My most successful summer squash has been Early Prolific Yellow Straightneck, a bush variety. It's a little prone to powdery mildew but still pumps out a good 8 weeks of constant squash production. -- Squash LOVE LOVE LOVE compost. The best squash I've ever grown was seeded straight into a compost pile. Second best was in a spot formerly occupied by an old apple tree and had 40+ years of decomposed apples as the soil. -- They're not too fond of transplanting. Try to get them in the ground only a couple of weeks after germination, or direct seed in the ground. -- Don't plant too early, cold will stunt their growth and allow the slugs to really massacre the leaves. In southern Oregon around May 15 is probably OK, but you might want to ask local gardeners and pay attention to the weather.If night temps are still dipping into the 40s, it's too cold for squash without protection. -- Water at the base of the plant to slow the arrival/spread of powdery mildew. Don't freak out if all your plants get it by September, however; powdery mildew is just the normal final life stage of squash in the PNW. It saps the strength of the plant, slowing production, but doesn't affect the quality of fruit.

I used shutterfly to create a book from our trip to E Europe and it came out wonderful. The quality of the paper, the images, the color rendition and the cover was just great. I found their software easy to use and was pleased with the flexibility in terms of fonts and positioning, cropping and sizing pics as well. I was very pleased with the result. I have used them for years to make my annual holiday card as well as have made calendars.

Dear Mar. I know exactly what you are talking about, the closest store to me is about a mile but it is probably the tinest store I have ever seen. I truly believe that I have more supplies than they do. I think the lady only has a small section devoted to the scrapbook items in the store so she can claim she is a scrapbook store owner and buy her stuff wholesale. (Which come to think of it, maybe I need to try that. LOL) The next store to me is about 20 miles or better though traffic from hell and it is tiny too. After those two I have to drive 40 miles one way to go to a decent store. :( As for the acid pen they usually sell for under $2.00, I think, Walmart just had theirs reduced. Penny

First, I would turn your current run 90 degrees, so the entire sofa fits on the rug. Then, I'd find a beautiful dining room rug, new furniture, chandelier and artwork for the walls. Do you like more modern furniture or traditional?