MORE SPRING PLANTING, WOODLAND WILDFLOWERS, AND THE FEMINISATION OF LITTLE BOYS

A FINE COUNTRY GREENHOUSE

TROUT-LILY (NOTE THE MOTTLED LEAVES)...

AND THE RECURVED PETALS

TRILLIUM GRANDIFLORUM

SWEET SCENTED HELIOTROPE

Saturday,  9:00 AM.  49 degrees F, wind NE, light with stronger gusts.  The sky is generally covered with a high overcast, with some fitful sunshine.  The barometer is up slightly at 29.62 in. and the humidity is 97%.
   We caught some of the outliers of the bad midwest weather yesterday, strong, gusty winds and heavy rain about 4:00 PM.  It blew a lot of catkins off the trees but did little damage  around town but some big trees came down on Chequamagon Road on the lake, damaging at least one house pretty badly.
   We went to Tetzner's Greenhouse again yesterday to purchase the last of our annuals and herbs.  It is a very nice operation out in the country southwest of Washburn, they grow a wide variety of annuals and vegetables plus some more exotic tropicals and cacti.  They have had a good spring after a late start and it will end up being a profitable season for them.  I also have some beautiful PJM Rhododendrons to plant today, delivery courtesy of Jay's Tree Service, who picked them up at Northwoods Nursery for me.
   Woodland wildflowers are blooming, particularly noticeable are the large-flowered trilliums, Trillium grandiflorum, and the trout-lily, AKA dog-touthed violet, which grows in large mats on the forest floor and woods edges.  Even when not in flower its large green leaves mottled with blue spots are quite attractive.  The yellow flower has distinctive recurved petals.
   One of the annuals we purchased is a favorite of mine, the old-fashioned Heliotrope.  It has a delicious, sweet, licorice scent and I like to have a pot of it where we sit on the porch or patio.
   I had a hard time getting to sleep last night because I was so incensed by the latest politically correct assault on little boys.  A five year old Kindergartener in the state of Washington  was "arrested" for having a cap gun in his backpack and showing it to a friend on the bus, who had shown him a water pistol the previous day.  He was interrogated for two hours, during which time the poor little guy wet his pants (a mortifying event for a little boy), before his mother was called to take him home. He was suspended for ten days. If there had been caps in the toy pistol they would probably have called the bomb squad. I consider any male teacher or administrator who was involved in this fiasco lucky that the boy's father didn't blacken their eyes or worse.
   We are witnessing the continual feminization of our male children and the erosion of parental authority for boys and girls alike (take away the toy guns and dolls and give children birth control, sex education and abortions as-lneeded), all without the parents consent.
   Is there no common sense left in this country?  Are the public schools bound and determined to destroy themselves?  I sincerely hope that the parents of the little guy sue the school for false imprisonment and mental anguish, and that the school personnel involved in this fiasco are severely punished.  If they had a conscience they would quit the profession.