@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

Well, I bit the bullet and bought a new feeder that only allows smaller birds through to the cup that holds the worms. Currently, I have it propped open to allow easy access, which was recommended by the salesperson, until the birds find the worms inside. I moved the old feeder closer to the window I'm able to see from, and Jung the new one close as well. Hopefully, the birds will recognize the old feeder and find the new one quickly. The tufted titmouse was the first to find the old feeder in the new location, and the robins were close behind. Martha

I feel as though I was rather selfish in my last post. I was so happy to see Mom blue again that it seemed I didnt care about the missing bab'ys? This is not true at all I am still so bummed that the baby's are missing. I have however been witnessing something kind of strange. Now that Mom and Dad blue are eating worms again they are doing things that almost suggest the baby's are somewhere? they come to the tray and pig out on worms then Mom goes to a near by tree and Dad gets a big beek full of worms and flys off to Mom or a farther tree, they than stop coming to the feeder after that. But last night when Mom blue took her worms to the near by tree she then flew down to the ground and stayed their for awhile, I swear I heard the squaking of baby blues? its kind of noisy with traffic where our feeder is but when the cars stop going by for a little bit I really thought I heard those baby's? Dad has not chosen another of our nest boxes so does anyone think that this is possible?, that maybe some or all of those fledglings made it? IM reading up on the sialis website to do as much as possible to protect my blues now and in the future. Everyone here has been so helpful, this whole thing is a learning process for me and I will do anything to help bring more blue birds safely into the world, I see now why they are an endandered species. So many other creatures want to mess with them. Thank you all for your help. Gina

Hi Tracey, It does take them a little while to come. Mom and dad keep them well hid for quite a while. Usually in my experience anywhere between 10 days to two weeks or so is normal. So you havent even seen a peak of them? Sorry to hear that. My male and female blue do not like the young ones to come and try to carry mealies up into the trees so the babies will follow them but it doesn't work. Once the babies see the worms in the pan they want their own food. They are really fun to watch and sometimes they just crash down into the pan instead of sitting on the side like the adults do. Hope yours show up soon its really fun to watch. Usually morning and evening is the best time to watch for them. Good luck. Bonnie