I forgot to mention Baptisia. I have a nice one that has performed perfectly every year for probably 10 years!! It is so easy care, that I forgot I had one...lol. I put a hoop around mine. Yes, I do love Peonies. At least I thought I did. But I added two to a sun bed two years ago and last year, they opened just as we got a heat wave and in four days the petals were all on the ground. Without a heat wave, what do you get a week? One developed some kind of foilage disease and died. I have some Salvias, but with clay soil, I think they prefer better drainage. Mine look ok but not great. Yarrows are lovely and I like them, but I've left them out because I thought they travel too fast, true? My geraniums are very easy care, have had them for years, never have a foliage problem or insect problem, knock on wood. [g] Fairly long bloom. I would like to add more varieties. I have been interested in Dictamnus. I never see them at the nursery. The Gillenia I've never heard of. Reminds me of a Gaura or a Sweet Autumn Clematis when it is in bloom to some degree. Very nice. I have a Siberian Iris but I think I must have it in too much shade because it doesn't bloom. I will have to move it. I am just starting to collect Hostas. I really enjoy them. Daylilies....I am not a big fan. It's the foliage mostly. I like them when the foliage is thin and their footprint is small. But I also love the larger blossoms that come with the heavier foliage. I have been looking for a long blooming, tall, grape colored one that I like for a long time and haven't found one yet. I love lilles and would grow tons of them if it weren't for the LLBeetle! Grrr! It's just too much trouble. I have Lily envy of all of you in areas that don't have that problem. :-) I don't have a problem populating my shady beds. There are so many great native plants that I love. I think it is my part sun/sun beds that give me the most trouble. Sooner or later, I'm sure I will stumble upon the perfect plants for those beds. Every year, I try more. Thanks for all the ideas!

It's probably a pet. However, you aren't going to find any record of a pet burial, and if it's an illegal human burial you aren't going to find any record of that either. If on a long shot you dig it up and it turns out to be human, then you've got a crime scene on your hands. I'm thinking it's probably a pet, but what if you dig up a baby or a fetus? My advice would be to contact your local police station and get hold of the public affairs officer or neighborhood watch liason and ask them for advice on how to handle this. They may come out and take a look. Maybe they'll want to have someone there while you dig it up. Maybe not. That's where I'd start. With a female name and a date inscribed in cement under a tree, my guess is it's not a garden stone.

Oh my, just yesterday my sister and I were talking about Fess Parker. We had been talking about older celebrities and Fess Parker was one we thought of. We both agreed we thought he was still living. I think I kill old celebs.... When Bing Crosby died I had read an article from a 3 year old magazine on him just the day before his death. One night I watched 'The Music Man' and the next day Robert Preston (The Music Man) died. Weird.

What do you know! I noticed "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" was on tv this morning and watched it because of the mention of Peter Falk being in it. What a delightful movie. I like it so much more than when it first came out in the theaters. My appreciation of such a madcap sense of humor has developed since then apparently. It was fun to try to remember the names of so many stars who were in this movie. By the way, Peter Falk played a taxicab driver.