Dry all last year and the beginning of this year (except for a 2ft snowstorm in Feb) until the last week of May when we got a month's worth of rain in 1 week. Alternating cold(30's) then hot (90) then cold (40's) temps in May and June, finally got tomatoes out the beginning of June and MORE rain! Poured for about 20 minutes at dinner last night, weather.com is showing 0 inches but I'm guessing 1/4". More gentle rain overnight, clear this morning and then this afternoon another T-storm. So I'm saying 7.5 -8" this month plus the 3.5" last week of May. Tomatoes are looking sad - I started replacing some yesterday and also planted 6 I'd been holding back. Haven't checked today to see how they've held up in the driving rain (had a couple broken last week). Peppers are still in 6-packs, I guess I can say they're hardened off though they may sunburn when I can get them out, 1 is blooming. Squash looks like it's loving this weather, cukes OK (seeded before squash and they're smaller), spinach is bolting and the kale and Asian greens are just OK. I guess I'll try to harvest mustard greens, tatsoi and bok choy for stirfry mix rather than salad greens since lettuce is so far behind. Carrots are disappearing, lettuce is barely coming in after seeding twice (every time I seed we have a downpour) but the arugula in the mix is getting tall (not bolting yet). Radish bulbs are finally starting to show above the ground 3 weeks after seeding and I don't know what's happened to my chard and beets that I've seeded twice. Beans are doing OK, but I lost 2/3 of my edamame. The only thing I'm harvesting right now that is doing really well is strawberries and they're coming to an end just as market season is beginning. Blueberries and brambles are coming along though.

Most food is so full of preservatives that it's probably okay. A lot of foods are what they call 'shelf stable' meaning that if the can isn't damaged, it's okay. Spam, Bushes Baked Beans and Nalley Chili are 3 examples of known shelf stable foods that preppers keep on hand for emergencies--don't want to eat it unless you have to....

This is a totally different idea, but I wanted to mention it because I recently rediscovered my immersion blender. I wanted something I could take out of town with me that was small and easy to pack, and...I know this would sound odd to some...offered a little bit of ''help'' in case I decided I wanted to bake. (A readily-available kitchen is a good thing.) Anyway, I realized my immersion blender (Kitchen Aid) had a whip attachment (like a miniature hand-mixer) that I'd never used. Eureka! Of course I had to try it out, and it works beautifully. If your friend doesn't have one, she would probably love it for blending soups, making smoothies or chopping things. The best part is they're not terrible expensive. (FYI; maybe not for now, but for the future.)

I open this forum daily. Even though my house is far too small, and most of my ideas and plans for it flop into DH's disapproval, I keep pressing onward. I have to do small projects, one at a time. No multi-room tear out and redo here, but things are coming along. I recently posted questions about ideas for a storage wall area for oversize books (we both have far too many books even after two "purges.") and TV viewing in the living room. I learn so much from others' postings, even if the room or issue is not exactly like my problem(s) it gets my brain cells fired up too, not an easy task these days. Shades-of-Idaho, your glass backsplash and the new window hanging blow my mind; they are so wonderful. Mama-Goose, I need a multi-storied tree house. Could you install an elevator in it?