First off, let me say I just love pictures. I love seeing what everyone else is doing. Randy, I'm quite impressed with your greenhouse. Sammy, I live in a small town, not a lot different from Sheriff Taylor's Mayberry. I garden in my back yard. Currently I have three raised beds 4'x 24', a pipe and stock panel grape arbor about that same size, a pipe and stock panel trellis that goes all along the front of my shed, maybe 2' x 36' and a triangle of a herb garden in the 12' space between the shed and the back porch. I have two small raised beds in that space because there was a tree there and it is still decomposing but is not far enough gone that other plants can get their roots down very far. I found last year I could plant in SOME places, so it's getting there. When they cut the tree, we had them grind the stump down, but it was a huge tree that shaded out everything in that area and dripped sap almost all the time, and it had an extensive root system. Several times we had a limb fall that came dangerously close to hitting the house, so we were glad to get the tree removed. I start plants in several ways. Even though I said I wouldn't do it this way again, I did sow some seed that had to be winter planted in soil in milk jugs. I notice there's already something up in one of them. Some things, like poppy seed and red clover, I had enough seed that I could just scatter some on top of the soil in one of the raised beds in the herb garden, and cover with chopped leaves. I noticed a discussion here about how you really don't need to chop leaves, and that's somewhat true, but I find that they blow around, and they have a way of refusing to be buried sometimes. So for me, it's just easier to chop them. It improves their ability to break down, as well. As you can see, some of them don't chop up very well. Those big pieces will probably be in my fenceline by the time the wind gets done with them. I have 2 apple trees, a Santa Rosa plum tree and two Red Haven peach trees (well, one has reverted to the rootstock, but I have kept it around because when the other tree bears, It makes a lot. I will replace it eventually. But anyway, most of the leaves that I get in my yard come from other people's trees, or those out in the park, courtesy of the wind. Last fall and this spring, every time I have seen bags of leaves on the curb on my block, I have taken them before the garbage truck comes. My next door neighbors rake their leaves and just put the bags of them up against my house. Living on the back of the city park has lots of advantages, but if you want a leaf-free yard, that's not one of them. I have cabbage, bunching onion, tomatoes, potatoes and some jicama planted inside under light, either in trays or newspaper cups, depending on how sensitive their root systems are to being transplanted. The only critters that I have trouble with are the family pets, a few garter snakes, an occasional vole, and toads. It has been a struggle to keep Pearl, the cat, out of the raised beds. She just loves freshly dug, soft dirt. So I try to keep a stock panel flat on the ground wherever I have planted anything or she will go right to it and dig into it with those big furry paws of hers. And then there's Sonny, the dog, who likes to pee on everything. Fortunately, he's kind of leery of 'structures' so stock panels standing on their sides will keep him at bay. He doesn't pee or leave other gifts in the paths between the raised beds. I don't know why, I'm just grateful. He likes to make his rounds out there, guard dog fashion. Once there was a garter snake that lived in one of the raised beds amongst some mature tomato plants. The white fur around Sonny's neck was green all summer from sticking his head in between the plants trying to get to that snake. The vole has done some major damage in my yard in years past, even getting into the raised beds. It didn't eat my plants, it just burrowed too close to the roots and either uprooted things or caused the roots to dry out. This year I'm going to be putting down some milky spore disease to kill the grubs that are attracting the vole. We get an occasional skunk but usually they're just passing through. There are so many dogs in my neighborhood, one of them always spooks it and we wake up to that smell in the air some mornings. I don't leave my dog outside at night like most of my neighbors do. Toads abound out in the park, and my neighbor on the south has a koi pond so a lot of them hang out there. But I get my share. If I have plants set out on the front porch, it's not uncommon to look down and see a fat little warty guy sitting in one of the pots. They kind of dig down when they settle in so even though they're not trying to kill the plant that's in the pot, usually they do. Last spring when I was carrying things in and out, I accidentally carried in a toad. I don't know who was more startled, him or me! Wish I had taken a picture of that. I have a lot of trouble with the birds poking holes in my tomatoes and my fruit, so Dawn I'm going to take your advice and put out plenty of water this summer.

Just heard that Oklahoma City got hit bad by this storm with the airport, schools and businesses already closed. Are you doing OK, Oakley? It started snowing here around 3:15PM yesterday and, although we don't have a huge amount of snow, we do have several inches with more to come today. The roads are icy everywhere and DD's school is on a 2 hour delay, but will probably be closed. I'm sitting here waiting to hear that my DH has gotten to work safely. (Sigh) There's always sick people and so he always tries to get in. I worry so much until he gets there and then I worry on his drive back home again. Anyhoo, hoping all of you in the storm's path stay safe and warm. Lynn

ladynimue -- I, too, am an older parent! (I had my eldest at 34 so I'm now 38.) I don't know where you are (and I'm not prying -- please don't read it that way) but 'round here, "older" is normal. The other mothers with whom I spend the most time all started in their mid-late thirties / early forties. One of my friends is going through perimenopause and she lets us have a good laugh about having within the past few years finished nursing and now hot flashes! Another just turned 45 and is pregnant. I do not think you'll be odd woman out here, ladynimue. Based on my experiences both in living here plus when we were househunting and the parents we met then, you should fit right in! I also wanted to tell you how phenomenal we are finding the medical community(-ies) to be here. Our "home" hospital in CA was Stanford -- a v. (internationally) well-regarded hospital. Well, they certainly failed my younger (now 20 months) son. He was ill from birth on, and his pediatric team kept brushing us off, blaming my concerns on my PPD. ("You worry too much." "You need to calm down.") We moved out here (to CO) and within a fortnight had his well-baby visit. I started my spiel about his issues when the ped. immediately stopped me, saying "something's clearly not right here." Finally!!! After we got to the root of it, I became crazy-angry, both with the Stanford pediatricians but mostly with myself. (Mother's guilt -- I should've somehow divined what was wrong with him or somehow persevered with others, which I realize now. But at the time, with a two year-old, PPD, an ill newborn and selling our house I felt lucky to feed my older and nurse my younger without crying hysterically.) My younger son is part of the Child Find program (it's federally mandated, locally funded); it helps children with issues (whatever they are) get better. He has physical, occupational and speech therapists who all come to our house every single week. I'd say within two months of that well-baby visit he was enrolled in the Child Find program and progress was underway! (He's now doing great -- not yet caught up, but moving apace and, more importantly, he's healthy!!!) I mention this because good friends of ours back in SF whose son is on the autistic spectrum are on a two year waitlist to see a speech therapist (through the same program, different name there). If we'd had to wait two years goodness only knows where we'd be! (Clearly we'd just do it privately but you get my point.) Also, about three weeks after we moved out here I came down with Shingles (although we didn't know what it was at first), centered in my inner ear. It paralyzed my face and that's what got me to the MD tout de suite. I didn't know an MD, just called the local hospital, explained my symptoms and they responded with "how quickly can you get here?" Within thirty minutes I was seen and within ninety minutes I was having a CAT scan (to rule out stroke or tumor, although they did discover I have Grave's Disease, another thing about which I'd been complaining to my Stanford MDs only to be told "yeah, everybody's tired all the time -- it's called 'motherhood.'"). Later that day they determined it must be Shingles (although I didn't yet have any blisters). Because of it paralyzing my face my eyes were in trouble (Shingles can cause severe and permanent damage to the eyes): the MD's office called the MD's personal opthamologist (I mean the one she goes to see) and had them see me that day as well. I'll tell you, I have never felt so cosseted! (and my MDs office also made an appointment for me with my MDÂs endocrinologist  again, I didnÂt have to worry about "who should I see?") Whenever I recount this story to any locals (meaning folks who live here in CO), to a one they say "I know, I get superlative care here, far exceeding whatever I received where I lived before." My son's progress and the immediate and thorough care I received are merely two examples. I just wanted to tell you another thing we love about CO. If solely for my son's sake I am forever grateful we moved out here. But the truth is, we love all of it! -Brooke

I can't think of anything major that I want. A trip to visit my daughter near Atlanta I guess, when the border reopens. But some say that travel health insurance is risky, as they often claim that your treatment related to preexisting problems, so I won't be going, I think, as in the U.S., health repair is the major reason for bankruptcies, I've heard. Having avoided financial risk due to covid, I've done a bit of checking among friends as to whether they know of a small business operator close to risk of shutting down who might be able to survive with a little help, with a view to perhaps trying to raise some money to offer a supporting loan. ole joyful