Flower Friday. : : Puya Berteroniana

...Sapphire Tower is a bromeliad and a native of Chile. I bought it at a nursery/botanical garden about eight years ago and stuck it in the ground. I can take up to eight years to flower so it is right on schedule although the blooms look a bit sparse.* They are quite otherworldly so they had to be my Flower Friday blip, even though there were several other candidates in the garden today. 

It's been a funny year out there and not entirely because half of it burned down. Things that usually bloom didn't, like the echium and things that have always struggled, and looked poorly have taken off, like the kniphofia  and the fuchsia. The amaranthus, an ancient grain seeds itself all over the garden and grows to great heights. I sure I will be posting these over the next couple of weeks.

Covid cases are rising again, but mostly among the unvaccinated. One would think this would be a powerful motivator to people to go out and do it, especially as there is plenty available (unlike when we had to move heaven and earth to get an appointment) but it doesn't seem to have any  effect. I heard Michael Lewis on the radio the other day and his comment was, 'People never change their minds. He told a story about somebody he interviewed who steadfastly believed that the whole 'Covid thing' was a 'hoax'. Even when his father contracted Covid and died of it, what did he do? He had the cause of death on the death certificate changed....

It is once again being recommended that people wear masks here when they are indoors. John's comment was, 'So we basically have to wear masks to protect the people who won't get vaccinated and probably won't even wear a mask....'

It's a holiday weekend here in the U.S.....Independence Day. We'll be staying home, not necessarily because of Covid but because I'm feeling pretty cynical about our government.

*See the whole plant in extras