I can't think what I miss---unless it's birds in the garden. I miss spring and summer. I miss warmth. I miss having fresh food. I know what gives me a kick, though, about spring. Like Paul---baby leaves---shiny, soft, unblemished, satiny---especially the columbine. (Around September, I hate the columbine foliage.) I love being outdoors at night in the spring when it's warm, and loud with cricket/frog noises. I miss that.

Alcatraz, no I haven't. There's another corner I might have to turn on to. I just don't know where to go next with this concept. I spend years getting involved and just always pull out. I don't think I'm really the person who throws the life preserver. Cause I feel like I'm hanging on to one myself so I'd be just sharing. That's if their was a chose in between being in a jail or getting out. I hate what Philly Pa has done along a major road. My car stawled out on the Ben Franklin Bridge, was able to coast safely on the down side and stop restart...got frazzled and was on my way not think in a wrong direction....A 20 minute detour because on f'ing tress covering direction signs. That not healing and I hope to heck it wasn't PHS who put them their....Real big mistake. I was pissed. If not I think their better be some more people making these choices because I out of now where had an isuuse that could have gotten me at the least in a bad way....sign should be more visiable. I was ment to see what can happen during stressful times and big trees in the wrong spot is not one of them.

Boric acid powder wouldn't be a bad idea -- but more than that, sealing up any holes is probably your best line of defense. My Hubby is a professional contractor and remodeler, and I'm a 'casual' housekeeper. His deal is to seal up everything so bugs can't get in and set up shop, and it must work, because otherwise, with our climate and my lax cleaning standards, we'd have bugs. And we don't -- (In my own defense, I'm not a super-slob -- Just a truly casual housekeeper who would rather spend her time here than cleaning.)

Thanks Prairiemoon. The red lily beetles have not made an appearance here either, or at least there is no visible damage to my tiger lilies. I agree it is a great blessing to be ridded of them. The release of the predatory wasps was apparently a grand success. As to the Japanese beetles, the application of grub-eating nematodes this spring did not prevent them altogether but seemed to delay their emergence long enough to allow roses to bloom, so it is probably worth it to re-apply them next year. I've decided to continue to dispose of the dead beetles in the trash, even though it's more trouble than just emptying the bucket into the weeds. Considering all the varieties of parasites whose eggs can survive encysted, inside even dead worms, and in the soil for years during subzero winters, it's not a stretch to imagine that nature may have armed these disgusting beetles with similar survival strategies. I agree that there are so many factors involved in mildew, and the lack of it, from year to year that it would impossible to figure it all out. I was just thinking along similar lines about the futility of guessing how a new species of plant or tree will grow in our gardens or on our land. One can pick a plant or tree suited to the growing zone and put it in a place where it will get the requisite amount of water and sun, in soil of the type this species is known to prefer, but it's never a sure thing that the plant will be happy where it is put. There might be neighboring plants or trees in the vicinity that are sending out chemical "keep away" signals, a lack of the correct fungal strain under the earth needed to support it, or any number of other factors that we can't even guess at.