My two cents worth...

 ...and maybe that's all it's worth, and maybe I'm the only one that feels this way.  I'm talking about this situation in Turks & Caicos, with FIVE (not one, not a couple, but FIVE) Americans who have been caught with ammo in their luggage down there.  Apparently, before they recently enacted a law that allows the judge discretion on sentencing, it was a mandatory 12 year sentence.  With the first guy caught, everyone was appalled at such a severe sentence for such a minor "crime".  Well, guess what folks?  You were a guest in their country and they have the right to make their laws, they have a right to protect their citizens and tourists as they see fit.  Just because you're an American does not give you special rights in another country.  I get really irritated by privileged Americans who think they can circumvent the law in other countries and there should be no consequences because  they're American.  Who the hell do they think they are?  "Oh, it was just a mistake..."  Yeah, right... would be MY response to that.  Who "accidentally" packs ammo?  "It was left in the bag after a hunting trip."  Five guys, all within a few months, did this?  If I was the judge, I'd make SOMEBODY be an example so this didn't keep happening. (And maybe he will...)  As it is, letting all these guys off the hook just emboldens other people (privileged Americans) to do as they please.  And no, I don't think all five were "a mistake".  I don't know what was really going on, but there is more to this story.  And I heard this morning that the first two that got off the hook are mad at the State Dept. for not intervening.  WTF?  YOU BROKE THE LAW.  When a foreign diplomat breaks the law here, we are appalled that they have immunity.  When a non-citizen breaks the law, we either prosecute or eject them from the country, or both.

And back to other stuff... It's going to hit 100 degrees today... Alexa says 104, my phone says 101.  Heat index will be over 110.  YIKES!  I got up early and did some watering in my GH.  When it's so hot, everything dries out FAST.  I need to be out there every day, poking dirt to see what needs watering.  It evaporates so fast! Even in the house, stuff dries out faster this time of year!  I don't get that so much because the temp is pretty consistent year round.  Must just be the intensity of the sun coming in the windows. 

So much is blooming right now, it's hard to keep up!  H. icensis, one of my more recent acquisitions, has an open umbel:

The coronas aren't nearly as dark as they look in the photo.  In fact, I would say they are mauve - a very nice, soft pink with just a hint of purple to move it from baby pink to mauve.  And they are oh-so drippy!  The plant itself is just a bit dehydrated.  I don't know if that means it really doesn't care for the heat, or if I let it get a little too dry.  I may move it into the house if it doesn't improve soon.

This is a good year for macgillivrayii.  They're all growing like gangbusters!  I put a large branched one on one of the Hoya FB pages for $55, which I thought was an excellent price, with absolutely no bites!  It's a BAD year for selling Hoyas!  I can't get any interest at all, and I notice most other people can't, either.  I'll try putting some of them on the local Hoya page.  I have to figure out how to get rid of the baby plants before fall! 

Also blooming is inconspicua.  This is something to celebrate because it took a turn downward... was it last year or the year before?  I struggled with it all last year and finally moved it to the GH.  It's finally making a comeback and now blooming:

This is a tiny flower - the whole umbel is just a bit larger than a quarter.  When it's at its best, inconspicua is a good bloomer and can have several going at once. It's small leaves and straight-down growth habit make it very desirable!

Also blooming is the subquintuplinervis I got from Kartuz several years ago.  This is a Hoya that always looks like a million bucks!  The leaves, even the old ones, stay looking so beautiful.  It's one that just makes my eyes feel good!  I don't even care if it blooms, and the blooms really are not much to talk about:

 

Don't get me wrong - they're ok, but they aren't as tidy or colorful as some.  I would almost rather it put all of it's energy into more of that beautiful foliage! (Note: I came back to correct the plant name.  This is one that I always have trouble remembering the name.  Since it's one of my favorites, you'd think this wouldn't be a problem.  I think it's that the weird, hard to pronounce name doesn't "fit".  I need to come up with a nickname... maybe Subby??)

My wayetti growing in leca in the north window of my kitchen has been blooming off and on for the last year.  It seems to be very happy where it is.  Don't tell me you can't get blooms in a north window!  

This one is similar to inconspicua in both size and colorm, but the corollas reflect back more forming little bubbles with the corona perched on top.  You can see how drippy this one is, too!

My favorite clone of finlaysonii is budding.  The other clone - I have two of that one - has been blooming, or at least the one growing in leca has been.  I'm not so sure of the other one.  Anyway, this was a hard photo to get because of the angle...

 

Looks like it will be opening in the next couple days.

One of my favorite species (when it grows right!) is fusco-marginata.  The reason I have to qualify my statement is because it often grows long, leafless vines that I have to whack off when it becomes obvious that they will never fill in.  In fact, that is mostly it's default growing habit!  Annoying!  Because when it DOES get a new leaf, it absolutely knocks my socks off!  Here are the two new ones, which is probably all I'll get this year:

The name says it all... "fusco" means "dark" and "marginata" (obviously) means "margins" or "edges".  The dark edges aren't as prominent in lower light, but leaves are large and in charge!  Just gorgeous!  Maybe I'll get lucky this year and get a few more!

And the last one I'm going to talk about today is Ceropegia sandersonii.  I love Ceropegias because they are so succulent and the flowers are absolutely extra-terrestrial in appearance!  So bizarre and beautiful!  Well, I've got one that is about twice as big as most of them which makes it easier to see the detail.  I took several pics from different angles.  I think they've been dubbed "parachute flowers" which seems completely appropriate.  Top:

Side view, looking up into the "canopy"...

More detail in the "canopy"...

 

From above, capturing some of the leaves:

A couple years ago, I was at the regional convention and a vendor had a largish one of these covered with flowers.  I had grown the species in the past but had never gotten flowers.  They had $150 on the plant, which is (of course) ridiculous, so when I came home, I located a vendor and ordered one of these as well as C. radicans.  When they came, I was SO impressed with the size!  Radicans was at least 3' long, and sandersonii was probably at least 18", and they were only $15 each!  And wow, did they both grow fast!  Radicans started blooming right away and had tines when it had a LOT of flowers all at once.  Sandersonii took it's time and didn't bloom until last year, and didn't give me nearly as many flowers.  This year, radicans has yet to bloom (it's on the front porch) and sandersonii is really making a show!  Well, I was inspired to order another species and I got it recently - a rather small one, but they grow fast and I'm confident it will do well for me.

And I'm off to get some watering done.