I love these, but it figures since I gravitate toward simpler forms. Love Princeton Silky, for it's a winner in our garden; didn't see much of Strawberry Candy since I was gone in June, but it is a "wax and wane" bloomer here, so maybe it was in "wane" mode. Your other pinks are pretty, and I like the purple. Avedon

I've been away from this forum for a while so I didn't even know about the swap. But I started a gardening blog last May and a few days ago, I got an email from a free-lance gardening writer who said she's interested in "publishing my garden". I told here that my photos can give a misleading impression of my garden, but she said she thought I should still think about it. Here's the link to my blog, in case anyone's interested: Here is a link that might be useful: my garden blog

I love my summer kitchen, I bet you will love yours too. I put a coil cooktop in mine for the canners. Have induction in the house so I really needed something to can on. The shed I used already had power and water running to it. I put in a greywater drain for the sink. Mine got a bit of a remodel last fall and it needs to be painted and put back together. Have to wait until spring when the weather warms up. I did not need any permits, but I didn't need in for remodeling my house kitchen either.

Susan, the town just across the river is Paducah, Kentucky. It's in a *lot* better shape than Cairo, IL. I had a heckuva time getting people to talk to me when I first went to Cairo in 2003, to do research for my book. I've done a lot of traveling and a lot of interviewing, but I have *NEVER* seen such a tight-lipped bunch as the residents of Cairo, IL. And then I met a fellow-history lover who lived in Cairo and he introduced me around and got people to talk to me. He was an angel and a wonderful blessing. He showed me this huge cement slab on the corner of the main drag and a nice wide side street. It was once a busy intersection. He explained that this massive cement slab was once the site of the community swimming pool (in the early 1960s). It was "whites only" and when some black kids got in the pool, there was trouble. And then a black soldier was found hung in the local jail and riots started and the National Guard was called in to restore order. The race riots were awful and the town never did recover. Population plummeted and people just packed up and left. There's a book on this topic titled, "Let my People Go" and I have a copy (but I can't seem to find it right now" and it's a pictorial history of this awful time in Cairo's history. Rose Here is a link that might be useful: fascinating link with more info