Stocked up & Star-Spangled

 The stores around here have been ready for the 4th of July for quite some time now. Here is our local soft serve ice-cream place.

A strange bake sale in front of Wal-Mart, where the only things on the table were tiny bags of chips. 

What the???

In the grocery store, these new flavors of Pringles were meant just for the fourth barbeques.

 

Fruit flavored sparkling waters! We picked up the strawberry and grape.

And almost any kind of red, white, & blue cakes and cookies that you would want.

“Stores stocking up like they’re getting dressed for a parade.”

Lettuce Be Thankful - The Answer

 Here is the answer to my mystery plant of yesterday. It is called Prickly Lettuce. I have never heard of it and didn't know lettuce could be tall!!

·       Modern lettuce was domesticated from Prickly Lettuce thousands of years ago.

·       When cut, it releases a sap called white latex. This sap was used in folk medicine as a mild sedative.

·       The young leaves can be eaten, but are bitter.

·       It produces yellow flowers that look like dandelions.

A Mystery Guessing Game

 There is a completely new plant in our side yard! One we have never seen before. It is so tall!

Here is Phil standing beside it to give you an idea of how tall it is.

So now, can you guess what it is? No fair Googling or asking AI!

I'll tell you in my next post.

Banners & Flowers

 We were in the parking lot of a shopping center and saw these banners. We drove over to check it out.

It was very festive, and there were raised plots of pretty flowers across the front.

What could it be? A garden center, or maybe a farmer's market. But no, it was a Mexican restaurant!! I never would have guessed.

“The whole place feels like a fiesta waiting to bloom.”

The Dragons

 Going inside the large new orthopedic building, we saw this on a check-in desk.

Little Dragons!

And each one had a note introducing himself and wishing the patients a good day.

The man at the desk said he bought them to help ease the stress of visiting the doctor, and to add some whimsy. And kids love them.

He also had this large resin rock-like thing that had flying dragons inside of it!

I checked out Amazon, and they sell some. This one is a girly-girl dragon!

“Dragons are the heartbeat of old mountains.”

Unfinished & Finished

 You may remember awhile ago, I posted this mural on the side of a building.

Turns out, it wasn't finished! We drove past it again, and this is what we saw.

“Even unfinished art glows with the promise of becoming.”

The Longest Day

 Today is the first day of summer, the longest day of the year! And the Big Bull was ready!

He is all ready for a swim.

The Big Cat, on the other hand, chose to be very understated.

And so it goes on the first day of summer here.

“Time loosens its grip, letting the day wander where it pleases.”