not actually worried for the roses as I always treat em this way - there is an Aloha on the plot next to mine which has never been fed, watered or even looked at (apart from by me) for 8 years. It is surrounded by dandelions and dock. Not only is it still alive, it actually flourishes. Unless I can actually water for at least 8 hours (there is no ground water and the water table is at an all time low), a little water will make things much, much worse (I know, I have made that mistake many times)- the poor roots desperately reach towards the water source, leaving themselves even more vulnerable and exposed. If we get to the next stage of almost enforced dormnancy (leaves dropping) I may have to act but until then, potatoes are my major priority! Also, my bare roots were in the ground by November, given mycchorhizae, compost, love and lots of water - that HAS to see them through....but they sure look peculiar, almost like densely topiaried shrubs. My garden at home is tiny and walled but far from being sheltered, the wind actually cyclones around the garden - everything is practically horizontal at the moment and the tomatoes are getting a rough entry into the wider world. My hair has been in ribbons and plaits for days now, unbrushed, unwashed and ignored - still, we old gardening crones can get away with anything, especially once vanity has been beaten out of us.

@Larry WOW I saw those other pictures and the difference is just amazing!! Wasn't the last picture only a week ago? They're definitely outpacing mine. Very fortunately, I haven't had any problems "potting up". Boy, I'm grateful for that since my timing is off and slow to get the ground decent, start the silly things in pots that are too small OR the soil mix I made wasn't proper. I think some of my tomato plants have been potted up three times since seeding. I didn't kill any but I bet it stunted them. All the tomato plants that got damaged are doing OK. Dawn and Jay were right. New growth came in and only those older leaves have the damage. I cannot believe every one of them are still alive! Thirty tomato plants! (that must still survive the onslaught of bugs) A few days ago I had to sit -right in the garden while working the soil. I just couldn't move well any other way. I commit to bathing as soon as I got indoors. I was trying to hoe. Apparently, Bill was watching. He walked over to the shed, grabbed this old concrete tool, lopped off part of the handle and threw it down by me. The length was accurate and the leverage I gained was perfect. It's amazing how a little change can make a huge difference. Today I couldn't sit at all so I worked on compost piles standing up. I'll let Bill see this picture. I know he can make me one of those. He brought me over a step stool just like the one you're using and my seven year old is always carrying it around the garden for me to sit on. He's the water boy and an OK weeder, too. So far I've had three different sources suggest cereal rye for ground cover so it must be really good! Today Bill installed the compost bins for a new plan we came up with. I dug up the dirt from beneath the old compost pile and planted a tomato in it a week ago. By far it is my most prosperous plant! I decided to put the compost bins right on top of the garden bed to let it work itself over time just like that one did. I made them small - no bigger than 1 yard sq so I don't have too much trouble turning the entire thing. When I turn the pile from the first bin to the next I'll leave about 4-6" of the compost where it lie. I found out exactly the ratios I need for effective composting and over time, the entire area will have a compost pile atop it. This will limit my garden space for veggies this year but the sacrifice will mean less work getting that soil ready next year and the cover crop, too. If I have enough browns I think I can create about 1sq yard of compost every two weeks or less. @Dawn "sow them very thickly in the cells in flat inserts, water lightly, keep the fan blowing on them and otherwise ignore them" I hadn't thought of using a fan since my tomato seedlings were small. That might help a lot. I must reuse a lot of my soil so I'm sure to cook it in the oven before I reuse it on seedlings (boy, does it stink). I must be watering too much and it very well could be the environment. Come to think of it, I have more trouble with dampening off when they're in the kitchen window versus the dry idle store room in a south window. Maybe I'll "sow them very thickly in the cells in flat inserts, water lightly, keep the fan blowing on them and otherwise ignore them". I've "ignored" other seedlings in that back room because it's easy to forget about them and .. guess what? I went and found them thriving. Sounds like a plan to me! I'm going to try sage and oregano again with some used miracle grow potting soil and sterilize it first. I LOVE to cook and want herbs SO badly. No. I NEED an herb garden. I imagine how many wonderful trace minerals and vitamins are contained in freshly picked herbs. I'm not real certain what it was about the compost dirt. The compost is very old and well aged and no chemicals at all. The tomato plants recovered but they took longer than the others after transplant shock. It very well could be I damaged those and it's not the compost soil at all. I have since marked them to watch the differences in their growth. I bet they do better, but their transplant shock was far greater. Plants.. weird. Since they eventually recovered I went ahead and amended the soil with compost on the ones I planted today to help avoid compaction. Today I transplanted a few of the tomato plants from old coffee cans containing makeshift soil. They are only about six inches tall. I noticed the roots went all the way down to the bottom of the can. That little bit lifted my spirits a lot for I know it means they were very healthy and strong. I managed to fertilize these old Irises in our yard earlier this spring hoping they'll bloom - even a few - until I can get them divided this fall. These were present from long before we arrived to this house and there are so many from looking at the foliage ... at least a hundred that I can count? I've never seen any bloom. Little miss and I walked over to the Irises along side the fence where, surprisingly, three beautiful white blossoms were showing their glory. She joyfully screeched to high heavens as she ran and bounced over to greet them. Something happened to my heart right then. ♥ Yeah. I gotta get those bulbs divided and cleaned up this fall. bon

Dearest Barry, you are free. After 363 days in captivity your interrupted life continues as it should. Wild and free. While here you blessed us with your strength to survive and overcome the many obstacles that were the result of your car accident and a tail loss. You blessed us with your beauty and your beautiful songs. You blessed us with nightcrawlers crawling outside your enclosure too. May God bless you now so you may continue your life healthy and joyous as you find a Mrs. and bless future generations with Barrylettes. Surely when you are asleep you will at times dream of Olive, the parrot. She was quite enchanted with you. And should you ever have a disagreement with your future Mrs., you can close your eyes and smile as you hear the voice of your big green girlfriend telling you: "HiiiiiIIIIIIIiiiiii Sweetheart! OoooooooOOOOOOOOooooooooo! Pretty Boy! *kisses*" ... Stay safe Barry. Please look both ways before crossing the street. Watch out for hawks and those who would do you harm. Enjoy the sunshine and your home without boundaries. God speed and thank you Barry. And so the doors to the aviary were opened this day and after several minutes Barry realized he was free to leave. He walked to the open door and looked around. He paced back and forth just inside the doorway. He started the familiar Robin chirping and 8 Robins appeared from no where running across the lawn toward the sound of Barry's voice. Barry ran down the two steps, across the patio and took flight 363 days after the accident into the air and landed in the Russian Olive Tree and began to sing. He then quickly flew back down and 4 Robins ran to greet him and they all began to chatter. Seems like he may already be familiar with them, since he had full view of the front and back garden and they could converse through the windows. Barry ran across the lawn, picking at the ground and no doubt savoring the cold dew on his feet. He may already have a girlfriend because one was following him in the grass! He is not banded or tagged in any way. We will never know which Robin is Barry. That is a secret only known to a wild bird we once met. His name was Barry.

Here is a status update on our single mother of five: The male never returned. The nestlings were due to fledge between 6/21 and 6/23; however, on Saturday (6/19) we witnessed two babies successfully fledge in the afternoon. We could see at least one remaining in the box. Sunday morning, I watched the mother bird entice what was the one remaining baby out of the box by teasing him with a grub and calling to him. He flew out of the box and onto the ground. He was very small, compared to the other two we had seen. The mother could not get him to fly, and he was attacked on the ground by the neighboring TRES parents! All the while, the mother BB was trying to protect him. (The TRES had also attacked one of the other fledglings on the ground the day before, but he managed to get right up and fly to the trees!) My husband picked up the little fledgling and put him in the grass away from the TRES and closer to the hedgerow of trees, where the other fledglings were. Finally, the mother got him to fly to a low branch! By last night and today, the mother has been making all mealworms deliveries to the tops of the trees, so I guess the little guy has been reunited with his siblings. This mother BB is simply fantastic. What she did on her own with the fledgings was a wonder to behold! So, that is where we are now. I'm still feeding mealworms and wax worms, but Mother still has much hard work left to do all on her own.