Thanks for the sympathy! Carol - yes, I do love this June - it seems to have a soft, impressionist look to me... hope it's the same next year. hey_j - i have to say it was a shock - it had showed up so well beside my shed and then there were just these spikes - kinda had to look again...and again! regattagirl - no dog.... there's my mistake... Yes, I dug up 2 Striptease and put them in the trash - that was harder I think because I am optimistic - as all gardeners need to be - for next year for June. I didn't post pics of the S&S, Frances Wms and GE that had been attacked once before & now have about the same appearance.... Von, my Lord, how big must the herd have been - arrrgh. Well, those still sitting on the driveway were spared, at least - Stained Glass, Liberty, Guacamole, Fragrant Blue --- and I'm sure the end of season sales will cause others to follow me home... I have been spraying Deer Solution almost weekly when it says it lasts for weeks. I liked the cinnamon smell so much bettter than Bobbex or other foul ones. Guess the deer did too!

Dale, The lack of sunlight has been a real problem this month....that and a few too many cool nights. My plants enjoyed the sun yesterday and I see more open blossoms on the tomato plants and beans today too. I'm afraid the mid-90s with full sun will be almost more than they can handle today since they aren't used to it any more. Carol, I think we get two more hot days before a cold front cools us off, or maybe three.....one small advantage of being farther south. On Saturday, the NWS weather radio forecast made a brief mention of the possibility of severe thunderstorms on thi coming Thursday. That seems sort of odd. I don't think we usually get much 'severe' weather in October.....but then, Lone Grove had their terrible tornado on February 10th so severe weather can happen any time. You don't "have to" clean house more often in winter, but it is harder to come up with excuses to get out of housework, isn't it? My house gets more attention in winter than summer too. My gardening pal, Fred, stopped by the garden the other day and seemed surprised I was still gardening "this late" in the year. He told me his garden was tired and had stopped producing but said that was OK with him because he was tired of the garden. I had to laugh. I guarantee you that by December, if not sooner, he'll be counting the days until he can plant onions and potatoes. Glenda, Flannel! Oh, it is too soon for that. I am not a cold-weather woman. I kinda like it when the cold first arrives just because it is such a nice change from the endless summer heat. After about 2 weeks, though, I'm ready for warm weather. My two favorite months here in southern OK are April and October because the days are pretty warm and the nights are pleasantly cool, but neither is too extreme. You've had such an amazing pumpkin year! It's too bad that canning of pumpkin is not recommended. Dawn

Great Tina, I will duly note those plants to be sent to you when it quits raining here and thaws there for good in Spring. That is very cool about the 'Jack' memorial planting. Glad to contribute to his honor. Earthly, The puppy is being a puppy! How could you not love him? I recommend lots of chew toys, Kongs are good stuffed with a treat or peanut butter. Maybe bitter apple spray on stuff he's not supposed to chew. LOL- don't know how it affects plants! I'm doing fine. I am taking a hiatus from the swap scene for a bit to concentrate on work. ICK! Am I nuts, or what? DD loves school in southern Cal and just returned there after a month winter break at home. She's wonderful and we miss her, but it's very exciting to see her spread her wings and discover things of interest in and out of school. She thought this program (link) reaching out to pre-adolescent girls would be a good volunteer opportunity and was just accepted into training. She loves going to schools to teach and interact with the kids. Good for her. We are about to get blown of the map with an incoming storm so I'm trying to do all things requiring electricity NOW! And if we miss that Superbowl because of a power outage, which are common out here in the heavily treed boonies, I will be one crazed woman! If everyone would just root for the Seahawks for me, I'd be much obliged. They are accustomed to huge, loud fan support and this game is clearly stacked in favor of the opposition in terms of fans. Time to plug in the rechargeable radio before it's too late.... Even if you hate football, just OHMMMMMM think positively for the home team here: we've never had a team even go to the Superbowl before now. Thank you! You all stay warm and dry, and I'll be working on Shelby Ray mom/Tammy's birthday box in the days to come, assuming I am not out giving my chainsaw a good workout to clear the house of fallen trees :( Here is a link that might be useful: Girls, Inc.

Hi Faron, Today's story was on the front page of the paper as well as the front page of the sports section. All-American wide receiver Ryan Spadola has been suspended for forwarding a tweet from a high school friend that included a racial slur. Regarding the suspension for the tweet, Coach Andy Coen said in a statement: "When he re-used the words, he made them his." He was 98 yards away from setting the FCS single season record for receiving yards. He is thought to have the ability to make the NFL. He is also a regional academic honoree & a member of the Patriot League's All American team. The reporter writes that Spadola wouldn't survive on LU's racially-diverse squad if he was really a racist and that he got caught up in the pregame smack talk. Spadola's apology statement: "At the time I received and forwarded the tweet, I didn't stop to think about how this could be offensive." The articles point out it's a struggle to find the right balance between not restricting a player's freedom of speech while also enforcing a proper code of conduct. What a mess and what a painful learning experience for the whole team. He will not be flying out today with the rest of the team. Rest up today, after your leg surgery, so you're in good form for climbing the bleachers at tomorrow's game. Jean