Sunday July 13th 2025

Today I had one outside chore to do. I probably wouldn’t been able to do many more. It was very humid without any real breeze. One brief period of rain didn’t have any impact on the overall condition. Shortly after the storm passed I set out to trim my Bougainvillea bush.

Growing condition must be perfect for the bush. I really can’t keep up with its growth. The last time I trimmed it was two weeks ago, but it should have been cut last weekend. The problem is that it takes about a week for the beautiful purple blossoms to return after a trimming. If I cut it as soon as it needed, I would never get to enjoy the blossoms.

Trimming the plant doesn’t take long. The trick, that I really haven’t mastered, is to know when to stop. There is always one or two areas that look like they need a little bit more attention. The worst part of the effort is cleaning up the clippings. The branches have thorns. I have to wear heavy work gloves in the summer heat. When I was done, I had a Home Depot 5 gallon bucket full of clippings.