arrgh. MAde a special trip with the digital camera to get a few shots of the plants, and to my amazement and disgust, the township had mowed the roadside clear up to the banks. Usually out here in the sticks the weeds would be so high you couldn't see oncoming cars at a lonely intersection and now in the middle of a drought they mowed. I found only one scrawny, pathetic survivor and got a few shots, but my camera skills are not worth discussing and the camera no better. I am wondering now if it might be whorled milkweed after all. Wish I had been there ahead of the bush hog. BTW...esh ga, it's definitely not a spurge, although that is a good suggestion. The biggest specimen already had pods on it, and had I not procrastinated I could have shown them to everybody.

Bryce - I delived the M basjoos. Then I found out there is a llama farm outside town. Cool. Herd between 35 - 60 head. Lots o dung to choose from. The musas were transplanted to two large pots. The soil mix is as follows: 1/3 llama dung, 1/3 mushroom fertilizer, and 1/3 miracle grow potting mix. That was last Tuesday. By Friday, the plants had shown a good deal of growth. About an inch per day. They should do well. I am to get status pictures as they continue to grow. Cheers then. Have a great weekend.

I am putting some sweat in a garden this weekend. Working on several new flower beds upfront, dividing daylilies, hosta, other perennials. Installing stepping stones on a hill and planting boxwoods for formal edging. Oh, and enjoying the growing garden, too :).

Guys, southern Il is a paradise. There are several things around the Rend Lake area for tourists. Around Dix, there is a huge orchard that has the best fruit I've ever eaten. There is also Crab Orchard between Marion and Carbondale. It's a federal reserve and was once the goose capital of the world until climate change altered their migration. The Shawnee Forest covers most of the area, and there are some beautiful parks to drive thru'. Kinkaid Lake is right there too. It is, in my opinion, the most beautiful lake in the state. It's reminiscent of Canada with its rock formations and waterfalls. There are also Little Grassy, Devils Kitchen, and Cedar Lake all right there. There's an artist community in the tiny town of Makanda. They hold a buzzard festival there every October. Wineries are everywhere for you to tour. There's another big orchard around Palo Alto (sp). One of our market friends drives down there weekly for their stuff. You might also check out Local Harvest for any veggie producers in the area. OK, I've done my part for so il tourism. Have fun. Oh, the history of so il is unbelievable--what with the Shelton gang and Charlie Birger and the Herrin Massacre. In the twenties, even Capone wouldn't mess with the so il boys. Cool stuff!! See me for some great books on those topics. Brook