Flowers

I like gardening.

From my experience:

Daffodils are easy. They also multiply a lot. Tulips are hard and not worth the trouble.

Irises are great but may take until the second year until they bloom. Once they get acclimated, they produce lots of flowers.

I get all of these from White Flower Farm that was recommended by my uncle Sam many years ago. Their stuff isn’t cheap but the quality is great. I especially recommend Thalia, a daffodil which has several small flowers on each stem.

At my old house, I grew roses. They were a pain in the ass. Great flowers but the plants caught lots of diseases. There are a few photos here of the variety Tropicana.

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Trump in isolation

scary stuff

There are few things that aggravate the president as much as descriptions of his bad moods (when he has been in bad moods) or him yelling at people (when he has been yelling at people). https://t.co/JB5kBkqtv7

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) December 23, 2018

Only Republicans want the wall

The majority does not want Trump’s stupid wall.

New polls finds 59% of Americans oppose building a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.https://t.co/Ws3GawhqFO #NoWall #TrumpShutdown

— Democratic Coalition (@TheDemCoalition) December 21, 2018

The problem for President Trump and the GOP: While 61% of Republicans in our new poll rank immigration/the wall as their top priority, only 22% of independents agree. And 5% of Democrats. The top issue for both? Health care. https://t.co/eBXXhdI8T2 https://t.co/9uBlhlUGws

— Susan Page (@SusanPage) December 21, 2018

57% of Americans think Trump should “compromise on the border wall to prevent gridlock,” according to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll. https://t.co/577NueLwUa

— FiveThirtyEight (@FiveThirtyEight) December 20, 2018

ICYMI
Shut down the government over differences about federal funding for a wall along the border with Mexico:
ALL
Support 34%
Oppose 62%
REP
Support 59
Oppose 33
DEM
Support 12
Oppose 86
IND
Support 33
Oppose 65
(Quinnipiac U Poll, RV 12/12-17/18)https://t.co/GLrzf1oGiQ

— PollingReport.com (@pollreport) December 20, 2018

FWIW, other polls show most Texans against it too. https://t.co/gAoVBQjJ1F https://t.co/OCemUw30xO

— Josh Greenman (@joshgreenman) December 20, 2018

How can anyone make a deal with Trump on the wall?

Trump keeps changing his mind on what he wants. He could have had it earlier but his own folks talked him out of the deal.

Why is it that almost none of the discussion of the Wall includes the fact that illegal immigration into the US peaked 11 years ago and has declined ever since? Seems kinda elemental.

— Jonathan Alter (@jonathanalter) December 22, 2018

.@realDonaldTrump rejects 100-0 Senate compromise he said he’d accept, manages only 47 Senate votes for Big Dumb Wall bill (48 w/ Pence), shuts down government.

Chaos and incompetence reign.

— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) December 22, 2018

This is correct. Failure to trade DACA for the wall was one of the dumbest moves of this administration. https://t.co/wVCYibLzzx

— Sean T at RCP (@SeanTrende) December 22, 2018

One year anniversary of the Trump tax cut

A big failure unless you’re wealthy

And the rich get richerhttps://t.co/Ab64CBdF6v

— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) December 23, 2018

One year after the tax cuts, the market is worse and the economy is a mixed bag https://t.co/TxhswyG83L pic.twitter.com/TBkEfDbtwp

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) December 22, 2018

So a year after Trump signed his tax cuts into law, what are the results?
1) Wages haven't kept up with inflation.
2) The stock market is down.
3) The deficit is on track to surpass $1 trillion by 2020.
4) The 1,000 biggest companies have cut more jobs than they've created.

— Robert Reich (@RBReich) December 22, 2018

One year on, GOP tax bill is the gift that keeps on taking https://t.co/jVVN1iewmp pic.twitter.com/sQrIRpH2uA

— ThinkProgress (@thinkprogress) December 23, 2018

Republicans said that their tax cut would help the middle class. Here are the results:

➡️ $1 trillion in stock buybacks for investors

➡️ A net 67,000 jobs lost at the 1,000 largest companies.

➡️ 62% of Americans haven’t gotten a raise this year.

— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) December 23, 2018

It's the anniversary of the GOP tax bill. The President called it “a bill for the middle class.”

So how's it going?

U.S. companies announced over $400bn in stock buybacks.

The Dow is down 2000 points.

GM is laying off 14,000 workers.

And your pay raise was lost in the mail.

— Adam Schiff (@AdamSchiff) December 22, 2018

Trump lies update – year end review

I call them lies instead of false statements. He knows what he’s doing.

Opinion: Trump’s agenda is dependent on provable falsehoods https://t.co/svQoW13Yjo

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 1, 2019

Polling objectively shows:

1. The lying doesn’t work
2. The wall is unpopular
3. His anti-immigration has backfired
4. Obamacare is more popular than ever
5. Barack and Michelle Obama are 2018 most admired Americans
6. Republicans had the worst midterm results since Watergate https://t.co/gRwapQUBrB

— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) December 30, 2018

Sensible ideas from @ThePlumLineGS. One suggestion: have GAO do the study of the border, or at least a parallel one to CRS. GAO has far more resources. https://t.co/fmUhDXgUHv

— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) January 1, 2019

ICYMI –> A year of unprecedented deception: Trump averaged 15 false claims a day in 2018 https://t.co/Gk2MPpx5XW

— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) January 1, 2019

Trump's lies sometimes seem strategic. But polls shows that most Americans see right through it & realize he's untrustworthy. pic.twitter.com/8jpwnIYlET

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) December 29, 2018

1) As Trump ends the year with a flood of lies about his wall, we need to recapture a core truth about this presidency.

Trump isn't “twisting the truth” or “stubbornly refusing to admit error.”

Trump is engaged in *disinformation.*

This is a different thing entirely.

*THREAD*

— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) December 30, 2018

It’s so cool when Trump misrepresents how other people feel in order to make his point. Federal workers want the shutdown. Dems want open borders. Everybody knows walls always work. Trump lies about what he thinks and about what you think. Fun!

— Touré (@Toure) December 28, 2018

Fact checks: A look back at President Trump's 10 biggest falsehoods of 2018. https://t.co/T9v6tfFjDd

— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 27, 2018

NEW –> President Trump has made 7,546 false or misleading claims over 700 days https://t.co/wW711Mxj49

— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) December 21, 2018

Donald Trump has made 7,546 false or misleading claims as president, according to the @washingtonpost. That means our gumball count is back. See how many jars we’ve filled now. pic.twitter.com/7JntPUOVuL

— Victor Blackwell CNN (@VictorBlackwell) December 29, 2018

In summer, President Trump blamed “bad environmental laws” for worsening California's wildfires and diverting water to the ocean. No one knew what he was talking about. https://t.co/P9PR4CQ9qb @CAPolitiFact

— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) December 23, 2018

Trump is the mis-leader in chief. Here's a specific example involving his anti-immigration claims. pic.twitter.com/kuPwquwOFQ

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) December 23, 2018

There is no border crisis

Trump has made this up to excite his white nationalist base.

Dear @realDonaldTrump: I've been told you respond to visuals. Here's a chart that shows there is no big crisis at the border.

But there is a big crisis in healthcare, infrastructure & education. Democrats are not going to appropriate US taxpayer funds for your wasteful wall. pic.twitter.com/DxdkB7bAtZ

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) December 23, 2018

McGurk, top US envoy in fight against ISIS, resigns

Another departure based on Trump’s new Syria and Afghanistan policies.

Of course, Trump trashes him on the way out. Why would anybody work for Trump?

The fact that you say you don’t know @brett_mcgurk speaks volumes about your commitment to fighting ISIS @realDonaldTrump. Why don’t you know the man who has done more than any civilian to degrade ISIS? I can assure you @BarackObama knows him well. https://t.co/OzvKRrmVF5

— Susan Rice (@AmbassadorRice) December 23, 2018

Uhhhh…you don’t know your own coordinator of the anti-ISIS campaign?

Over the past 5 years, no one has done more to put ISIS on its heels than Brett. We all know and rely on him. The fact that our President has no clue who Brett is should scare the hell out of every American. https://t.co/m7SNU1SA7z

— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) December 23, 2018

Trump tonight tweeted that he doesn't know who Brett McGurk is, the U.S. envoy to the coalition fighting the Islamic State.

McGurk has literally been the American leading the fight against ISIS.

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 23, 2018

Brett McGurk clerked for Rehnquist, worked in the Bush Administration, and once co-authored a @FedSoc white paper with Trump's 5th Circuit appointee Jim Ho and other young conservative lawyers. Thanks for your public service, Brett, in all administrations. https://t.co/DyXm2aXB6L

— Orin Kerr (@OrinKerr) December 23, 2018

And McGurk’s departure is equally major. https://t.co/wfq3nea1q1

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) December 23, 2018

As an American Citizen directly impacted by @brett_mcgurk’s work as a diplomat, I thank him deeply for his years of dedicated service. Without his relentless efforts @YeganehSalehi and I would not be here. That’s a fact. https://t.co/Ba0d9M8WVJ

— Jason Rezaian (@jrezaian) December 22, 2018

This is a very big deal. And if President Trump doesn’t know Brent McGurk that’s not a demonstration that McGurk’s departure is a nothing burger, it’s a demonstration the president has a stunning disinterest in the foreign policy of his country. https://t.co/yNxx1PqNNJ

— Brianna Keilar (@brikeilarcnn) December 23, 2018

Actually, after he clerked for Chief Justice Rehnquist in 2001, McGurk was appointed by George W. Bush to be special assistant to the president and senior director at the NSC for Iraq & Afghanistan. He served under both Bush and Obama. Like Bob Gates. https://t.co/yDcZefGaxA

— Jay Carney (@JayCarney) December 23, 2018

Tweeting that you don’t know the head of the government’s effort to combat ISIS is an amazing self own https://t.co/NdNG5H5tsY

— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) December 23, 2018

Mattis departure

Mattis planned to stay until February but Trump wants him out on 1/1/19.

Let's see how many Republicans step up now to defend Secretary Mattis now that Trump has decided to un-person him.

— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) December 23, 2018

Mattis resignation could be the "beginning of the functional end" of Trump's presidency, Meet the Press host says https://t.co/iEi7Rf6vsR pic.twitter.com/ynYFmK6fLL

— Newsweek (@Newsweek) December 23, 2018

Active duty military approval ratings:

Mattis- 84% and just 4% disapproval
Trump- 44% approval
Trump approval with military women- 26%
Trump approval with military minorities- 29% https://t.co/JGus62EHJV pic.twitter.com/Ofit2CZH4t

— Evan Siegfried (@evansiegfried) December 23, 2018

UPDATE: Deputy Secretary of Defense, Patrick Shanahan, will assume the title of Acting Secretary of Defense starting 1/1/2019. Defense Secretary James Mattis announced his resignation last week in protest of Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria. pic.twitter.com/w9O8yc0QHi

— Ben Kennedy (@BenKennedyTV) December 23, 2018

Who is Patrick Shanahan? Trump forces James Mattis out early amid frustration over resignation https://t.co/16Q62cfLKv pic.twitter.com/2tIsaSDX7t

— Newsweek (@Newsweek) December 23, 2018

Amazing. “One aide said although Trump had already seen the resignation letter when he praised Mattis, the president did not understand just how forceful a rejection of his strategy Mattis had issued.” https://t.co/vYyaF9oq3N

— Mark Dubowitz (@mdubowitz) December 23, 2018

Sen. Dick Durbin said he is heartbroken that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is leaving the Cabinet and worried for the next two years of the Trump administrationhttps://t.co/KboS4MOtCv

— POLITICO (@politico) December 23, 2018

One effect of Trump pushing Mattis now: It cuts down opportunities for the secretary to speak in an official capacity.

Mattis was due to testify before both armed services committees in January, and planned to make one last visit to meet with NATO.https://t.co/2qBd3cOGra

— Dan Lamothe (@DanLamothe) December 23, 2018

"The chaos that finally cemented Mattis’s decision to leave…confirms the worst fears of Trump’s most dire critics."

This @RadioFreeTom is what i NEEDED this morning.https://t.co/zL1rlbRbkv

— Dennis Herring (@dcherring) December 23, 2018

In light of this hour's Mattis news, reupping this from today's paper –> "A rogue presidency": The era of containing Trump is over https://t.co/vGEfWLdBMr

— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) December 23, 2018

This is an important essay:

It’s not often I call something a “must read.” This is one of those rare times. You must read this.https://t.co/ovTCSg7w7T

— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) December 23, 2018

Trump wants to fire Jerome Powell

Trump makes everything political and about him. The Federal Reserve should not be subject to politics. He should shut up and leave it alone.

BREAKING: Trump has discussed firing Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell as his frustration has intensified after this week’s interest-rate increase and months of stock-market losses.

Advisers close to Trump aren’t convinced he will try to do it, but say he wants to.

— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) December 22, 2018

Exasperated over the market plunge, Trump asks advisers whether he can fire Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. https://t.co/kgymiS7FPl

— Shane Harris (@shaneharris) December 23, 2018

Trump blames Mnuchin for Powell pick https://t.co/ePCZTYqYt1

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) December 23, 2018

Trump reportedly wants to fire Fed head Powell, a move that could wreak havoc on the financial markets https://t.co/gxGYdck8go

— Ali Velshi (@AliVelshi) December 22, 2018