Well, here's the update on the very strange flowers from a couple of posts ago.  As you can see, they have a draping circular cascade of blooms.  Some red - some yellow.  They can grow over 3 feet tall and have very sturdy stalks.  They always turn the heads of passersby, because they're so unusual.  They kinda sorta have a "King Kong from Outer Space" feel to them.  But wait...there's more!  These Crown Imperials have a very distinctive odor.  Something like a cross between strong onions...and a skunk.  (They're known to keep pesky rodents out of the garden.)

And here we have our very first results from our brand new bubble machines!  Way to go, good ol' Big Lots!  These units cost under ten bucks each and work waaaaaay better than my old "professional" ($$$$$$) one!  Who doesn't love bubbles?  Our cats, Bunk & Phooey, (see photos in left hand panel), go crazy over these bubbles.  The bubble juice, itself, is a special high-performance formula.  You can actually hear the bubbles when they land/pop.