Very nice whytephoenix! I'm lucky enough to have a room I can keep my beasties out of to start the seeds, they do have an intense interest in the seedlings! It will be some time before I can really do anything outside... despite it being 70 the last two days, I woke to snow and ice this morning... blech. So I'm contenting myself with the baby plants and planning, lots of planning... I picked up a new shelving unit at Ikea that I need to treat with Thompson's to go on one end of the balcony, and I'm currently planning this year's pond setup and the fishing line and christmas light trellis for the viney things. Mostly buying the supplies and writing up plans... I've scheduled vacation the first week of May to get everything done and open the balcony for the season. Also planning a screened kitty condo on the main balcony that I have to design and start shopping for (I'm not confident in my kitties' ability to stay on the balcony, and I'm too high up for my comfort!) I'm planning on putting a pet door in the slider that opens into a screened play area for them, complete with a little lawn and some thick branches to climb on. Some people think I spoil the "children".... I just noticed this week that I've got some cattail sprouts peaking up, and my lilac seems to have survived and has some buds... I hope it really takes off this year, cause it's still just 3 twigs in the dirt... LOL I can hardly wait till it's time to get all the plants potted up and outside!

Mine are growing well this year, but I've got some leaf spots on a couple. Not sure what it is yet - I removed the leaves last night and I'll see if it spreads beyond what I cut off. I don't like to spray my tomatoes with anything but I've got some Daconil if I decide they need it. Sungold is huge and set a few tomatoes and I might have one or two on the others but not a lot set yet. I'm hoping the heatwave today will give them a burst of growth and then the cooler temps next week should help them set.

Planted out mid April. Started picking tomatoes right before July 4th weekend. The first ones ripe were the Opalkas, Super Sweet 100s, and Rutgers. I have a counter full of tomatoes at the moment and have picked at least a half dozen or so of each variety to date. Highest yeilds so far go to Eva Purple Ball, NAR, and tied for 3rd place is Rutgers and Opalka. Haven't picked any of the big pinks yet - Sudduths Brandywine, Marianna's Peace, etc., but I have gotten a few very large (1.5 pound) Reif Red Hearts. Overall, things are progressing well, could be better, but not too shabby considering how awful the weather has been (and is going to be in the next few days).

IngredientsVegetable oil, for frying 2 lb clam strips 1 cup buttermilk 1 cup cornstarch ½ cup cornmeal ⅓ cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp curry powder ½ tsp celery salt ½ tsp cayenne ½ tsp salt Instructions Start by heating the canola oil in a pot over moderate heat until it reaches 380 degrees F. While the oil is being heated, rinse and drain the clam strips in a colander. Stir the clam strips together with buttermilk in a large bowl. Drain the clam strips well in a colander. Let them set over a bowl for at least 5 minutes. In another bowl stir together the cornstarch, cornmeal, flour, curry powder, celery salt, cayenne, and salt. Dredge a handful of drained clams in the flour mixture then shake in a large sieve to remove excess flour. Transfer the clams one by one in a baking sheet and then shake them again to remove any excess flour mixture. Fry the coated clams until they're crisp and golden for about 1 ½ minutes. Then, transfer them onto some paper towels with a slotted spoon for draining. Afterward, sprinkle them with salt to taste. Serve with some potato fries and your desired dipping sauce, and enjoy! should be close