Well my vine did not die and shrival yet.It stopped growing...was loseing leaves& NOW it is growing again& produceing gourds.I'm still searching for info about this.I didn't know they would start growing again.least are produceing better this time.I have one from round one& have 7 small ones now one the largest is fist sized.my 1st frost last year was Nov 24th.so whens it gonna stop growing?how cool can it get and they still grow.I take it they stopped growing cause of the heat.I planted them March 12th.Has been a good 1st year growing them.I got hooked.I seen the things ya'll have done with them& driveing past winnie going to Galveston seen someone made a traffic light useing gourds.That was kewl also.I have plans for next year to grow a whole bunch diffeent kinds.guess is good have 2 acres huh.

WOW.... I know what brought me to this page. Anger at someone who died in my life. But never did I expect to read about so much passion and love. I started crying for you. But I also heard GUILT. Sweetie, that guilt is going to eat you up. Yet I can understand. We always look back and want to rearrange the past. Normally, it's when we still have time to do so but just don't do it. But it's when there's a finality to it, when there IS no going back that we hurt so much and get so angry at ourselves. I know there's nothing I can say to make it make sense. I can only say "I understand" and I feel your pain. You feel that if you'd done this or that, things would be different. That you could have been there for him. But on the other hand, had Matt done things differently, things would have also turned out differently as far as you being there, in his life. I'm not saying it's his fault any more that it's your fault. It's no ones 'fault.' I just hear you saying you wish you'd taken different steps so that maybe you could have been there with him. And I understand. Just keep in mind that it wasn't all 'your job." It wasn't all up to you to mend things before this happened. Had he taken different steps, you may or may not have been there, in his life. Just saying, it's not all on YOUR shoulders, honey. Really....it's not. You both had things (emotions, fears, whatever...) keeping you from reaching out to one another. But then life stepped in and screwed it all up before either of you had a chance to do what was in your hearts. There's nothing I can say to make that make sense. That's the randomness of life, however unfair it may be. And you're so young, sweetie. I am 53. Been thru lots of heartache from love. But I remember at your age, love was so strong and pure and I could not imagine ever loving anyone else. My future was mapped out for me with THAT person and that person ONLY. There would never be anyone else like US. So, oh how much you must hurt from this. As much as people tell you about "time healing all wounds" (and it IS true) there is no possible way you can believe that now. All you know is life dealt you a raw deal and on top of that, you feel guilty because YOU WEREN'T there with him. I guess all I can say to that is - once again, I understand. But don't beat yourself up for not being there WHEN this happened. Death is random. You two could have been happy as two peas in a pod and this still could have happened - him at home and you at the grocery store. I think what you're feeling is the disconnection from him when this happened. You're sad because you feel like he died without you two 'mending' whatever was going on. You were separated. It's unfinished business. You feel empty and helpless. And you're going thru all the "what if's??" That part is natural. It WILL take time to get past those feelings. My personal experience with losing someone was in May. Yet I'm still dealing with a myriad of emotions on a daily basis -- lots of them being "what if". What if I'd have checked on him earlier? How was he feeling, all alone, dying alone? I wish there was something comforting to say to you, but I know at this point, you just need to share how you feel. The last thing you need is someone telling you how you 'should' feel or what you 'need' to do. So just know, if you need to really open up, you can email me. Go to MY PAGE and there's an "email me" link. Please feel free to write me, hon. You do need to talk about it.

Late frosts are indeed killers. Roses that looked the picture of survivability, with plenty of healthy green canes that survived the winter can be cut back to the ground by a spring frost, after breaking dormancy with good new growth emerging forth. The length of the frost and the low temps reached are critical factors. Also, come early spring apparently nice green canes sprouting new growth can suddenly begin to decline and die back, turning black, without any contributory frosts after dormancy break to cause the calamity. What has occurred is these canes were actually severely damaged at some point during the winter and just have not shown it until now. I breath a sigh of disbelief when after spring pruning to nice live looking, rich green, white pithed canes, some of these visually very much alive looking canes soon turn black and die back, often to the ground. No late frosts were involved at all. These canes were doomed to die, but didn't show it at first. You may get new good growth from below ground. Give them some more time. If by June, there's no evidence of life, then dig them out. Moses

How long will the RE boom last in California? Isn't it down a bit already? My advice: Take the money and run. Invest it. Rent in Omaha until you're sure about the work and the location. One thing at a time. This is actually three things: New location. New job for DH. New job for you. Put parenting on hold for a year. If you won't/can't bear children, you can ignore the ticking clock for a while. I'm laughing my head off about 'bugs' in the Midwest. What? I'll show you bugs! Go to Hawaii. Go anywhere there's no hard freeze. (Not that climate isn't changing everywhere. Chicago had a single snowfall Jan. - Mar. Miami is flooding while the rest of Florida burns; ETC!) Rent first is good advice for anyone who can afford it when relocating. Senior friends moved to Arizona, where they liked the weather, but not the 'black helicopter' vibe. Years ago one of DH's friends moved to Atlanta, where they discovered they were unacceptable Damn Yankees. We visited friends from suburban Chicago at their gorgeous home in Atherton, California; they moved 'home' after two years, not wanting that atmosphere for their young boys. My uncle and his bride lived Kauai as newlyweds; moved to the mainland to expose their boys to life beyond 'Surf's Up'. Right now there seems more polarization than ever, with Red State/Blue State. (We need a return visit from Dr. Seuss!)