Caroline, I'm so glad you have finally got some relief from the terrible weather you've had. Not that we have had the dreadful time those of you in the south have had to deal with, we've had our share of problems too. Today it is raining buckets, coming down so hard it sounds like hail, not. I can hear the garden sighing a sigh of welcome relief. you can almost hear the soil reaching out to capture every precious drop. The one thing I have learned from this past year is to mulch, mulch, mulch, a good layer of maple shavings on top of newspaper is going to be the name of the game for me. The part of the garden that did not suffer was mulched this way. Next year I'll be out there early on, getting as much mulching done as I can manage. That hurricane sounds like it's going to be another nasty one, PLEASE STAY SAFE EVERYONE, I'm praying for gentle breezes and calm waters for all of you. Annette

Well, you certainly are having your share of weather recently!! I know you don't like all that water in your yard, but it beats getting hit by lightening. Glad you are okay through all that. I saw the news on TV too and it looked so scary!! It was all north of us though - not even a drop of rain. Ginny

G.M., We're fine but we had a pretty rough night. We had 3 to 4 separate waves of storms after the NOAA weather alert went off to let us know that bad weather was approaching from Jefferson County. Just about 3" of rain, high wind, power out, some tree limbs down, but nothing serious at our house.....well, except for a serious lack of sleep. Marietta had more damage in town than we had here. There was a strip of power poles along Hwy 77 south of town where one pole went completely down and then quite a few others snapped in half. We got our power back more quickly than Marietta did, I think, 'cause our particular power lines run up to us from Thackerville, instead of down from Marietta. We saw lots of ornamental pear trees split right in half, which is typical after a big windstorm. We made a quick run to Ardmore to Lowe's this morning so I could get bags of mulch. Figured if I couldn't plant, I'd mulch what's already been planted. You wouldn't believe how many trampolines we saw in the middle of nowhere.....fields and pastures.....alongside the road (with no houses nearby).....piled up on top of cars or sheds or swingsets or fences. None of those trampolines looked salvageable. During the worst of last night's wind and rain, (before the power went out....so we still had light to see by), our trees and shrubs were blowing in a rotating manner, but none of the trunks snapped. It is very wet and windy out there today. I am operating on a severe sleep deficit. I never really went back to sleep after the NOAA alert went off because every time I was almost asleep, it went off again for a total of 3 or 4 times. At least mulching is a easy task and I don't have to think real hard to to it. LOL Did you know the Roosevelt Bridge over Lake Texhoma was shut down half the night and most of today (one lane is currently open) because all the power lines and poles are covering the bridge? The stuff during the night was scarey, but I was more afraid of the storm cell that was moving our way sometime after 8 or 8:30 last night....it was the one that spawned a tornado or two near Breckinridge, Texas, and then very slowly and laboriously made its way towards us. Just south of Gainesville, though, it veered southeast towards Whitesboro. We had watched it on KXII for an hour or more and I was just relieved it slid south of us. On the radar at the time, it looked like we'd take a direct hit, but we didn't. That same cell may be the one that did all the damage that has been reported near Denison. It looks gorgeous outside today, but the wind is really blowing hard out of the west. Dawn

I use my instant read meat thermometer to check soil temperatures, so it does double duty for the seedlings and for the kitchen. I also use my waterproof (body) heating pads, set on low, with a wire rack on top to raise the seedling tray off of them a half-inch or so, and they keep the air in the domed trays (also free, clear plastic rectangular salad greens containers) a constant 80F. So far the only cost of raising seedlings has been for my soil-less mix and the seeds, but right now I'm using a small single bulb shop light. In just a few days I'll be home, so I'll be purchasing some 4-foot double ones. I have discovered the perfect seedling chamber....an old picnic cooler! With the 2' light suspended from the handles by straps, foil taped to the inside of the lid to reflect light (along with the white interior of the chest) and the lid open just far enough to bring the power cord out, my tomatoes and peppers are really happy campers! This is how the plants will make their 1200 mile journey next week.... Granny Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden