OK; Buddy---you see how much you've been missed---don't be coy. When I pick up beer bottles along the roadside while walking my daughter's dog, I've often thought of you. When Bicycle Charlie comes and hangs out down by the river for the day, with his knapsack stuffed with food and beer, camoflauge jacket and wide brimmed, beat-up hat, I've wondered how you're doing. I see him leave in the afternoon and wonder about you again. Solitary life, but happy enough and content with himself. Your individual paths find their own routes when I remember the galaxies of separation in your thought processes and your particular ability to take any given day and turn it into an excerpt from a battered novel, which when opened, allows weathered pages of life-lived-on-the-edge to fall where they may. One has the choice to pick up a page or two and read them, or to leave them as they lay and continue on their way. I have to chase them as they're blown about and catch what I can. So much of this world is worded pablum, contrived situations passing for reality, cocooned lives rolling over those who have nothing between hurt and their vunerable skin. You remind the reader life is to be lived and endured, to be celebrated and once again, endured. And you never, ever sugar-coat it. That is why I remember you. That is why I will never, ever forget you. You remind me of Richard Abbey---he got out before you did---not that he wanted to. I'll never forget him, either.

Thanks! clarejoe and Gmom2-6boys, I've posted the earwig trap a few times in a few different threads. Original recipe was posted on the Plant Clinic forum and mm brought it to my attention. Here it is again. To any small container: tuna, yogurt, ect. add 1 Tbsp. each of cooking oil, soy sauce and molasses or Karo Syrup. I'm using Karo since I have no molasses and it is a god send let me tell you LOL! Mix it up well and set out were needed. In some places I have it beneath plants or set in the mulch nearby their favorite plants/seedlings. Good luck, Vera

Ciao all, I hope everyone had a great day out in the garden today. I know it's a back to work day for most people, but my goodness, what glorious weather to be outside. Thanks to all of you for such interesting trades and also for your knowledge and wisdom regarding perennials. I have SO much to learn about them still, thanks for your patience in answering my newbie questions. Tristan grabbed some things from the middle circle which I have no clue regarding the names of the plants or what sort of care they need, so as soon as I'm able, I'm hoping to post some pictures of them for ID. I'm so excited about all the lilacs! They're small, but I know they'll fill that space nicely and I can't wait to discover what colours they turn out to be. I put the dahlias in full sun and just barely covered the root/tuber/rhizome thingies. I hope that's what they need. Tomatoes/eggplants/peppers/tomatillos/basil all got a full day outside and tomorrow will be their first major dose of full sun. I'm hoping to get them in the ground before the weekend. Duane finished 2 additional tomato beds as a birthday present for me and got all the 8' stakes in this morning. The soaker hoses are all in place and now it's just a matter of waiting a few days for the plants to get fully hardened off. Big hugs to all of you, I wish the weather had been more pleasant but it was still a very fun event and thanks again to sydseeds for organizing the swap and for everyone's wonderful enthusiasm and generosity. Get planting everyone!! Julianna

I have been so busy filling hummingbird feeders over the past few days that I haven't been on my computer much. OK, for more information here is an update on the HummerBird Celebration. Well, Tuesday afternoon the RT hummers came into Rockport numbering in the thousands. They were everywhere and feeding very heavily. And then Friday morning we started getting the outer rain bands from Hurricane Karl, and it has rained and rained. I haven't checked today, but as of Saturday morning we had 3.2" of rain, and that's before it really started pouring. As a result it has affected the number of hummers migrating through, i.e. they are moving through very fast. It is a very strange year for them it seems. However, on a high note three leucistic hummers have been sited, one of which is at a neighbor's house about a mile down the road from me. I went to see it yesterday, and it was so cool. In my 22+ years of being a hummingbird nut, it is the first time for me to see one, and I hope to get back down there today to see it again if it is still there. I reported it to the "hummingbird board people", and I think that they are going down there today to try to band it. That is if it every quits raining. It's pouring again as I type this. I'll post a few hummingbird reports that I have received over the past couple of days. "Hello everyone: Hope all is going well. Despite the rain reports are coming in of lots of hummers and visitors. Thank you for all the updates! Just wanted to remind you to change the feeders more frequently if they fill up with rain. The solution gets too diluted and spoils very rapidly. I will be around sometime tomorrow night with my trusty husband to pick up all the signs and sign in sheets and clipboards. If you could leave them out in front that would be great\-except if it is raining. We can come to the door to get them. Visitors we have talked to have commented on how beautiful all the Hummer Home yards are and how gracious all the homeowners are. We sure appreciate you! Thanks, Ellen" On Sep 18, 2010, at 1:26 PM, "Linda T. Collins" wrote: "Just thought that you all might be interested to hear about the hummers coming through Rockport this past week!" Sent: Saturday, September 18, 2010 12:13 PM Subject: RE: We got birds! "As you all can see in the attached pictures, our student tour guides had a GREAT time talking to the tourists about the birds and gardens. Pat Sutton who was a guest presenter came out to take pics with the kids. Thank you all for letting Fulton Learning Center be on the tour again. It is such a wonderful learning opportunity for our students. We handed out informational sheets on hummingbirds and seed catalogs. We noted that most of our hummers stayed around our flowers rather than hanging out at the feeders. We also had a lot of butterflies before the rain hit." -----Original Message---- "I can still say we are active this morning, but the peak was Wed and Thurs and tapered off yesterday. It was amazing the number of Ruby-throated hitting the feeders and flowers. In the thousand plus count. Now we are at 200 or so. Still worth seeing as most people attending have never seen more than 4 or 5 at a time. Figures we have the birds and no people this year! D**n hurricanes... Dennis and Patsy" \-\-\-\- "Linda T. Collins" wrote: "My hummers came in fast Tuesday afternoon and stayed until yesterday when we got the rain and NE wind. Today, I have only a handful out back and a few more out front. My driveway is flooded as is my yard. Right now the gate is closed because the rain must have shorted it out, so no one can get in nor can we get out right now. After it lets up a little, I'll go out to see what I can do to get it open. I don't think that there will be very many birders out today. Linda" ----- Original Message ----- "Hello everyone: We are hearing reports from all over of lots and lots of hummers. After a very slow couple of days at the beginning of this week it is sure a relief to see all of them zooming around! Let me know (email or phone) throughout the weekend if you have lots of hummers, different kinds of hummers or other birds in your yard. I will get this all posted on the white board at the high school for our visitors. Let me know if you need anything or have any problems. We really enjoyed seeing your yards last Friday. All the yards looked so beautiful and I know that is a lot of work-not to mention keeping the feeders going. Thanks to all of you. We appreciate it! Have fun! Ellen" So all in all, I hope that everyone that attended the Celebration has enjoyed it even if you did get a little wet!