THANK YOU to you all for taking the time to respond to my post. I am delighted that I was able to still get some nice photos here and there to keep the beauty alive for months to come. Even thought the majority of blooms were lost, there were still some little 'miracles' in the garden, for which I am grateful. roseberri....First of all, thank you for your kind comment. Geshwind's Orden truly wants to be a climber, but I don't have climbing space where 'he' is so I have him pegged down in a circular fountain-shape which seems to agree with him so far. But he isn't a small shrub and grows very lanky and up, up, and away. There is only one bloom in June, but it is prolific. It will get some blackspot later in the season without spraying, but during its bloom time it is quite healthy. (I don't spray my old roses). I like how the inner petals are a deeper pink than the outer ones. Its quite pretty. sherry....Leda IS one cool chick. I love how her white flower emerges from a blood-red bud, showing just a trace of red on the petal edges. I don't know if she would be happy in FL or not since she actually seems to enjoy my cold weather. Anybody else know? aliska....My Madame Plantier has never repeated. She is strictly once-blooming here. I didn't know she could repeat. But then a lot of roses that supposedly repeat, don't always here (too short a growing season perhaps?). Of my roses listed above, the only repeaters are Paul Neyron, Mrs. John Laing and Louise Odier. I have heard it said that John Hopper 'can' repeat, but mine hasn't so far. To All.... Today it was (gasp!)...SUNNY! All day long, nothing but blue above and warm sun shining down. The old roses are mostly done for and the deer returned again last night to munch yet again, and I saw the first japanese beetle today...but it was SUNNY!!!! YAY! It doesn't take much to make me happy. Celeste

Big time water restriction here - Monday and Wednesday only from midnight to 4 a.m. (like I'm awake then, yahhh. Well, time for timers, I guess). Not being able to water from Wednesday until the following Monday ought to do in what's left of my garden unless we get some rain. Oh well, like we said more years than not in Red Sox Nation, "There's always next year!"

Bon, I hope it isn't the kind of ice that sticks to power lines and trees! I hope it is just hitting the ground and not things that will break. Betty, I'd never experienced thundersnow or thundersleet until we moved here. I think the first time we had thundersnow was February 2004. I was at the vet's office and we were standing and watching it snow and you could occasionally see lightning and hear thunder. It was so freaky that first time, but I am more used to it now. Lately, it seems we have thundersnow, thundersleet or both just about every year. I think it is cool mostly because it is fairly rare. Down here it is only very light rain this morning, but I can hear thunder occasionally. I'm grateful for every drop of anything wet that falls. I just wish we could store it up and save it for summer. We've had about 3.5" of precipitation in the last 30 days, so right now everything is muddy and every car that slides off the highway (or other roads) in the rain is instantly bogged down in the wet ground. That's already happening today, so the cops and towing services are going to be busy...and it is barely raining at all! Why can't people here drive in rain? Because it rains so seldom they've forgotten how? : ) I have angry cats looking at me and saying "What is this crap? It's raining again?" After being dry for so long, they've rediscovered how much they dislike having cold, wet paws. I wouldn't mind if it raining at light to moderate rates every day for weeks and weeks to replenish our soil moisture, if only it would stop in time for us to get our potatoes and onions planted on time.

Wahoooooo! I'm keeping my fingers crossed! From Weather.com: Severe Weather Alert Special Weather Statement from the National Weather Service: NEW CASTLE-KENT-INLAND SUSSEX-DELAWARE BEACHES-CECIL-QUEEN ANNE'S- TALBOT-CAROLINE-SUSSEX-WARREN-MORRIS-HUNTERDON-SOMERSET-MIDDLESEX- WESTERN MONMOUTH-EASTERN MONMOUTH-MERCER-SALEM-GLOUCESTER-CAMDEN- NORTHWESTERN BURLINGTON-OCEAN-CUMBERLAND-ATLANTIC-CAPE MAY- ATLANTIC COASTAL CAPE MAY-COASTAL ATLANTIC-COASTAL OCEAN- SOUTHEASTERN BURLINGTON-CARBON-MONROE-BERKS-LEHIGH-NORTHAMPTON- CHESTER-MONTGOMERY-BUCKS-DELAWARE-PHILADELPHIA- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...WILMINGTON...DOVER...GEORGETOWN... REHOBOTH BEACH...ELKTON...CHESTERTOWN...CENTREVILLE...EASTON... DENTON...NEWTON...WASHINGTON...MORRISTOWN...FLEMINGTON... SOMERVILLE...NEW BRUNSWICK...FREEHOLD...SANDY HOOK...TRENTON... PENNSVILLE...GLASSBORO...CAMDEN...CHERRY HILL...MOORESTOWN... MOUNT HOLLY...JACKSON...MILLVILLE...HAMMONTON... CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE...OCEAN CITY...ATLANTIC CITY... LONG BEACH ISLAND...WHARTON STATE FOREST...JIM THORPE... STROUDSBURG...READING...ALLENTOWN...BETHLEHEM...WEST CHESTER... NORRISTOWN...DOYLESTOWN...MEDIA 430 AM EDT THU OCT 6 2005 ...HEAVY SHOWERS MAY AFFECT THE AREA LATER FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY... A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE COAST FROM THE WEST DURING FRIDAY. AT THE SAME TIME, THE REMNANTS OF TAMMY WILL HEAD UP THE EAST COAST. THE INTERACTION OF THESE TWO WEATHER-MAKING SYSTEMS OVER THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS AND THE NORTHERN MID ATLANTIC REGION WILL LEAD TO AN INCREASING CHANCE OF SHOWERS DURING FRIDAY, AND POSSIBLY HEAVY RAIN AT TIMES FRIDAY NIGHT. COMPUTER MODELS IN WHICH MORE CONFIDENCE IS PLACED TAKE THE MERGED SYSTEMS GRADUALLY EAST OF OUR AREA DURING SATURDAY. HOWEVER, LOW PRESSURE WILL REMAIN IN THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE OVER THE EAST COAST INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK, MEANING THAT CONDITIONS MAY BE UNSETTLED SUNDAY INTO TUESDAY. IF WE DO EXPERIENCE HEAVY RAINFALL, THE FAVORED TIME IS LATE FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT, AND POSSIBLY INTO EARLY SATURDAY. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES ARE EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER, WITH THE TENDENCY FOR TROPICAL RAIN SYSTEMS TO PRODUCE GENEROUS RAINFALL AMOUNTS, WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE EVOLUTION OF THIS STORM TO TRY TO DETERMINE IF EVEN GREATER RAINFALL THAN WHAT IS CURRENTLY EXPECTED WILL OCCUR. HOWEVER, SINCE OUR AREA HAS BEEN QUITE DRY LATELY, LARGE-SCALE FLOODING IS NOT ANTICIPATED, AND THE LARGER RIVERS ARE LIKELY TO SEE ONLY MINOR RISES. IT IS MORE LIKELY THAT WE WILL SEE NUISANCE TYPE FLOODING OF ROADS, URBAN AREAS, POOR-DRAINAGE LOCATIONS, AND THE SMALLER AND QUICKER RESPONDING STREAMS.