Good morning Sunday Letter friends,
It has been another blur of a week. I’ve been working on my next writing project and doing a little gardening. Unfortunately, the Japanese beetles are out in full force eating away on our knockout roses. Every morning and every evening just before sunset, I pick off as many as I can, drowning them in a bucket of soapy water.
I seriously think we will take out our roses this winter and plant a less disease prone variety, or something native. Our roses look absolutely gorgeous for about three weeks in early spring, and then become the bane of my existence.
I exaggerate a tad, but not really.
Grand Old Flag
Today is Flag Day. Oddly enough, our wooden flag crashed from the porch wall this week. The superstitious might take this as a bad sign since our whole country seems to have been turned upside down like a dime store snowglobe. I don’t think I’m superstitious, and I’m certainly not a conspiracy theorist, but when I saw our flag had been tossed sideways several feet across the porch landing across our front door, my insides sank a bit.
John reminded me, she’s a heavy flag and we never secured her very well in the first place. And the wind has been very gusty.
All true things.
Still this struck me as a symbol of all that’s going on in our country right now. Good thing a smack upside the head isn’t going to break her.
Fake John Grisham
Why do people set up fake accounts on social media? I’m specifically talking about Twitter, but it happens on other platforms such as Facebook. I understand there are bots that want to create havoc politically by stirring both the democratic and republican pots. But what about people who set up bogus accounts and pretend to be someone famous? What is to be gained?
Yesterday John Grisham started following me on Twitter. Not the real John Grisham, but someone posing at John Grisham.
He/She/They used John Grisham’s real profile and header pictures so at first glance the account looked real enough that I thought, COOL! John Grisham has somehow discovered my writing!!!
Immediately, I noticed the account had 8 followers and followed 115 people. Seriously? I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck. If John Grisham just opened a Twitter account three hours ago, a) I wouldn’t be one of the 115 people he decided to follow, and, b) he would have more than 8 followers in 8 seconds.
FYI, Twitter accounts of celebrities have checkmarks beside them which means the account is legit and has been verified. The real John Grisham Twitter account (which I was already following) has a Twitter checkmark.
I reported the account and blocked him. But I don’t get what the point of these type fake accounts is. Does anyone know?
A Little Balance
Remember that song from back in the day. What the world needs now, is love sweet love? I think we do need a little love, sweet love. I think we also need a little balance.
Piper Update
I thought you might like an update on Piper. She’s putting on new growth and seems happy with her sunny Arkansas home. I decided to temporarily plant her in a pot beside the back door. This way, I can keep an eye on her and transplant her when she gets larger and begins to bloom.
Shhhh! Don’t tell Piper, but Pipevine blossoms don’t smell all that great. I’ll relocate her away from the house when she’s bigger. It’ll be okay because by then she’ll have caterpillar friends.
Things Momma Says
I can’t hear a thing with this mask on.
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Have a productive week, Sunday Letter friends. And keep your chins up. (Haha, my boss always said this and now I seem to be growing a double chin.)
Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.
P.S. If you are interested in getting a wooden flag, mine was handmade by Northeast Arkansas artisan, Khris Goble. Check out this article about him HERE.
The world sure does need love, sweet love! I am mentally exhausted this morning and it is just gone 8 am. Probably time for a walk. Thanks for being here this pretty Sunday morning.
Happy Flag Day to you Talya! I literally laughed out loud at what Momma said. That’s sort of like the idea that while driving you turn the radio down so you can see where you are going. Or something like that. Lol
I love your Sunday letters and I really love your momma. ❤️
Great letter. I bet Grisham is envious of your writing. I’ve often said he’s not even the second best writer to come out of Oxford. Although I did enjoy Painted House. Some of the troll accounts are clever but most are annoying and are just setting you up for hearing the good news about the African lottery. Our knockouts have avoided the beetles thus far, but they do seem to struggle later in summer, in general. I probably don’t water them enough.
Have a great week!
Yes, I think a heavy dose of love is needed. My precious neighbor since 1978 has a number of medical problems and is almost blind, She uses a walker to get around so her world is getting smaller and smaller every day. I stepped across the street for a little while yesterday. At our ages, we have an old fashioned way of seeing the world, but I would not trade all the tea in China for my visits with Shirley. I grew up in a small town in Arkansas and she grew up on a farm in Hanover County Virginia. My grandfather was a cotton farmer in the Mo. bootheel, so I have an vague idea of what she grew up with. I am white and she is black, so while we have many similar memories, we have had different experiences. I do enjoy our visits so much.
I thought that was one of Khris’ flags. His daddy (Big Paul and my Mama, Bonnie Jean) were brother and sister. Also Mary Virginia was a part of this brood!
I was wondering why my Roses doesn’t live very long. They are too expensive to buy every year. Enjoy your blog.
I needed your letter this morning. Barbara’s comment makes perfect sense. This mask thing has taught me that I really very heavily on lip-reading to understand people, so I’m in the same boat. I have an altruistic conspiracy theory about your flag… it fell into your yard and a good sumaritan kindly put against your front door.
My knock out roses were beautiful early on but pitiful looking at the moment. I’m going to inspect them this evening.
I’m not superstitious either but I share your reaction to finding in fallen and wonder if we’re getting so far away from the best things America had always stood for. I find myself praying for peace, goodness and understanding to overshadow anger and ugly hatred. Sigh.
Yuck to all those social media creeps! Love you, friend! Love your Momma, too!