It's pretty well dried up now, and I went out today and just scraped it off the stem (scrape is kind of too intense a word...it was basically coming off with only a little help from me, and crumbling to dust). I think because I have the plastic tray around the base of the tomato plant, the mold started growing around the soil in the center of the tray (moving from the crack in the tray leading up to the center hole). I guess there are several types of this "slime mold" and this is just one type. Some look watery and goldish yellow, some are puffy and red, some are puffy and yellow (like mine), and some are clear or whitish. Pretty fascinating actually. The stem of the Tom plant looks fine, the entire plant is very healthy looking, and the mold dried up as I read that this type of slime mold does (once it isn't fed any more moisture). I read that you could put down lime, but then, it will screw up the PH your plants need. Most sites said applying anything was pretty much unnecessary. Who knows...maybe it will make my tomatoes taste better? If I keel over from eating one, you can put a Cherokee Tom on my tombstone...lol. Linda

I'm 54 and have had quite severe menopausal symptoms since I had a partial hysterectomy (due to a fibroid the size of a grapefruit) at age 48. Since then, there were a few times I thought I was going to die from weird symptoms. This year my chronic headaches have evolved into a number of episodes with severe migraines. For years I've not been able to get a full night's sleep without a mild tranquilizer. The good news is that I have the support of a naturopathic doctor in addition to my family physician. I've been exercising regularly which has helped my arthritis symptoms immensely. My tolerance to caffeine is currently nil, so I opt for herbal tea. I suffer from anxiety and depression and I'm learning to turn my ANTS into CATS (automatic negative thinking into constructive automatic thinking) ...it takes time to re-train the brain. Guided meditation is also helpful - there's lots available on the Net. I do not respond well to any type of stress (coping with daily life is a challenge) but I refuse to take hormone replacement therapy. Instead I opt for herbal supplements such as ashwagandha, rhodiola and 5-HTP. Hot flushes are the least of my issues, but I admit waking up with a full-body sweat in the middle of the night is no fun at all. In addition to all this nonsense, I have food sensitivities and therefore, avoid highly processed foods. Also, I'm on a high protein diet and have vitamin B-12 injections once per week. Evidently, hope exists.

This is by far the warmest i can remember things being here in the western Rockies. My season ended late and now after over a week of unusually warm temps things are sprouting in my beds. Hopefully the grasshoppers will hatch then die when it freezes again. Could help mitigate the expected increase in hoppers next season. It's definitely going to kill off these early sprouting weeds. dj

It is interesting how what is "normal" weather in one place can cause real trouble somewhere else, where things are not set up for it. We had snow and below freezing temps here for 2 weeks once (in the early 1970s!), and it was a mess. They had to drive snow removal equipment down from the Sierras, which took an entire day, and meanwhile many of the roads and freeways were closed. I was just out of college, and my new roommate was from NY, and she was irate: 1) "You told me it didn't snow here!" 2) "Where are the trucks which put salt on the roads?". Your flood made me think of that - 2 inches of rain here is cause for celebration - our minor flooding only happen after at least 6-8 inches of rain in one day. Bad flooding is rare, but the last time it was caused by rain which was dropping 6 inches AN HOUR for several hours in the very middle of the night. All new medium & large construction projects are required to put in "bio swales", which are basically planted areas set up so that they absorb most of the rain, and hardly any runs off. New driveways, etc. are required to be permeable to rain so it sinks in. My DH, a long time ago, worked on our ancient hardscape so that what did not get absorbed by the garden beds and lawns at least would safely run off to the storm gutters &drains along the street. Experiences result in action to prevent problems "next time", but if your next time is several years away, and the bad experience was really not that bad, human nature results in not doing anything about it. The recent earthquake in Alaska was an example of the experience being REALLY BAD (the 1964 quake which was a 9+). The recent 7ish quake caused no deaths and hardly any injuries, which was because they changed the building codes extremely after 1964 - in many places in the world (like the similar one which hit New Zealand a few years ago) the recent quake would have resulted in massive damage, and in some places very large loss of life. Jackie