lol, ken. Completely correct. Although I still would have been sad about the tree, I would have been more concerned with the house. brandon - yes we were very prepared. In 2006 there was a flood that came high enough to scare us (even though after 1997 we were told that was the "500 year flood"). We built that retaining wall specifically so we would have a level surface on which to sandbag. And DH has been planning since then for what we would do if necessary. When this spring's predictions started coming in, we started making phone calls. We were going to have the local construction company put in a clay dike but when we called, they recommended these containers. They are built by a company called HESCO and were originally designed for the military. They were used in Afghanistan and Iraq - to stop bullets. They were first (to my knowledge) used as a flood barrier in Hurricane Katrina and apparently there were places where the adjacent dikes gave way but these held. They were brought in to Fargo this spring - they had some seven miles of dike with these things. The construction company told us about them and we decided to go for this approach. They weren't cheap. But they are now ours, they are reusable (just as soon as we figure out how to get the sand out of them). So next time (hopefully a long time from now, but given recent years could be sooner rather than later), we still have to do the work of putting them up, but don't have the expense of the containers, just the sand. The sand itself we originally paid for but as the flood worsened the county started providing it. They get the sand from some quarries - trucks were running straight from the quarries to people's homes. I have no clue where all the sand will go now. I'm told the construction companies can use it, but I don't know that for sure. It will be an interesting spring as we try to clean up the yard. Glad you enjoyed the photos :) Here is a link that might be useful: HESCO

Digdig, if any of these magnolias croak we won't replace them with more magnolias. I think you're right in that they won't bounce back fully. The other tree that was recommended for a lollipop form was a portuguese laurel. May try a Euc neglecta if the space is open, need to find out what kind of root system a neglecta forms over time since this is a raised bed. The little blue Euc gunnii snapped about 2" from the ground. Wonder if it will grow up from roots. Was young and small but such an exquisite color. The huge curly willow in the front has innumerable large limbs snapped at the tops. Only a tall bucket truck can reach those. It used to be a magnificent tree, the largest curly willow I've ever seen. Willows tend to grow back but this one has some sort of wilt problem in spring. It has lost so much bulk that all the trees under and around it will now get a lot more sunlight. Have 4 Oregon myrtles (slow growing) along back that I'll transplant to spots where other trees died. Won't be buying many more trees, except the tight columnar Norway Spruce Cupressinas to replace squashed arbor vitae. Had a sweet broom that was getting really big. It looks fried from the deep freeze. Wonder if it will sprout back from wood. Bamboo, lots snapped. Ppl say bamboo is indestructible but I've had trouble with mine. It was already here and tends to shear off about 11' up from the ground in wind. Bungeed it to house but it isn't right, isn't thriving. Yellowish, should be green. Cannot yet get to back of yard, silver dust leyland laying down, a bit uprooted, will have to be re-planted. Yard guy supposed to come tomorrow to help me. Arbutus marina croaked, as did a golden chain tree. Will not buy a staghorn sumac or forest pansy redbud. Will leave more space in yard. The sun beating down here in the summer is so fierce it's hard to imagine having too much shade, but hopefully trees will grow. 3 years of my life totally dedicated to these trees, and it looks like a war zone. And this morning I looked out the window and saw a retarded neighborhood cat climbing to the top of one of the young horse chestnuts. It had already tried to climb the spindly Cyprus Cedar and broken off 2 main branches. If not ice, the damn cat. The neighborhood has a few big old strong trees but this cat is obsessed with damaging the trees in my yard.

it is the same damage I have on my sunflowers, it is from a brown beetle. they are coming out at night and chewing the leaves. It is the May beetles or June bugs are ý to 5/8 inches long, and reddish brown. the ants are "farming" a type of leaf hopper and aphids. the damage on my sunflowers have been kept low by me going out each night and removing as many of the beetles as I can and I also have a large amount of spiders both ones that I put there and others that moved in own their own to help control the beetles. I don't like to use bug sprays because the birds will be getting the seeds in the spring and because the beetles come out at night, unless you get a spray that stays on the leaf and will kill them as they eat, any direct contact killing spray will be dried and have no effect and a systemic killer will make the plant and the seed toxic which will kill the beetles but the seeds could not be given to the birds or eaten by humans.

Actually, I would say that most humans try to do whatever they think is best for themselves and immediate family, without seeming to impinge too outrageously upon others. Just short of official censure, IOW. Obviously a significant minority are utterly selfish and do not stop even at directly harming others and/or their prospects. I agree that every bit of extractable fossil fuel will be extracted and used, presuming our capacity to do so persists long enough. I don't think it will, for a large number of factors: climate change, environmental degradation, costly conflicts over land and resources to name a few. These will likely reduce human civilizations to subsisting on annual sun-fall before we get to all coal and shale deposits. The richest societies will likely manage a partial shift to renewables via best technology but that savings will be engulfed and then some by the ravening horde. It's gonna be a wild ride.