candidate, Arthur Kohl-Riggs,  who challenged Wisconsin’s Governor Walker in yesterday’s recall election primary.  Walker won handily and his sneak opponent was not a threat.  Walker will now face Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett as the Democratic challenger in the historic recall election next month. However, my point of press indifference or perhaps cover-up in this matter is still valid. 
    Actually, there would be far fewer shenanigans by either Democrats or Republicans if we did away with open primaries.  Voters would not be able to cross party lines to affect the selection of candidates of the opposing party, and news media would have a much harder time misrepresenting or not reporting election news.  Many states have primary elections (or caucuses) which require voters to be registered members of a party to vote.  I believe Wisconsin would be better off following suit. 
    The State of Wisconsin has always been rather uniquely naïve about political rectitude, and we would be far better off to embrace greater political realism.