Looking good Carl, but where's dinner and the chair? I still miss the pics of the old veggie garden too. I'm trying collards for the first time this year.

LOL, simplee. He's Gordo, indeed. I have had a couple I called Fatty. Can't get over seeing them all winter. Not here, unfortunately.

I just posted a bunch of lily pics on the Roses Forum on a thread about other plants grown with the roses. I have a lily obsession along with the Rose obsession... ive had polka for about 3 years now. It is own root and I live in zone 5 with a very short growing season. This year it is finally starting to grow and bloom well. In my zone, it probably would have done better grafted since I have such a short season. So far it has been very healthy for me in my humid summers. I would not call it a blackspot magnet.

Well finding your turtle is great news! I feel ya with the wet winter. I lost a lot this year, but you know what that means? I have a valid excuse to buy more:)! Spring should be starting to show her face for you so that's a good thing. Succulents can look so ugly over the winter, but as soon as they start getting that sun and heat they make a turnaround. There overwinter look starts to become a distant memory. I wish you a happy beautiful spring. 70 mph winds sounds horrible:(. ps- In June I'm going to visit my cousin in Nevada. She lives in Nevada in a town called Winnemucca. Nevada is a beautiful state. I remember once visiting her when I was 17 she was 18. We were out takin a drive, and I just remember being in awe of how beautiful the desert was. During our drive it was dusk. On the left side of me it was clear and the sun was going down, but on the other side there was a beautiful lightning storm. It was like a postcard. Never seen anything like it:).