Mitch, You need to drive down for a visit in late May or July. Probably late May is best...because by then everything looks really spectacular and the diseases haven't arrived yet. June is a terrific month to see it too, but we have oodles of family birthdays and other family occasions that month so we're hardly ever home in June.. Of course, if this drought continues (and I cannot let myself believe it will) at the current level, there won't be much to see. I used to plant many more tomato plants than I do now--back in the early 2000s. At that point, the deer had not yet discovered the garden, so I could plant a couple of hundred plants outside the fenced-in garden, and the deer and rabbits hardly touched those unprotected plants. Now that we've been here a while, the deer, rabbits, raccoons and every other wild thing (including bobcats) like to get into the garden and feast. The first three are eating plants, but the bobcat is looking for birds or animals, including my cats. Since the wild animals found the garden, I now have to restrict myself to only what I can plant inside the fenced garden, so I'm only going to grow about 1/4 the number of tomatoes that I grew the first few years here. That's OK, though. I grow far too many anyway (although I don't have any trouble giving the extras away). I have had a great time trying new tomatoes, and I guess I'll never stop. I love many of the heirlooms, but the last couple of years, I've been trying a lot of fantastic hybrids from the Harris-Moran Seed Co. (and others) and I've been impressed with their flavor. I still grow a mix, but in hard years (when I expect drought), I grow a higher percentage of hybrids because they tend to produce more tomatoes per plant in many cases. Dawn

I've planted zinnias in June, July and August and they've grown and bloomed until the first killing frost....which can occur in September (rarely), October (fairly often) or November (about half the time here in southern OK). And those daisies sure do sound like Black-eyed Susans and they are native here as well. On our property, they usually start blooming in June and bloom on and off all summer, as long as the rain continues. We have two kinds on our property...one is, I think, clasping coneflower, because the leaves "clasp" the stem. Those bloom a little earlier, usually in May. The black-eyed susans bloom later, and for a longer timeframe. Also, even though Oklahoma is thought of as having a "long growing season", the truth is that for veggies, we actually have several successive seasons in one year. Here's how it tends to go: Jan.-Mar.: Cold-season crops like onions, peas, potatoes, broccoli and other cole crops, carrots, beets, spinach and other greens, radishes, etc. can be planted during this time frame, although some go in earlier than others. Mar.-May: Warm-season crops like tomatoes, peppers and eggplant (from transplants), and most direct-seeded crops like corn, green beans, summer squash, cucumbers, melons, etc. can go into the ground anytime after the last frost date, which ranges from late-March to late-April (and, in a cold year, maybe even early May) across our state. The crops that like REALLY warm weather which includes watermelon, southern peas (black-eyed peas, cream peas, crowder peas, etc.), winter squash, okra and sweet potatoes can go into the ground from mid-May through the end of June. Since lettuce does not do well in our hot summer weather, you can plant New Zealand spinach or amanranth greens as a substitute. They both grow well in the heat. Lots of crops can be succession planted, including corn, beans, cucumbers, squash, etc. so you can harvest throughout the summer. Beginning in mid-summer, you can replace spring-planted crops that have been harvested with new crops for a fall garden. Most fall garden veggies go into the ground in July and August, although I like to plant fall tomatoes in June (paradoxically I need to plant them just when my spring-planted tomatoes are hitting their peak production). Anything that you grow here in cooler months can be planted in the summer for a fall crop, and some of them produce better in the fall garden than in the spring garden. It DOES take very close attention to their watering needs to get them through the first 4 to 6 weeks of their life, though. Brussels sprouts are an example of one crop that tends to do better in the fall garden than in the spring garden. In the spring, it can heat up too fast for them....before they can make many sprouts. In the fall garden, they produce like crazy and tolerate some of the early frosts. Garlic is another crop that grows best when planted in the fall here. If you plant in the Sept.-Nov. timeframe, you can harvest in late spring when the foliage yellows. And, because our fall and even early winter weather often stays fairly mild for a long time, you can sow a winter cover crop too. So, I think you'll find that you can still grow a lot of veggies your first year, even if it seems like you are getting off to a "late" start. Dawn

Thank you thank you thank you! But I have to say, these projects are soooo much easier than they look - I don't feel right taking so much credit, lol! Crocheting, for me, is a great stress reliever and mood elevator. I get satisfaction of doing something with my hands other than throttling DH (kidding) and I get satisfaction from seeing a completed project and saying to myself "I don't believe I actually FINISHED this!" The bonnet, sweater, and booties came from a pattern book I bought at JoAnne's, and the Onesie is from the current issue of Crochet Today (I'll put a link at the bottom). And I *really* think I'm going to ask for a row-counter for my b'day - as silly as it sounds I never even knew such a thing exists, lol! Thanks again for your praise, and thanks for lifting my spirits tonight :-> april Here is a link that might be useful: crochet today project

The warmer your winters are, the glossier the leaves. In Texas , Hackberry is a whole different plant in the valley and on the coast from what it looks like in Dallas. They are much taller,. The leaves are darker and glossier. The bark has beautiful light patches and the leaves drape in longer streams off the branches. I have hackberry and it is much smaller and brushier. Leaves are almost scratchy in comparison. You definitely need to move it away from your house. Maybe 20'. It will hurt your foundation. Branches will brush up against your building.