These are the oldest cluster of irises, or irides, still living at the Cat Sanctuary. Possibly because they get more sun, possibly because they're oldfashioned Iris Germanica instead of some fancy new variety, possibly just because they sense more nostalgic-love vibrations in the air as I pass by them, they consistently bloom better than the newer plants.
They like hot afternoons. Some years they've postponed blooming until June. One year I came home from Washington in the middle of July and one or two blooms were still hanging on these plants. Most years, however, they're only a few days behind the blue-and-purple irises.
Yesterday was warm and humid. I felt a need to turn on my faithful Lasko fan. Sure enough the temperature climbed into the eighties. I don't turn on the radio to verify these things. I could tell that all the standard weather signs--the gathering dark clouds, the narrow halo of clouds around the moon, the heat lightning flickering after dark--were what might be called weather-breeders. Waking up to a clap of thunder confirmed this impression. I called a car pool buddy and said this looked like a good day to spend at the computer center. He concurred, and upon arrival he observed that an afternoon high of 91 degrees Fahrenheit had been officially recorded in town.
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