Tuesday--

Supposed to be cool today and for the next week.  I took out the ornamental sweet potatoes I had in a medium pot and found a couple of small tubers forming.  They really didn't have the room to grow big and the ornamental strains weren't developed for large (or sweet) tubers.  I didn't keep them.  But according to the info on-line sweet potatoes are ready to harvest when the leaves start turning yellow (check) or just before first frost in the northern areas (check.)  We expect light rain today so I think tomorrow is the better day to start harvesting the Beauregard variety I also put in.  Why did I bother with the ornamentals?  I hadn't planted in sweet potatoes before and I thought most of my slips had failed.  I didn't realize my mistake until I dug up the most sickly (as in "dead") looking slips and discovered healthy roots.  I was glad I was gentle about digging them, quickly replanted them and learned a bit more patience.

Naked Capitalism has this analysis of Shell's announcement they are shutting down their Arctic drilling off Alaska having spent $7billion with little to show.  What was barely profitable at $100/barrel is a big loss at less than $50.

I can support the premise behind the proposed "Shut Down the Shutdowns Act."  I am so incredibly tired of the drama queens on the far right holding everything hostage in their farcical political substitute for holding their breaths till they turn blue.  Perhaps I should reword that: they want us to hold our breaths till they turn blue--or we die.