Thanks, Marguerite! I don't mind the sharing and comparing of certain pics, but I do agree that I prefer specialized Threads that follow grower's progress with their plants. It helps keep things more organized. My Jades, all separated into their own pots, are growing well. My 'Red Horn Tree' was utterly toasted by the sun, and so I've been waiting for new growth to come in so that it doesn't look so awful!!! 'Legolas' has scarcely grown, but that's not much of a surprise with this variety. The Lancaster variegated and the Maruba Nishiki are doing fantastic, although the Maruba is / seems more prone to edema. That said, it is not only branching but is also putting out two new branches lower down the trunk. Josh

Paint the table! You won't rest until you get cow print on something, so go for it! Maybe you could get a couple art canvases and paint them with spots as well and hang them on the walls to give the cow table friends. I'm thinking brown spots instead of black though! When I first moved out at age 18 my room mate collected cow stuff. I started to add to it, and the next thing you knew we had cow in every nook and cranny. My mom even hand painted round ornaments with cow spots for our tree. (Still have these, couldn't bear to part with them.) Needless to say, I can't look at much cow now without my head starting to spin. :-)

"I bet Sue did it with one of those parasols. I don't think you can trust her; there's got to be a reason she never lets us see her face! That woman makes me nervous." Laughing so hard, Kate Rosa, I can relate. I took the crazy quilt down after I washe it up to send to the newest g'g'child, and found not one but FOUR places where the seam had not been secured well. Evidently the seam was too narrow, or the fabric frayed. One seam I was able to take a needle and thread and secure it with a close buttonhole stitch, very invisible. Three others, it took a patch. Not noticeable because of the random design on the blocks, but still I was disgusted! I do a quality check on all my seams before I sew blocks together and can't believe I missed four places, or else the first wash caused it, because I am not gentle with them when I wash them. I want to replicate the hardest wash the quilts will get when they're in their new homes. It justifies this step on all my gift quilts. I'd rather find a mistake before I send it out and correct it, than have someone else find it. You'll be able to camouflage it well, and it won't be noticed. BTW, that is a precious design.

Oh these photos are beautiful! We did a massive pruning last summer/fall and pulled out some overgrowth, so my gardens are in a bit of recovery. I got about 1/3 of the lilac blooms that I usually get, for example. Looking forward to hydrangeas. Peonies around me seem to be lacking, too, for some reason or don’t seem to be bloomomg as long. But I did manage to get a handful of them inside for a party last weekend. Here’s what’s left... it was beautiful while it lasted.