MMM, Swiss Chard.... Are you looking for other veggies or would flowers do? Just got a BOATLOAD of flowers that I won't really have room for. Haven't gotten them listed yet (just opened them for Christmas...) I have veggies too... unfortunately, most of what I KNOW I have in excess, it seems you have too! lol Oh yeah, I have several eggplant seeds and some radish if you're interested.

dj, Posey & Greenriver are two good varieties that excel here in KY & southern IN/IL. You couldn't go wrong with either. Posey produces one of the largest nuts of the northern/midwestern varieties, has a thin shell, and good scab resistance. Many years, it doesn't seem to 'fill' its kernels well, but they're really good this year, even though we had significant drought conditions. Because of shell thinness, it sustains more weevil damage here than Major or Greenriver, but much less than Peruque. Greenriver originated in the same KY native pecan forest that produced Major and several other good varieties - nut is similar to Major - excellent quality; may take longer to come into bearing, and is later-maturing than Major - but that shouldn't be a problem in z 7. I'm seeing glowing reports on Mandan, a recent release from the USDA breeding program, and it's probably the next one on my list to obtain; might be worth considering. I have access to a grafted tree that I've not been able to identify yet - looks sort of like Busseron; large nut with nice light creamy kernels with yellow nutmeat; may be my #2 favorite, behind Major. Colby is generally considered as a 'far northern' variety - and may produce one of the largest nuts of that group. Seems like I've seen comments about its kernels having some astringency; don't know that I can specifically recall sampling any Colby nuts. James came out of the Brunswick, MO area, and I'd be inclined to suspect that it's a small northern/far-northern selection - and if I recall correctly, it was selected, as a limb sport, for its ornamental qualities - lots of large dark green foliage. Nut description sounds good, but I've not seen it. Descriptions and nut photos of many of the pecan varieties can be viewed at the USDA Pecan Breeding site I linked earlier in this thread.

Ha. My Ex actually linked up with SM at a daycare where my children were going. He left me for her, and actually it was humorous to see her thinking she knew more about raising children than I did. He, after divorcing me, married her, and she was their stepmom. And actually I did see after I got over my anger that she was a pretty good person. Eleven years later she left my ex by moving in with and finally marrying his ex best friend. My Ex was livid, of course. Ha Ha. I could have used that to the hilt. It was sad to me to watch SM try to have a relationship with our children, and my Ex and now also her Ex also tried to stop that relationship with everything in his being. I was now the one who held all the power. I could have blown her out of the water. And you know what, many people told me here is the biatch who stole your husband pay her back. It was actually one of my daughters' friends who said to me, SM is really trying hard here, give her some slack. That statement made me think. And the friend was right. It did make sense. There was no reason why I should stand in the way of a relationship simply because my Ex moved on, or was forced to move on. I have been married to my second husband for 15 years now, a marriage that I think will go on until we die. My EX is now into his third marriage, and now what I say to my girls is this. Your dad's new wife is in fact your stepmother, but it isn't the same this time for you. They are 20 now. And yes first SM, and her mom and her dad and her sisters and all their children have special times with "my" kids, and none of them wanted to say goodbye. I say you are all more than welcome because that is what my girls want. Is it hard? You bet you it is hard. It is likely the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. But when you have kids it isn't about you anymore is it.

The weather is hot and humid during the months of July and August. The winter is mlder than the northern tier of states. It does have a winter. Winter snows melt faster than states north of there. Most snows are gone in a week or less. The worst might be an ice storm in January. Spring begins early and lasts for 2 months, a avery enjoyable time of the year. The KY side of the Ohio river is a flood plane. Near Evansville, IN, it extends for several miles southward from the river. South of Henderson, there were tall slender poles along the edge of the road rightaway. These are markers for boats and water fording vehicles during flood times. The land-between-the-lakes is park and recreational land. When I was there 20 yrs ago, a speed limit of 45 mph was posted for the entire area, lower limits may be posted in places. Its a slow trip to travel from the north end to the south end. One should consult building code and historical restrictions before buying a home there. Also, this land is flat with little interest except for trees. Last month, I was in Graves Co., KY, doing genealogical research for my family roots. Graves Co has enough roll to the landscape to add a bit of interest. My pick for a retirement place is eastern TN or SW North Carolina. The NC location was picked based mostly on year around weather: far enough away from the coast to avoid the brunt of hurricanes, high enough altitude for night time cooling. The extreme western tip of NC is economically depressed and I would not consider going there. The western-most point for consideration in NC is Franklin. Important considerations for retirees are: Doctors, dentists, internet access at reasonable speed, A choive of TV stations, an easy listening radio station, and grocery stores and services within walking distance of your house; and availability of fuel for cooking and heating. A number of otherwise lovely locations do not have natural gas. The primary fuel is then butane/propane and oil, and that can get expensive in winter. Also, there is the fuss of maintaining a storage tank on the property. Shortage of fuel can happen in midwinter.