We have the same effect here in Wis I'm in Zone 4, but on the south side of our house where the sun shines against the white siding, I would not be surprised if it was a mini zone 5 or 6! snow is always gone there first daffodils plants on south sides always bloom about 1 week or more earlier then daffodils elsewhere. actually There already daffodils sprouting at my aunts house along the south side. mine have not came up yet, but not there all under 6 inches of snow enjoy your spring garden!

What I remember most about San Antonio was sitting on my balcony one night ... it was 2 AM ... and the temp was 102. That wasn't unusual. Humidity was worse than Tulsa or Atlanta. Anybody that lives for any time in SA (and other areas too, I'm sure) understands why siesta's came into being. I'd go to a walking track at night ... but not before 11 PM ... and it was always packed until 2 or 3 in the morning. I will be putting my brugs in the ground this year. Didn't have time to do anything with my yard last year so didn't even try. Wanted time to get a feel for the place (I have 2/3 of an acre) and think about what made sense. The conclusions I came to were to do raised veggie beds, get rid of all the shrubs, crepe myrtles and miscellaneous junk trees the couple that had owned it for 42 years had planted and replace with fruit trees, move the patio from the west side of the house to the south side under a large pecan tree (and install it properly this time LOL), get a Bobcat and slope the area around the house itself so rain would go away instead of puddle around the foundation. It got so bad last spring it actually ran under the house through the crawl space vents. The west side of the house they put in two poorly installed goldfish ponds. One I got rid of last year, the other goes this year ... especially since the pump gave out this fall and I checked the cost of a replacement. Location of the pond is also bad ... hell, the placement of everything on the west side of the house is bad ... which is why most is already gone. I'm going to build a pergola from the door leading out of the garage down the length of the house on the west. It has no shade what-so-ever and just gets blasted in the summer. Going to plant vines on it for shade. Can't do trees, even fast grown trees, as all the sewer pipes are in that area and tree roots and sewer pipes just don't mix. I also have to remodel the house itself ... literally everything. Sigh ... I should be done sometime before I hit retirement. brian

Well, I've seen geese the past few days... but today I hit the triple-header (comes from being able to work with a window for a change, perhaps): snowdrops are blooming away, the grackles are here, and my first robin in a very long time made an appearance and broke into song. Unfortunately, the snow melt revealed I've got moles or voles in my front bed, home to columbine, astilbe, crocus, tulips, hyacinths, coral bells, and some jacob's ladder. ARGH!

Lars..that is where my clients lived for a while with their daughter who is an actress..they visited her frequently..I have seen many photographs.. I hope you are going to the Artist's tour.. I have seen your brother's work in a post you made and I loved it.. We have our own little one..But unlike Venice..we get smaller crowds..and our real estate is actually affordable. Our climate does not compare:) I know.. I really don't travel a lot.. but who knows what the future holds...You always look like a good time is had by all at the get togethers. And our dollar is on the upswing. I remember over 30 yrs ago..our dollar was at par..then worth a touch more..then downhill from there on..until recently.. Cross border shoppers are flocking to the States again.. I have always enjoyed that. Here is a clipping from our local paper this week.. Artists welcome Studio Tour's return Now in its third year, The Hudson and Region Studio Tour is back again this fall after two very successful seasons. Last year, over 1100 visitors came from 40 different communities to check out our local talent. This year's tour will include 16 artists/artisans, ten of who are returning from last year. Six new artists include two sculptors, two mixed media artists and a bird carver. The Tour will be held September 23-24th and, again this year, admission is free. Other mediums include photography, ceramics, quilting, stained glass, painting, paper-making, telescope carving and jewelry design. Here is a quick first peek at the artists in this year's tour: Ian Coristine's aerial photography has been featured in publications including Gourmet, Canadian Geographic and France's Le Figaro. His first book, "The 1000 Islands" is a multi-year bestseller. His second book, "Water, Wind and Sky" was released last year. Heather Dubreuil is a quilter who works with both original and traditional designs. Heather has produced award winning quilts, wall hangings and pillows in her sun-filled studio overlooking Lake of Two Mountains. Heather favors rich, saturated colors in her "country style" pieces and in her contemporary batik works. André Floyd, ceramic artist and potter, creates decorative tableware using hand-thrown porcelain featuring glaze paintings of picturesque moments of Canadiana. Gérard (Gerry) Fuentes is a bird carver who started out by carving ducks and then discovered raptors. This new passion brought immediate results in prizes at all levels, including first prize at the Quebec Championship in 2005. This year Gerry took blue-ribbon honours at the World Bird Carving Championships. Gerry also gives carving courses in his studio in St Lazare. Normand Fullum is an award-winning telescope maker who has carved scopes from rosewood, birch wood and cherry wood. His artistic carving style ranges from Victorian to Shaker to Modern. Joanne Kielo is a paper artist who explores the potential of flax (linen) in her handmade paper art. She grows her own flax and operates her papermaking studio "The Barn" in Hudson. She will begin exhibiting her work this month in Ottawa in a show entitled Subtle Body Revisited. Rosalie Levi's sculptures and jewellery reflect the spirit and energy within the form, with fluid and sensual lines. They are cast in bronze, silver, resin or ciment fondu. Her works have been exhibited in galleries in Montreal and Toronto. John Marok is an artist who adapts and develops each visual act of motifs, themes, rebuses and symbols toward a sense of wholeness. The print media he employs are woodcuts, serigraphy and intaglio using papers from European and Oriental sources. Joanna Olson creates paintings using water media and oil, traditional and experimental as well as handcrafted jewelry. Using a torch and glass rods from Venice, she designs and creates glass beads and pairs them with handmade sterling silver components, freshwater pearls and semi-precious stones. Denise Paquette is a colorist for whom nothing exists but her concentration on the application of colors when she is at work in her studio. She takes the lead when beginning her painting but soon the paint, paper and water have their say and give her something excitingly unexpected. Sylvia Portner has a pottery studio making wheel, thrown and hand-built stoneware in blue and earth-tone glazes. Her work is oven, microwave and dishwasher safe. Adèle Reeves is a sculptor who celebrates the symbiotic relationship of humans and the natural world through ceramic sculpture, big, small and wearable. Suzanne Reid's prints have been exhibited extensively since 1970. Her prints are renowned in Canada as well as abroad by the originality of her woodcut using a reduction method technique. She has been represented in prestigious public and private collections in Canada and abroad. Monique Verdier is an intuitive artist/artisan using mixed media in her studio in response to her environment. Monique will show you how the combination of canvas, paper, watercolor, acrylic, collage and stamping can produce images either realistic or abstract with rich surfaces and surprising complexity. Her garden art is original and charming. Solange Villeneuve is a painter whose work has a bright and luminous style and is superimposed with linear graphics. She has had her work exhibited in Quebec, France and the USA. Her paintings come from the heart and all who have seen them experience a renewed interest in the arts. Shernya Vininsky derives her inspiration for her paintings and stained-glass works from nature, whether it's horses, birds, flowers or panoramic landscapes. With 16 artists to visit this year, there is sure to be something to please all art lovers. Keep an eye open for more information about the tour in upcoming issues. The organizers, Al and Georgia Jared and John and Betty Marok will once again soon have their website up and running. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Joanna Olsen is one of my favorite artists:) And Mrs.Villeneuve is my daughter's friends mom.. Mrs.Dubreuil is one of our physician's wives..It's a small town what can I say?:) There are similarities..all through the world aren't there!