Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Hello, all. The Scoobies are ready to ponder and play and generally help you over the midweek hump. Dan Antion gave us the Crayola Crayons color purple for “Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge” (CFFC). The Scoobies and I have been looking around the house for “purples” in all their lovely shades and tints.
Books provide an escape to faraway places. Although I was surprised that I found hardly any purple book covers.
Velma: Didn’t Copper Hixon go with Cornelis Drebbel to a purple world? I like that little human. Her hair is the color of my fur.
Daphne: Yes, but the book cover is brown. Yummy, doesn’t Miss Darlene have a reddish-purple book cover.

Yes, Daphne. One of Darlene Foster‘s “Amanda” books has a cute purple cover, and it’s a delightful story too — “Amanda in Arabia.” People can click here to buy it.
Daphne: Hey, there’s the purple boa toy. Why don’t you bring it out more often, Yummy? What? I do not eat the ribbons on it. Well… only a little. But look, I think the boa found your purple book. A Ghost in the Kitchen!

Velma: Maybe the feather boa found it because the story is in the 1920s, when women liked to wear feather boas.

Daphne: I found more purple — purple oracle cards.
Velma: The Magic of Flowers oracle cards. Hey, that reminds me… Yummy, you haven’t done a Flower of the Month post for July. If you don’t watch it, August will be here.
Daphne: Yummy Human, it’s monsoon season. I keep looking out the window, but the rain hasn’t been purple yet. Where’s the purple rain that man sings about? It’s just a song, huh? (SINGS) Purple rain, purple rain

Velma: (SINGS HARMONY) Purple rain, purple rain… Hey, I just found other purples — about three different kinds of purple in one place. Gimme that!

Velma: Purple rain, purple rain. I never meant to cause you any sorrow. I never meant to cause you any pain… CHOMP! We don’t call her Yummy Human for nothin’.
Ouch! Velma, don’t bite my toe. Let go.

Velma: But Yummy Human, you’re yummy. If I can’t have your toe, then can I chew on your hand? Yeesh… you’re no fun.
Hang on — look outside. I see a purple weed. Oh no, don’t cry Yummy Human! I’m sorry. I forgot how sad it makes you that the landscapers totally ripped you off and did crappy work, used sub-standard materials, and skipped out on a bunch of other stuff. I forgot that the pretty weed popped right through the shoddy plastic, along with eleventy-million others. Come on, don’t be so sad… Gurrr! If I ever get my claws on those guys…

Daphne: Velma… those tears might actually be from you biting Yummy’s toe too hard…
Velma: I don’t bite as hard as you do, Daphne. Hey, there’s the boa again. It magically added purple to the picture. Now it’s purrfect.

Daphne: Oh, but it’s not as purrfect as my Furminator brush. I loooove to be brushed.

Velma: Yeah… I think I see some evidence that you actually do eat the ribbons on the boa toy too.
Nice work on finding purples, Scoobies — even the weeds.
Everyone, thanks for visiting. Friendly comments are welcome. Hugs.
♣ ♣ ♣
Naturally, the obligatory shameless self-promotion must be included.
A Ghost in the Kitchen
Reading the other adventures in Pip’s series is not required for enjoying this whimsical Roaring Twenties novel. Granny Phanny continues Pip’s cooking lessons… with unwanted help from a precocious poltergeist who often gets stuck on the letter P.

Universal Purchase Links
Kindle: relinks.me/B07Y2KN1NM
Paperback: relinks.me/107952309X
♣ ♣ ♣
This blog is entirely human-written. Furthermore, the author expressly prohibits any entity from using this publication for purposes of training AI technologies to generate text. No part of this work may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.
All images are either the property of the author, or used with permission, or from free sources.
Copyright © 2026 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene
All rights reserved.
Not much better than a purple socked toe to gnaw on. Have you had any purple rain down your way?
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Haha. Not much rain of any color this week, Tim. This prolonged heat is not agreeing with my asthma. Otherwise we’re hanging in there. How are you and Laurie and the critter crew? Hugs.
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It’s rained hard all around us. The river had a flash flood sweep through this afternoon that left the sandbars cluttered with junk.
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Yikes! And the aftermath sounds appalling… Sorry.
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I just posted photos of the debris. It’s good there is rain to bring up the level of the Rio Grande.
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I know that it seems to happen every year, but seeing the river so dry is always shocking to me. Thanks for referencing your post. Here it is for anyone who’s reading comments.
Desert Dynamics – Off Center & Not Even
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The problem is the river has been very low all year. I have not had irrigation this year, and since irrigation was cut off in May last year, it’s been over a year since I’ve irrigated. I had to revamp and expand the watering system from our well to water plants and trees that used to get irrigation water from the river. I even had to expand the system to water four of our large cottonwoods that are really suffering. We may have lost one of them.
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I remember you mentioning the lack of irrigation water. It’s a shame that it hasn’t come back. I’m sorry to hear about the tree, Tim. It hurts to lose them. About a year after I moved here some kind of disease killed all six of my desert willow trees. They were the main reason I chose the house. After everyone blaming me and insinuating that I hadn’t taken care of them, one of those people said they actually don’t live that long, and that they absorb more environmental toxins than other trees. (Gee thanks, Mrs Knowitall…) Anyhow someone looked at a dead trunk and exclaimed that they looked burned. I had another tree planted in the same general part of the yard, and it gets black spots on the leaves as soon as they sprout. This year the whole thing turned black. Sorry, just venting. I know it’s not the same with cottonwoods.
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The cottons that are suffering are old, so they are near the end of their lives, but it’s hard to watch them suffer.
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Great photo of Daphne! You did an amazing job finding purple items, especially those cards.
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Many thanks, Edward. We’ve had to get creative with objects for the colors, but it’s fun. Wishing you and yours a purr-fect weekend. Hugs.
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Awesome! Thank you, Teagan, and have a wonderful weekend.
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Good purpling Daphne and Velma!
Love the little purple weed a lot, oddly. Maybe I feel sorry for it?
OH, and stop chewing on yummy human’s toes! Or not!
A fun post Teagan, thank you! I’m really slow blogging now. WP went and Fresh Pressed Sad Cafe III, from my Art Gowns blog, and I am inundated with hundreds of emails. The important ones from pals are buried alive!
HUGS!!!!
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Wow, Resa — huge congratulations on the Freshly Pressed post! In 14 years of blogging, I’ve never had one of those. That’s awesome.
I think those particular weeds are beautiful, but they take over. That particular one was in my path (there are tons of them and they get above knee-high) and I took its picture. Now I’ve learned that it is not the sage plant that I thought. Rather it’s species of nightshade.
Anyhow, I appreciate your visits. You always cheer me up. Hugs and purrs.
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It’s my first Fresh Press, and I’ve been blogging 11 years. Mostly it means slogging through skews of email notices to find your pals & other important mails.
Still, I’m happy that they chose the post they did.
Wow… knee-high, yikes. Not all nightshade plants are bad, though I’m sorry this one is an uncontrollable nuisance.
More cheer to you dear Teagan! Hugs all around (kitties included!)
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The Scoobies found some great purples. Hopefully Karma catches up to those crumby landscapers.
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I saw a neighborhood post his wife posted, and Karma gave him a small kick in his pants with a big truck repair… But frankly, the scales aren’t balanced yet. Thanks for exploring purple with us. Hugs.
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😊
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The Scoobies are adorable. I’m so sorry to hear about the botched landscaping work. I know that must be frustrating. A very creative post, Teagan! 🙂
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Thanks, Brenda. Yes, it’s downright maddening. I appreciate you joining us. Hugs!
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🙀 💜🙀 💜🙀 💜
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😸😽
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The Scoobies find the best purple! I loved Darlene’s book, yet I did not love the sleazy landscaping guys, even though the purple weed is lovely.
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Thanks, Jennie! Actually I learned that the pretty weed is not desert sage after all. It’s poisonous! And I have a yard full of it. See comment exchange with ghostmmnc (Barbara) just below. Hugs and purrs.
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Yikes! Do the Scoobies go outside?
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Never. 🤗
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Whew!
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Wonderful purple things y’all found around the house. Oooh that feather boa looks so soft! Your fur grooming tool is cool, too. But that weed out side …it is silverleaf nightshade and is highly poisonous, all parts of it, so be careful! Hope you are keeping cool in the summer heat, or hopefully getting some rain. 🙂
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Here they called it desert sage, and I’ve been “stuck” by it many times. But as far as I’m concerned, with my hyper allergies, all of them are poison to me. Although, I just Googled a comparison, and I think you’re right. Thanks for the tip.
Yeah… this 100 degree (and nearly) heat for so many weeks is not what summer used to be here. It wears on what used to be “mild” asthma. Trying to keep my chin up, as they used to say. I hope you have a wonderful rest of the week. Hugs.
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I’m sorry to learn about your landscaping debacle. Lots of lovely purple here including Darlene’s lovely book cover.
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I remember that purple is not a color you like, Robbie, so double thanks for your support. Hugs and purrs.
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💜🪻
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Thank you my dear sweet Scoobies for mentioning Amanda in Arabia. Amanda and I love purple so we were so happy with that cover. You found some wonderful purple items. including a toe to nibble on! Stay cool my lovelies. ❤️❤️😊😎
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Hi, Darlene. Velma is definitely a little nibbler. Happy, Daphne has finally learned that biting is not okay, because she bites hard. It took three years, but she finally understood. We’re forecasted for high temps of 100F and more for the next 15 days. Just trying to deal with that.
It’s my pleasure to show your wonderful book. Hugs and purrs.
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Around 35 to 40 C here (100 to 104F) Trying to keep cool. Hugs to all. xo 🥵🫠🔥
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So you have the same. I keep forgetting that you live in Spain now. I realize a lot people there don’t have refrigerated air conditioning. That’s awful. 🙏
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Now just about everyone here has air conditioning. I can’t imagine not having it in these temps but I guess years ago they didn’t and survived. I somehow don’t think it was quite as hot, but I could be wrong. xo
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I’m sure you are right. I’ve made a study of the weather here for the past ten years. I started before I bought my house here, because that was important to me. The past four years have been markedly hotter. No doubt similar is true where you are too.
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You never know how purple you are until you stop to look. 😉
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That would make an excellent quote, Daniel. 😀
“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.” — from The Color Purple.
Thanks for joining us. Hugs.
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I think the reason I’m blessed is because I have an extensive collection of purple wild flowers I’ve taken pictures of on my walks through nature. 🪻😁
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Teagan, Purple reigns supreme here as the Scoobies definitely brought out the color where ever it could be found. We’d send you some of our rain but I don’t think it works quite that way…from east to west lol. Here’s hoping you have a proper dose of rain soon…as well as some much cooler temperatures.
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Many thanks, Bruce. The Scoobies seem to be enjoying these photo shoots — the extra attention and particularly when extra treats are used lure them into the photo, LOL. Have a wonderful rest of the week. Hugs.
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The Scoobies did a great job finding purple. I love the shots of Velma giving your toe some love. Congratulations to Darlene for the book mention. While in college I worked for a landscaping business and feel badly that you didn’t get a quality product. Doing the job right should be their focus. Hopeing you have a lovely weekend, Teagan.
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Sigh… I can’t seem to let go of that landscaping debacle, John… try as I might. It’s the combination of a big chunk of my savings account, and the principle of it all, the lack of respect inherent in such an encounter — I’ve always particularly had trouble dealing with that. Anyhow, I’m happy that we could entertain you with some fun photos. Velma is definitely a nibbler. Fortunately, she usually doesn’t hurt. LOL. Hugs and purrs.
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That would bother me as well. Of course moving on is what has to be done.
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True. 🚙🚗🚕🚲🚛🚚🚜🛩🚁🚀
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Ha ha ha. 😄
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I just love this line: “Where’s the purple rain that man sings about?”
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Haha. Thanks, Liz. New Mexico has had pretty dry monsoon seasons in recent years. Plus, a lot of the rain never makes it to the ground (“virga”). This year we’re getting a little — enough for the weeds to thrive. But for “monsoon” — we tend to wonder where it is period, purple or otherwise. LOL. Hugs.
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You’re welcome, Teagan. Our rain tends to be off and on throughout the season, although we’ve been experiencing summer droughts for the past few summers.
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I definitely want to hear the Scoobies singing Purple Rain!
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Hi, Noelle. I almost did a full song parody of it… but even though it’s not meant to be a sad song, it just does not put me in a happy place… so I left it with just those bits. Hugs and purrs to you and your kitty crew.
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Back atcha!
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Purple is one of my favorite colors so you wouldn’t have any trouble finding it around here. Love that you included Darlene’s book, Teagan!
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It’s a purr-fect color, Teri. 🐱 Thanks for taking part in this color quest with the Scoobies. Hugs to you and Bond.
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no color is too challenging for the scoobies !
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Haha. They seem to be having fun with the photo shoots too, Beth. I’m so glad you could take part. Hugs and purrs. 🤗 😻😽
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they are now celebs and they know it
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That’s a lovely collection of purples. You girls did a great job! I really like the utopia image at the top. But you shouldn’t bite so hard. Your teeth are probably really sharp.
I hope you all have a nice rest of the week. Thanks for help me over the hump.
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Hi, Dan. Well… I lost my own comment. Of course it was long winded… Anyhow, many thanks for joining us and for hosting the color challenges. Hugs.
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I love purple and it was lovely to be reminded of the visit to the purple world as well. Thanks to Daphne and Velma for finding so many wonderful objects, books and cards in purple. Take care, dear Teagan, big hugs, and love to the Scoobies.
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Thank you so much for joining us, Olga. I hope you’re doing well. Say hello to your mom for me. Hugs and purrs.
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Lovely lot or purrples Teagan
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Thanks, Brian. Now to feed the cats, and then attack the various weeds again before the temperature gets unto the 99s (F). That desert sage is the least of it. We have yet another 100 degree day. And Velma says I need to pay attention to her. 😸 Have a wonderful rest of the week. Hugs.
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That really is too hot to be outside working Teagan. Hoping the rest of your week will be a bit cooler
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Well… This is the new normal. September should be better,and December quite nice. Something to look forward to.
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