2005 Hurricane Names Arlene Bret Cindy Dennis Emily Franklin Gert Harvey Irene Jose Katrina Lee Maria Nate Ophelia Philippe Rita Stan Tammy Vince Wilma this is the first year I recall my name being on the list. I hope we don't have 17 hurricanes first just to get to 'stan' on the list to get the dubious honor, though. :-/

Oh, Paula, bless your heart, honey! I guess it rained 15 inches in the last few days. And wound up going down to 40 last night, and I drug out my sweat shirt for this morning. What you show is the way it used to be in my Back40 after a rain. So I hauled in some dirt and spread the landscaping fabric, and then covered it with lots of bags of cypress mulch. One side effect of this is that the slugs are not comfortable on that coarse mulch, I suppose. Because out there I find no slugs. Around the edges, against the fence, I've found a few. And that is where I place the bait now. Hope to see you back in business soon, Paula. We miss your pictures and your experiences with the hosta. Everything is soaked here. But very few soft spots where there is no mulch. I love mondo grass and liriope because their root systems are so supportive over soft ground.

I have a daughter who is a single parent. She is finding it to be a real struggle. Maybe your DIL has got the message that being a single custodial parent is not a good option for either your granddaughter or herself. Your posting suggests that your DIL is involved as a visiting parent and that her relationship with yourself is reasonably civil given circumstances. Considering what I hear about couples who have split up, I would be thankful for small mercies. As to what to tell your granddaughter. I would tell her that her mommy loves her very much but that mommy cannot provide a good home and that you can. I think that it would be helpful to see if you can get/keep a good relationship as possible with your DIL. After all you are likely to be involved with her for a long time to come. You might have to work hard at being non-judgmental. If your son objects, tell him that it is for the sake of granddaughter. Ian

I did read somewhere that too much concentrated tea was not a good idea because of the tannins, @bart bart but ca’t remember the source. I play safe anyway and just use the spent stuff. Here is my wish list of what various sources have said are heat tolerant roses, Bart, but it’s highly selective depending on what I fancied trying at some point and not defined by what does well in either dry or humid heat. Many are large roses I don’t actually have space for, since my garden is only a small patch of cultivated land at the bottom of steeply terraced, wooded areas: Maggie (pos. Mme. Eugene Marlitt?) Mlle. Sombreuil (tea, not LFC) Madame Joseph Schwartz Marie Ducher Little White Pet Portland from Glendora (Josephine Hanet?) Hume's Blush Tea Maman Cochet Mrs. B.R. Cant Le Vesuve Joseph's Coat Dr. Grill General Schlabkine Monsieur Tilier Duchesse de Brabant Devonensis Rosette Delizy Old Blush Archduke Charles