Suzie, Isn't it aggravating when you water and THEN it rains? It happened to us last week. I was sure all that heavy rain would miss us, so I watered. That night and the next morning, 2.5" of rain fell. From the way my garden looks now, though, you can't tell that I watered or that it rained. Y'all keep having incredibly high heat indexes and humidity up there, though our RHs and HIs aren't that high here even though our temps are. We hit 99 degrees yesterday, but I think the highest heat index I saw was 103 but for some reason it felt much worse than other days with a similar HI had felt. I think it felt just miserable from about 10 a.m. until 8 p.m., and suddenly if felt so much better after the sun went down. We took the dogs for a swim in the creek and two ponds that still have water just before sundown so the dogs could cool off. Actually, they were only supposed to swim in one pond, but the youngest one decided to swim in the small lily pond and came out of it with a water lily in her mouth. It was pretty hysterical and she looked scared, like 'Please, don't yell at me". I couldn't yell at her, 'cause I was too busy laughing. I don't know the last time we had the high humidity/high HI's for so many days without a break in this state. DS is a firefighter and when they aren't fighting fires, they're training constantly. They had a Haz-Mat training the other day and the guys wearing the hazardous materials containment suits, which are heavy and impenetrable, had to wear 'cool vests' underneath their Haz-Mat suits. That made me think that we all need cool vests for ourselves so we can work in our gardens! Now, that's an idea. A cool vest is a vest with pouches filled with coolant? How could that be a bad idea. I'm going to find a photo of one and link it. Why doesn't somebody make one of these for gardeners? (I do wear a cool banadana around my neck at some fires and sometimes when working outside, but it cools a relatively small part of one's body.) I found and linked a website that has cool vests for real people. (The ones for firefighters are a lot more expensive.) And, in case you're wondering who'd spend the money for one of these....well, I probably wouldn't, but I have an acquaintance with multiple sclerosis who used to live in our neighborhood and who wears one at times because her body doesn't cool properly, or she has a flare-up of the MS if she get too hot or something like that. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: Cool Vests

Barbara, Hey, you don't have to worry about me---I have neither a heat advisory or an excessive heat warning because our humidity is running much lower than y'all's. Our RH may start out in the 80s in the mornings (last week it was in the 90s) but it drops to the 30s or 40s by mid-afternoon, so our heat index numbers are only going 3 or 4 points higher than our temp at the most. So, I'm better off than many of you because it has been relatively dry here. Having said that, it is hot. I try to get outside around 6 a.m. and lately, back inside, no later than 9:30 or 10:00 a.m. (Before it got insanely hot, I'd stay out until noon.) In the evenings, I'm only out briefly to see if anything needs water. It is just too hot to weed, mow or mulch, I'll catch up on those when the heat breaks. The fruit is coming in hot and heavy so I'm just staying in the kitchen most of the time. I also think I'll be making salsa by the end of the week. As always, when it rains it pours, but this year it is raining plums, peaches, peppers, tomatoes and squash. Last year it mostly rained tomatoes and peppers. You know how a kitchen feels when you're canning all day....just so unbearably hot and steamy. I am SO grateful we have air conditioning. When I think of what women used to go through, doing their endless rounds of canning, bread-baking, cheese-making, etc. in a hot kitchen with no AC, I feel spoiled by comparison. Often, I sort of resent the time I spend canning because it keeps me out of the garden. (Kind of a paradox, isn't it, because you can't do that kind of canning without a garden but then it 'redirects' you from gardening activity to kitchen activity!) Now, though, I am happy I have another week's worth of canning to keep me inside and out of the garden. I couldn't be outside exhausting myself in the garden even if I wanted to right now, because the produce won't allow it. With this heat wave, that's a good thing. I hope everyone remembers to drink lots of fluids, stay in the shade and come inside to cool off inside the air conditioned house. I am concerned this kind of weather will hold for weeks, or months. It kind of reminds me of 2005, which was a horribly hot, dry year. Dawn

Good Morning Everyone! This is the first day that I have had to sit at my computer. Nobody is home and it is a little on the cold side and overcast, so I am not feeling too guilty about being indoors, although it is a great day for gardening! I have been so busy these last few weeks. DS & DIL were here last weekend for an extra long weekend. It was great and once again, I hated to say goodbye. We will be taking a trip to VA sometime this summer. :-) Yesterday was younger DS Confirmation. We had a little party here afterwards and my Mom stayed over so it was a little busy. I am so happy that CCD is over for him. For those of you that are Catholic, I know that you can relate to this. Patti, I hope that you are on the mend. I think that now that you have the "Official American Idol" clapper, you definitely are the "Official American Idol Queen"! Speaking of Queens, my mom and I watched the movie Queen last night. Did anyone else see it? We both slept through part of it. I think it was well done, but she is such a bore she put me right to sleep! I am going to try and rewatch some of it tonight. Amy, good to see you post. I rented "The Secret" from the library and never got to watch it so I put my name back on the reserve list. What do you think of it? Marci, I hope that you are feeling better. When does school get out? We don't get out until the 21st. It seems like forever! Suzanne, loved the picture. My great niece (my sisters granddaughter) horse just qualified for a show in KY. I think she is going. She is only 10! I have been thinking of you lately because we have these 2 beautiful swans that come back in live in our pond every year. Every year that have a litter, batch, clutch, whatever you call it, of babies. Every year a few get killed, mamed or whatever awful fate takes them, but this year has been the saddest. They started out with 7 babies and now are down to 1. I am so sad for them. I don't know what got them. DH thinks either a snapping turtle, coyote or fox. It breaks my heart. How are you healing? What a terrible ordeal for you. I'm very happy that it was not more serious. Hi Lynn! I have the Pfaltzgraff Folk Art pattern that I am going to start selling on eBay. I still love them, but don't use them since I started collecting Fiestaware. I am sure you are enjoying the rain in FL. Raeanne, thinking of you today being at work. I hope that the weather is bad, LOL. Speaking of bad weather, there were some terrible storms that went through here last night. We were not affected, but my sister had a tornado (A TORNADO, not too common in Massachusetts) touch down 6 houses away from her. I don't think any real serious damage other that trees and decks, but serious enough. Alot of people have horses in her neighborhood, so I have not heard anything about that yet. She is so fortunate that it didn't hit her property as she has several of her own horses, and boards many others. Dee, we are going to plant some veggies this afternoon. DH is out fishing right now, and probably freezing! I think I will make an announcement to all the critters around that we have a grill right on the back deck, and know how to use it!!! I laughed when I read what you posted, but I am not above trying it! John, congratulations on the job. Please tell us more! Donna, I'm thinking of you and hope that you are feeling ok. Enjoy the rest of the day! Love, Besh PS - I bumped into my old WW leader the other day at the grocery store. Her first comment to me was "Where have you been?". I am going to her meeting on Tuesday. Never fails, whenever I stop going to WW, I bump into my leader and she lures me right back. It is nice that she offers that service. LOL

Donna - DeeMarie forgot to tell you that she is our resident motivator, butt kicker and cheerleader! I am one of the priviliged that got to not only meet her once, but twice and she has a beautiful smile and sparkle in her eyes that warms your heart immediately. Just some more insight to some of the people here, we have busy busy Jen who made us all aunts and uncle with 2 precious girls since we have known her, Tikanis although relatively new in comparison, fit in all too quickly - she is adventurous and has a warped sense of humor (that's why I like her), I don't think you met Patti yet, no matter what she is facing she remembers each and everyone of us (WHERE are you Patti & Dave?), there is also Gretchen from the windy city and she blows in just long enough to catch up and then disappears (very busy at work, etc.) but we miss her. Which reminds me Lynn hasn't been around in quite a while, I hope all is okay with her. I haven't kept track of who was mentioned, but I am sure there are others I haven't mentioned - but everyone here has something unique to offer and that's why this place is so special. I am getting sappy in my old age. Jen - I was the one to leave all my friends behind and I never thought they could be replaced - well they can't - but fortunately you find new friends and still have your old ones. I stay in touch with my closest old friends, but not on a regular basis (as they are ALL computer illiterate LOL), but when we do talk or get together, it is like we haven't missed a day. It does get better. Tikanis - Someone asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I couldn't think of anything - I said I felt I had all I needed and didn't want anything. I felt just like you said, thankful and grateful for what I do have. I love the gingerbread house making party with DD - those are the things I like to do. You found yourself a great place to work. Menu: B - Smoothy S - 3 bagel chips (I had an uneasy stomach from the night before) L - 2 eggs Christmas Realtors Party: S - Appetizers before dinner, shrimp & scallops wrapped in bacon, vegie skewer, deviled egg D - 2 Beef fajitas with no tortilla NO alcoholic beverages, plenty of water The night before, I thought I had 3 glasses of wine, which was bad enough, but my DH said that the waiter and a friend filled my glass at dinner more than once - so who knows how many I had and we ate very late, so we had drinks on an empty stomach. I paid dearly for it yesterday, bad headache, uneasy stomach and exhausted. I wasn't a whole lot of fun last night - but boy you should've seen me the night before. The next day a casual acquaintance, kept telling DH that he had no idea how funny I was - I don't have a clue what he's talking about - but I sort of remember it had something to do with an air guitar. Too Much Information!