Making progress, Fauci, Iran and Currants

The chestnut trees are pollinating locally. 1050 b50 Growing degree days.

American Elderberries are just past peak bloom. 

I toured my potato patch this morning and could not find any CPB larva. I looked specifically at the plants where I took pictures the day before.

I fertilized Southern Belle and Handsome Hombre's potato and sweet corn patch. I saw one adult CPB and squished it.

0.4" of rain is predicted for tomorrow. That will move the fertilizer to soil around the corn and potato's roots.

I got the new engine installed on the old mower. I opted for the 5/16" Grade 5, through bolts with nuts, lock washers and regular washers. I had to drill one more hole through the deck to access a through-hole on the engine casting. Next time I will make a template using brown paper and a crayon for rubbing to more precisely locate the hole. 

Now I need to install the old blade and adaptor, add oil and gas and see if it starts.

The other big news is that I assisted my buddy in pumping out his in-ground oil tank. It was quite a learning curve. I was a minor hero when I showed him how to use a flour-and-water dough to seal leaks around the fitting on the suction side of the pump. The barbed-fitting was some weird metric diameter and the closest Imperial tubing didn't crush down with the heater-hose clamp.

It took us at least 40 minutes to suck the first five gallons out of the tank, lug it to the storage barrel and pour it in. By the time we ran out of light, we were down to less than 10 minutes per five-gallon jug.

"But why didn't you just pump it into the barrel?" you might ask?

Limited access, bumpy terrain, short hoses. Also the guy who was doing most of the work was strong, stubborn and not very bright. Definitely my kind of people.

There comes a time in every project when it is time to shoot the engineers and go into production.

Fauci

Biden preemptively pardoned Fauci for all Federal crimes he may have committed prior to January 20, 2025.

A presidential pardon carries no legal weight in state courts. State courts  try people accused of breaking state laws. Ergo, Fauci can still be tried at the state level. Reckless endangerment, anybody?

And if the plane Fauci is flying on lands in a foreign country, he can be tried in those countries. As many sailors have learned, Spanish, French and Italian Polize have no obligation to extend the presumption of innocence we take for granted in the Untied States.

Iran

If I look at no information other than a chronological stream of verifiable events, I would have to conclude that Iran no longer has a functioning government but had devolved to the level of war-lords.

The media portrays Iran as a cohesive, functioning government but the disjointed, working-at-cross-purposes cascade of chaos suggests that there is no viable chain-of-command and every imam, mullah and general is gunning for the pole position in the race to become the new leader.

That is a risk when you employ "Decapitation" tactics. There are advantages in terms of leverage and lower risk to our troops. But there are also downsides. 

Black Currant Leaves for Herbal Teas

The earliest red currants are just starting to ripen. Red currants are purdy when they are ripe.

According to Coon's Berry Farm near Midland, Michigan, this is prime time to collect and dry Black Currant leaves for use in herbal and flavored "black pekoe" based teas.

If you like herbal teas now is the best time to collect black currant leaves. The leaves are quite tender due to the abundance of rain we have had this season, with a high content of aromatic oils which gives them that distinct earthy black currant fragrance. We will be open for black currant leaf picking this week, Thursday through Sunday (June 25-28) 9 am to 3 pm. 

I wouldn't have chosen "earthy" as an adjective. To me they smell like "spruce needles" with a "fruity under-tone".

If drying Black Currant leaves sounds like too much work, Impra tea makes a yummy blend you can buy on Amazon. It might seem expensive at first glance, but you get 200 cups of tea for the price of three cups of foo-foo coffee at Stellabux.