Julia--this has happened to me as well on occasion (Jewel in a Crown and The Goldilocks Effect are the usual miscreants). I just watch the pod carefully for when the visible seeds turn black and the pod starts to shrivel. I also get a weird variation on this theme: either grasshoppers or snails bore holes into the pods so that the maturing seeds are visible--I use the same wait and see on those. Seed set was difficult this year in Fredericksburg, VA--we started getting 90-100+ degree days early in June right as bloom go going and we've been pretty much rain-free that whole time (still are). But, what did set is just beginning to mature--about 10 pods so far with plenty to keep me busy through August. Horrible, horrible summer, but Substantial Evidence finally(!) set a pod.

1.Made pumpkin bread to satisfy a craving 2.Didn't know what to make for dinner so I decided to make it a game. I had to make the first thing I pulled out of the freezer ( boneless pork chops) and make the first recipe in my book (of tried and true) that I found using pork -szechuan pork! 3. DD(19) wanted to come with me when I pick ed up DS(13) from school today. We got to wait in the car and chat-it was a nice day with even a breeze!

I, too, had a musical rocker, circa 1956. It had the original paint and 'Little Bo Peep' decal. Still played music! Having recently given up on the whole grandkid thing, and tired of storing it out of the Dallas heat, I finally listed it on CL. A young guy bought it for his daughter. Made me feel good that some little girl was going to enjoy it...hopefully as much as I did.

This IS a fun thread, and I hope more will chime in! Love the wonderful painting and the uplifting way it's been interpreted. And of course I think Lynn's spearhead is absolutely fabulous! A real treasure from long, long ago. I'll add photos from my phone (am on the laptop now), but here's something I'd like to share. I love Acoma Pueblo (also known as "Sky City"), which is about 60 miles west of Albuquerque. It is remote, sitting high atop a rugged mesa, and has a rich cultural significance spanning back 2,000 years. I first visited this place with my father a couple of decades ago, and about three years ago I was able to take DH for the first time. As would be anyone who is interested in Native American culture, he too was quickly smitten. Today there are around 50 tribal members who live year-round in Sky City, and many continue to make the wonderful earthen pottery that the Acoma people are well known for. You can only access Sky City via organized tour, and when you're walking down the dusty streets, you're met at various places with residents selling their work. I thought each piece I saw was gorgeous, but most were WAY out of my price range. There was an elderly woman with a small folding table set up outside her modest home, however, and she had one piece in particular, hand-coiled in the traditional manner, that caught my eye. I chatted with her for a few minutes, asked the price of the piece, but then had to hurry to catch up with the rest of the tour. All along the way, I continued to think about her and her pottery, and as the tour ended, I asked the guide if it would be possible for me to retrace my steps and go back to the woman's house to see her pottery one more time. The young tour guide cheerfully left the rest of the group, and took DH and me back to the woman's house. He knocked on her screen door, and explained to her why we had returned. She had by that time packed up all of her wares and returned inside, and I was thrilled when she invited us IN to her very old adobe home. She had two little black-eyed granddaughters who sat eating bags of chips and watching us warily, as she unwrapped her pottery and placed it on the kitchen table for us to see again. I selected the one that had caught my eye, and paid her exactly what she asked for it. I'm sure I could have negotiated a bargain, but there was no way on earth I was going to pay this woman any less. In retelling it, it sounds like such a simple thing, but just being invited into the woman's home and having the opportunity to interact with her and catch a small glimpse of her real life meant the world to me. I treasure this piece of pottery, made by her own hands, and hope that today she and her loved ones are happy and healthy. I so admire her people.