The only thing you should put in the ground right now is stuff like okra, black eye peas, sunflowers, sweet potatoes, yardlong beans, Armenian cucumbers (actually a melon), melons, corn, and summer/winter squash (though you're probably going to want to wait a little while for winter squash to protect fruits from burn). That said...except for the okra, yard long beans, black eye peas, sunflowers, sweet potatoes, and Armenian cukes...most of that stuff will greatly benefit from waiting until mid/late-July for planting (along with peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant at this time) for fall harvest. Aside from heavy water use keeping them alive during the hell of summer, some of this stuff needs to make mature fruits without the hell of summer scalding them to a crisp and ruining what you've spent months waiting for. If you're planting transplants of any of this stuff rather than direct seeding try to plant on an overcast/shady day or very late afternoon to prevent the sun from roasting your plants. Basically, if you can wait 3-ish weeks you can plant almost any "summer" crop you want to put in the ground...though you might need to baby them a bit through the seedling stage to keep them from burning up. I gotta edit and add... I love Arizona...I visit there so much...it's heaven. I truly don't mind their summers, though I've never had to live there June-August (only visited during that period). The "dry heat" of a 110 degree day I'll take 10 times out of 10 over a 90 degree day with 40+% humidity that's so common in my part of NC. I wish I could find work in my field (agriculture research) in Tucson/Phoenix that wasn't cotton related. There is other agriculture research out there, but it's in out-of-metro areas like Yuma and Eloy...which is just a bit too rural and out-of-the-way for my tastes. This post was edited by nc-crn on Wed, Jun 26, 13 at 5:13

I like the battery rundown protection feature also. It will save a lot of batteries and alternators, not to mention the frustration of finding that the car won't start and having to jump start it. Also, any battery that's run down to the point where it won't start the car should ideally be charged with a battery charger at a slow rate. Alternators hit the battery with a strong charge and in many cases the battery won't ever recover unless it's charged more slowly. A car battery that's never deep discharged can last a very long time. I've had them go 10 years before. Leaving the lights on to the point where the battery is stone dead -- not even enough voltage to produce a glimmer of light in the headlights -- will essentially ruin its chance of a long life. I'm not necessarily saying run out and get a new battery if that happens, but at least charge it with a charger and don't just let the alternator do it. And realize that the lifespan of the battery is cut every time that happens. Here's what a good battery can do for you: Last March I had the alternator fail in my Blazer. I was 70 miles from home. It was night, so I had to have the headlights on. I had a Wal-Mart EverStart battery about 1 1/2 years old, never deep discharged. I turned off all accessories except the lights and started heading toward home. I made it 69 3/4 miles -- it finally quit when I was on my road and could almost see my house. I think that's pretty good for headlights on and no alternator. So now that battery has been somewhat deep discharged, but nowhere near as bad as leaving the headlights on, because those will just keep sapping power until it's down to nothing. The Blazer's computer apparently shuts things down when the system voltage hits about 10 or 11, because it was showing 11 on my tester when I got home; probably under load that would be 10 or maybe less. (First it shuts off the overdrive in the transmission, then the ABS, and finally the ignition system.) According to the charger, it was at 41 percent. So I charged it with the charger, replaced the alternator, and that battery is still in there, doing okay. But it may not last as long as it would have if that hadn't happened. (On the instructions that came with the replacement alternator, they said if the alternator has failed and the battery is run down, it is not just recommended but is absolutely necessary to charge it with a charger and not just expect the alternator to bring it up, because doing that will shorten the life of the alternator.)

My mother-in-law made an assortment of HORRIBLE quick breads that had so much vegetable oil in them you could SEE it seeping out of the crumb of the breads - YUCK!!! I've cut fat in most quick breads to no more than 3 T. and have gotten good results. It depends on the other ingredients as to how well this reduction works.... I also substitute (low-glycemic) agave nectar for sugar (use 1/2 to 3/4 cup per 1-cup of sugar), so the liquid agave nectar will add to the moisture level lost by using less fat. Agave nectar naturally hold more moisture in the crumb, so it contributes to the keeping quality past the first day when you reduce fat. There's a lot of science involved when you start substituting ingredients. For everything you take away, you will need to adjust something else because most baked goods are a ratio of ingredients, one to another. Tenderizers (fat and sugar) and those that are structure builders (flour and eggs). Alter one without altering the other and you may find things aren't what you'd like them to be. When you reduce fat and sugar, you're making a compromise - fewer calories, yes, but be prepared to sacrifice some tenderness. Along with alternative ingredients for fat (applesauce, apple butter, fruit juice, or pureed fruit), I found adding small amounts of butter (maybe only 1-3 T.) gave quick breads more moisture and a better crumb than fat-free versions. They didn't dry out as quickly (a common problem when you remove all the fat), and were more satisfying to eat than fat-free. A little bit of fat will increase the satiety in foods. So eat one slice with a little fat, or as they found out doing tests with Snack Well Cookies (which were fat-free), people would consume the entire box because the satiety level was very low because of NO fat. Egg whites are very drying in baked goods (think of hard baked meringues), as are egg-white based Egg Beaters. If a quick bread calls for 2-3 eggs, try using at least one whole egg and the rest Egg Beaters. If it only calls for one egg, then I'd suggest using a whole egg. The naturally-occuring lecithin and fat in the egg yolk does great things to the texture you can't duplicate with egg whites or Egg Beaters. Egg protein, with its ideal mix of essential amino acids (when you use a WHOLE egg), has increasingly proven to be a tool for formulating functional foods that promote satiety. To help retain moistness, bake fat-free or fat-reduced quick breads at a slightly lower-than-standard temperature. Bake quick breads at 325F., and be VERY careful NOT to over-bake them. It's generally easier to find a low-fat or fat-free recipe and try it than it is to experiment adjusting an old full-fat favorite recipe. When I alter recipes, I keep careful records of the outcome and generally only alter one major ingredient at a time. I have a (paper) form I've used over the years for altering recipes. It includes a copy of the original recipe, changes I make and why, results, and suggestions for the next time I make it.... -Grainlady

Be careful Jinx, next thing you know you will want an egg coddler . . . We had the cups when I was a kid but I have decided I don't really like the process so I can't justify the storage space they would take up. I did inherit a little gizmo to "poach" an egg in the microwave. It's very fast and the egg comes out perfectly round. I use it to make egg sandwiches on an english muffin. I thought I would not like it but it has worked out well in use.