Scott, thanks for posting, and thanks to everyone else too. Here in Santa Cruz County, we've had one of our most dismal apple years ever. All the commercial growers were complaining about the long much cooler than usual Summer followed by a week of 108F temperatures in late September. It was a disaster, with a lot of burn damage. Needless to say, many varieties didn't do well as a result of these conditions. The lack of Summer heat lowered the brix level on many varieties, and the Fall heat destroyed the texture on many varietie. So my report isn't glowing, but heck, at least a few varieties turned out very good. The big winner for me this year was Oldenburg. I was amazed as to the flavor and complexity of this apple, it was really perfect. It was the first time this one ripened for me. On the other end of the spectrum was fraurotacher. I was excited about this apple, but it turned out to be the most horrible apple I've ever grown. It was virtually inedible off the tree, and reading all the descriptions, it sounded like it needed to store a while. Well, it just turned mealy in storage. This may be a good apple in Switzerland, but it will get grafted over to something else in my garden. So here is a summery of some of my apples: Summer apples: - yellow transparent was delicious, the cool Summer helped this variety retain excellent texture, and the flavor was good too. - William's pride, an amazingly delicious apple, so dark red it was almost black - Viking, now that I got to eat viking side by side to William's pride, it was hard to tell the varieties apart once picked. Flavor wise, they are also very similar, but William's pride is bigger and a better keeper. - Anna, a low chill variety really disappointed me, the flavor was really one dimensional, a great apple if you can't grow anything else, but dismal in competition to william's pride. - dorsett golden, the other low chill variety, it's more vanilla like in flavor, I like it because it's one of the first varieties to ripen, as early as June. The rest of the apples: - Gravenstein, one of the best apples around. We pressed 100 liters of gravenstein juice which usually ill last us into next Summer. Doesn't store well at all. Because of the cool weather, Gravenstein really ended up a late Summer apple, even though on normal years it's ripe by the end of July, early August. - Zestar, delicious, one of the best late Summer apples - Reine des reinettes, ripens early September here, really high quality, delicious, I love this apple, firm, crunchy, full of flavor This is the first year I've had these, they are a definite keeper for me. - Mother, first year I got this one too, it was delicious, I really like it. - Calville Rouge D'automne, last year this one was superb, this year, it was mediocre. It just didn't have that amazing sugar/acid balance that makes this a great apple. It's a keeper nevertheless, hopefully next year it will fare better. - Bella des jardins, first fruiting, was very, very tart but very flavorful, and it sure looks beautiful. Our cool Summer left this one with BRIX below acceptable levels, but on warmer years this one will be really good. I think this is a good candidate for hotter climates. I can't wait to see what I will get next year. - Double bon pommier: very good all around apple. A definite keeper. French apples seem to do very well in our climate and soil. - Reinette Franche: delicious green apple with a great sugar acid balance and a very good flavor. - Empire, was very good this year, getting better in storage - James grieve, a bit dissapointing, it goes mealy so quickly. I am not sure what the fuss is all about around this variety, it doesn't merit this much attention. - red gold, wow, talk about delicious, and it's one good looking apple too. It's just a good all around apple, and very heat resistant. It was unphased exposed to full sun at 108F. There wasn't a single trace of damage. - McIntosh, terrible, why do I bother growing this one, everybody keeps telling me it's a poor choice for Santa Cruz county. - snow, turned out good this year. THis one isn't exactly a good apple for our climate, I hold on to it mainly for breeding purposes. - Rubinette, very reliable and most excellent. - king, I love this apple, also very reliable and very flavorful. - arlette, tasty, especially after a bit of storage - orleans reinette, reliably good, pretty much the same every year no matter how the weather turns out. - nonesuch, ah, I think I am not liking this one anymore. I can eat one of these, and then I don't want to eat another one for the rest of the year. I am not sure why, there is something about this apple that my body just doesn't like. Produces reliably and the flavor is the same every year. - Jonagold, very boring this year, bland - mutsu, same thing, it just doesn't have that anise overtone it gets on good year. I still have mutus on my tree, that's how cold it has been last Summer. - Sweet valentine, very good new local variety, super sweet, deliciously flavored. - Freedom, good tasty apple, a bit on the tart side due to the lack of heat. - Belle de boscoop, bread and butter cooking apple, did very well this year. - Golden russett, very tasty, amazing flavor - Hudson's golden gem, one of my favorites, never fails every year. - Alexander, these were very good this year, excellent texture and quite edible as table apples. - Bella di pontoise, Scott raves about this one, I had one single apple ripen on my single branch of Bella di Pontoise, and I must have waited too long, because it eventually dropped and by that time had already gone mealy. -Winter banana, terrible apple this year, it's never really that good, but last year I had a few late stragglers that were quite delicious. - Sweet victoria, a 100% acid-less apple, very strange eating experience, but good and interesting. I cannot find any info on this apple anywhere. It showed up at a scion exchange one year. I always look forward to it, it's such an easy apple to eat. - Swaar, good basic apple, can't complain. But it didn't really stand out in any way. - Cox orange pippin, I placed my tree in 50% afternoon shade, and this placement seems to be paying off. The ripening was delayed by a full month, making it truly delicious and live up to its reputation. The lack of afternoon heat means the apples had perfect texture and a good sweet acid balance, plus the aromatics it's well known for. I am still waiting for brushy mountain limbertwig, pink lady, granny smith, Waltana, brownee russet and a few other very late apples. The late ones are definitely way superior here in flavor and texture.

I'm going to try this again, having lost it yesterday. :( 1.) Michelle has beautiful gardens full of carefully considered combinations that please me greatly. Your front entry project looks sensational and I can't wait to see the door and the storm door you select. I'm sure it will be terrific. I'll bet you really miss the Little Miss when you wander through the Secret Garden. 2.) I see the Grim Reaper has paid to calls to people I like so much and I'm sure the spectre of departure hangs heavy in those homes. Brenda, I am so sorry to learn of your loss. I don't know how you feel, but I know how much I love my brother and how special memories shared between only we two are. And so it must be with you. I think hurling yourself out of a perfectly serviceable aircraft will be a perfect way to blow off some energy. You know, I STILL laugh when I think of your description of middle aged flesh flapping in the wind as you plummet toward Earth. Lol. V., the world would be a better place if all people who undertake the responsibility of one of those base creatures carried it through to the bitter end. It's comforting to know our ranks are not as thin as so many news stories imply. I'm sorry Sunrise's condition was not attributable to too many berries. I'll beat Wrecks, "just because". 3.) The Green Man makes a sensational Best Man, Woody! Wow, I really like him... really plucks at the appreciation for all things formal that lies just below my "devil may care" surface. What a thoughtful gift. I went to a wedding on Friday, too. Don't get sick at this time of year, it's too early and too nice outdoors. 4.) Weather calamities have layed waste to Deanne's beloved containers but the recovery was swift and diligent... great save! I had to chuckle at the mental image of you buzzing around fretting and grooming the victims. Good to know all is well once more. :) I suspect also that there is some serious baby withdrawal happenin' on the Farm (though I have no idea why! ;) ). I smiled at the chubby leg and foot nicely adorned with the bracelet. First thought to cross my mind was, "did we all enter this world with such perfect skin?". What lies ahead for your family is the conclusion of the awful "first year", 'bug. Good friends know how to help, sometimes just listening and reassuring is all that's required. Praise be good friends, huh? (and dogs to beat). I know I will spent some time in reflection on Sep't. 8th., as will every other Idyller... solidarity, baby! Actually, I think I'll put some wine in my IUVI glass and toast Reed's perfect life and all the love that was lavished on him in too short a time. Woody and Julie will like this one. We have dear friend who has two dogs, aka The Wrecking Crew. She is now a very regular visitor to the Compound and whenever she comes we do some obedience work. And yesterday we worked them pretty hard. We did "down/stays" and then we worked on "polite greetings" in lieu of the full frontal assault that usually occurs. It took a solid 30-40 minutes to get both of her dogs introduced in a quiet, controlled manner, lol. Poor Rex was beside himself; whining/yipping, and fussing. But he was much more controlled than her dogs were. When they'd done what we required we turned them loose to run, rassle, and go into the "pool". Later, while we were preparing dinner and eating we worked on "down/stays", patiently correcting the Commando Creep by putting the Crew back in their original d/s sites. Wrecks has that one nailed... he lies down and chills out while we're eating and working in the kitchen. We have volunteered to take the Wrecking Crew for the entirety of Labor Day weekend and let me assure you there will be some very serious obedience work (and beatings) over those 4 days! Hehehe... bbbwwwaaa! Charming story of TCS, Julie. Time and beatings is all it takes. :) I have to quit blabbing and get to my latest JulieJob, hoeing out the screen room under the deck, and some screen washing.

It's so easy to fall into the cooking doldrums when your days are too long to start with. For the past 4 years, between owning 2 houses, trying to get one ready to move into, and one ready to sell, DH working unbelievable overtime, me starting a new job... I wasn't overly excited about cooking either. Now that DH is retired and we've unloaded one house, moved into the other, I'm a lot more relaxed and find I'm enjoying and doing more cooking. But it doesn't sound as if that answer will work for you. I think, given your situation, the answer is planning. Plan meals where you can do the 'heavy' cooking one day, then use the leftovers for quick redo's other nights. A roast chicken (and why not buy one already cooked at the supermarket?) can be a nice chicken dinner one night, and the next can come to the table as: bbq sandwiches, chicken pot pie, chicken salad, etc. Roast beef and mashed potatoes tonight? Tomorrow they can turn into shepherd's pie, or a quick stew or hot roast beef sandwiches. While you're planning, think about those really quick meals--things like stir-fry (and don't limit yourself to oriental flavors, there--I often stir-fry an Italian mix of veg, sausage, etc, and toss in some pasta for a quick, fresh meal), omelettes, hot sandwiches (DH's one meal he cooks for us is: deli roast beef, jarred gravy and Stovetop--even he can get that dinner on the table in about 15 minutes!). another quick trick I use a lot? Buy the vegetables you need for recipes at the supermarket salad bar!!! They're already cleaned and ready to go. One store near me even has grilled chicken on the salad bar, so I run to the salad bar, then grab a can of water chestnuts and I've got everything I need (there's always rice in my pantry) for a quick stir-fry dinner. I also use the salad bar for salads--buy a head of lettuce, and pick up the extras at the SB. Yes, having a lot of the work done for you does cost a littlem more, but there's no waste, and with just 2 of us empty nesters now, I'd never have ALL the salad things on hand at once, anyway. I'm sitting here right now, considering a dinner challenge. My kitchen is full of my living room furniture (having just shampooed the rug)--not sure I'll be able to cook tonight, depending upon how long this takes to dry. AND I have a meeting tomorrow at dinnertime. So, I'm thinking that while I do usually cook these days, tonight would be a good night to go out for something that would leave us with easy leftovers for tomorrow. DH never turns down pizza, so perhaps Pizza Hut will do us tonight. But that's not something we do often. I honestly cannot remember the last time we had a pizza--think it may have been the last evening I had a meeting, which would have been a month ago, now.

Thanks to all for the comments! Macranthos, thanks for the info and for pix of the blooms. While this bog is only about 45 minutes from my house, it is a challenge to visit so I have missed the blooms while they still have petals. This is a place you truly have to be prepared to visit - LOTS of mosquitos and poison ivy. Walking through some of the areas are difficult and you must stay to the trail. And even though I prepared well, on my last visit I still got a tick bite. Given we have Lyme Disease spread by deer ticks here, bites are a dangerous thing. All in all, I still visit every couple of years. As special as it is, my last visit made me sad. Fewer of the special species. More changes to the bog areas. The peat area had more blueberry, aronia, and eastern white pine in it. These species herald the changes happening. The draining and harvesting of peat outside of the preserve is killing the bog. These acid loving woody plants will fill in if left unchecked and the special stuff will vanish. The floating bog, which I hiked to the edge of, is being taken over by Phragmites australis. This plant is a plague and a pestilence in my region. The ubiquitous cattail is becoming more rare to see. Huge stands of monoculture Phragmites has replaced what was cattail habitats in so many places. Note: the floating bog has grasses not cattails making it up. The floating bog is actually a living mat of vegetation over a large pond and probably a deep one. Just for reference, ponds here might be called "lakes" in other parts of the US as I live in one of the most lake-rich regions of the US featuring both the Finger Lakes and the Great Lakes. While the plight of the polar bear and other beleaguered animal species are terrible indeed, I feel the plant kingdom is under even worse threats. Threats that are invisible and unknown to most of the world but here so clearly on display in places like the bog for "plant people" like you and me to see. So please skip the peat in your pots and gardens. FataMorgana From the last trip......Phragmites, native grasses, spent pitcher plant blooms, and labrador tea (if I recall correctly) in the edge of the floating bog. (I sunk into peat up past one knee nearly loosing my boot to get this picture!)