The bed where most of my hostas are kept is anything but clean, but I still find pill bugs that have climbed the metal stands I bought for many of my hostas to get into the pots. The bed where most of my hostas are is a combination of rotting pecan shells and the result of rotting leaves throughout the fall, winter and early spring. I have eight beds in my yard, this being the largest at approx 25' X 40', so I decided to use the pecan shells in this bed for a different look. I have cedar elms that drop leaves in the fall and lives oaks that drop in the spring, and as the elms slowly start dropping at the end of the summer I have almost nonstop leaf drop for several months a year. I clean them up the best I can after the live oaks finish their drop in the spring but it's futile before that. My yard is 100% covered with trees so it's no small task to keep that under control. I don't even have a spot for rain gauge! That said, this year I have decided to make a change. I will be removing all of the pecan shells and leaves after the oaks stop dropping, which will be in the next two weeks, and replace the entire area with cedar mulch, which is what I use on most of my other beds. That will make it immensely less interesting to the squirrels and the cedar will also not be as attractive to the pill bugs and other critters. I can't say with all certainly what my main menace has been the last couple of years, but I know what my prime suspects are. My first suspect was squirrels, but I had a couple of damaged pips this spring in pots that were covered with bird netting. I have heard lot of people say that pill bugs won't eat your live plants but have also heard plenty of people claim to have seen it first hand. I've also seen pics of the shaved off tops of young growth which people said was caused by pill bugs, and like mine, it only happens when the pips are very small and the ones that are very tender. With my choice of mulch and my southern snowfall of leaves every year you might say I have brought on much of my own misery, but I'm on both the attack and the defense this spring.

I've been experimenting with lasagna gardens this year and have some success...and some almost failures. The tomatoes are huge..but mostly greenery and the fruit is wrinkled so I guess I should have watered more even though the lasagna stayed moist. Picked the first ripe ones yesterday. The acorn squash have taken over the bed and are climbing the fence now and are setting squash. I planted a row of corn in a brand new lasagna bed and it is doing well. It was nothing but grass clippings and shredded paper with a small amount of compost. I thought it would get a foot high and then keel over. Not so, it just keeps growing and even though I planted late, is starting to tassle. Another last minute bed is woodchips and grass clippings (obviously the grass is growing this cool summer) with only enough compost to plant seeds in. Last week, I seeded this one with parsnip seeds and last night it looked like every one had germinated! This in my experience is very unusual. They usually take ages to germinate and then are spotty. There are so many coming up I thought they were weeds! Meanwhile the beans are producing well and one of the best veggies this year has been the peas. With all of the cool weather they are still producing. It's been quite fun trying this type of gardening.

Oh, this is a big deal with me. We have lots of house guests, so I have developed good solutions. Breakfast is indeed the problem, because, as others have noted: 1) Breakfast is so personal -- that's why it's the meal where people are least likely to want any variety in their diet. I.e., many, perhaps most, people like to have the same breakfast every day. And it's also the meal where you feel least like doing the we're-both-trying-to-be-polite ballet, but guests think they are being easier (when in fact they are just driving you crazy) by unhelpfully answering questions like, "Orange or cranberry juice?" with "Either is fine." Just please give me an answer already so I can pour it and move on! 2) EVERYONE always says, "Oh, I eat everything!" And it is NEVER true. Some of the things my "I eat everything!" guests have refused to eat include: fish, lettuce, mustard, whole wheat bread, olives, mushrooms, peppers, and a lot of other things that seem pretty basic to me. I mean, it's fine that they don't eat stuff -- but they don't really mean it when they say that they eat everything. The problem is that what they really mean is "I eat everything that is in MY house." The other thing they say is, "I'm happy to have whatever you're having!" Well, guess what? I'm likely to be having leftover Chinese food. Or a plate of odds and ends that might contain leftover roasted vegetables, some salad, and, to get some protein in there, a piece of gefilte fish or a few pieces of herring. Want that waiting for you when you come in for breakfast when you're visiting me, because you said, "I'll just have whatever you're having"? I didn't think so! :-) I have two very good approaches that both work. One is for when you have people coming for long term, and one is for when you have a lot of people coming for shorter term. 1) If someone is coming for more than a day or two, I ask them in advance, "What do you like to eat for breakfast -- and DON'T tell me, 'Oh, just anything' -- breakfast is such a personal meal. Do you usually eat bagels? Eggs? Yogurt? Something else?" The trick is asking what they usually eat and making a laugh out of it (you can threaten leftover Chinese if you must!). People may feel they are being divas if they list their likes and dislikes, but honestly, they are doing their hosts a huge favor. 2) When it's not a situation where you are in touch in advance (like, say, you're hosting people you don't know), or when it is a big group, the opposite works best. This advice was handed down from my mother and her mother before her. Just put a bunch of stuff that most people like out and have it waiting for them. Don't say anything, don't ask anything, just do it. I come to the kitchen ahead of time and put out dishes, napkins, cups, glasses, and silverware, cereals, yogurt, bagels, cream cheez, butter, peanut butter, coffee, tea, and juice. Maybe hard boiled eggs if they are on hand, maybe some fruit if it's convenient. Probably no one is going to eat ALL the choices, but it's a lot easier to put out lots of stuff and let them choose than to try to ask them all. If I'm in the mood, I might ask, "Can I make you some eggs? I make great omelets!" And when I'm really into it, I make an apple pancake, waffles, pancakes, or something else special. But I just make it because I feel like it, without asking first, and let them eat it or not.

Here are a couple that I like: Crab Gyoza Dumplings: 1/3 cup finely chopped shiitake mushroom caps 1/3 cup minced celery 3 tablespoons finely chopped green onions 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger 1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil 1/4 teaspoon salt 12 ounces lump crabmeat* 1 large egg, lightly beaten 18 gyoza skins 1 teaspoon cornstarch Grape seed oil, for sauteing Dipping sauce: 1 tsp sugar 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 tablespoon water 1 teaspoon sambal oelek (ground fresh chili paste) or Thai chili paste To prepare dumplings, combine the first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl, or process in a small food processor on pulse. Add crabmeat and egg, tossing to combine. Working with 1 gyoza skin at a time (cover remaining skins to prevent drying), spoon about 1 tablespoon filling into center of each skin. Rub the inside edge of the skin and fold in half, being careful to squeeze out air. Place dumplings on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornstarch; cover loosely with a damp towel to prevent drying. Heat a small amount of oil in a large, deep skillet, and saute the gyoza for about three minutes. Then add about 1 tablespoon of water and cover with a domed lid and cook using low heat for about 8 minutes more. To prepare sauce, combine sugar and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk until sugar dissolves. Serve sauce with dumplings. Yield: 9 servings (serving size: 2 dumplings and about 1 teaspoon sauce) *Can substitute 5 oz. chopped scallops for part of the crab meat. --------------------------- Deviled Crab Ingredients: 16 oz. Crabmeat (Snow crab is fine) 1 tsp Lobster or Crab soup base 3 tbsp butter 2 tbsp olive oil 1/2 large onion, finely diced (approx. 1/4 cup) 3-4 stalks of celery (including leaves) diced 8-10 fresh Serrano peppers, all seeds removed, and minced 1/3 -1/2 cup flour 1 tbsp minced fresh lemon thyme (or regular thyme) 1 tsp minced fresh Thai basil (optional) 1 tsp fish soup base--crab or lobster preferred--dissolved in 1/2 cup water or clam juice 2 tbsp Dijon mustard (or spicy brown mustard) juice of two lemons, about 1/4 - 1/3 cup 2 dashes of cayenne 1/8 tsp black or white pepper 1 egg, slightly beaten 2/3 cup fresh bread crumbs, the size of small peas 1-2 tbsp butter, for the crumbs Directions: Have all the ingredients ready-mince the onion and celery and set aside together; mince the herbs and peppers separately and set aside. If you are using crab in its shell, remove all the meat first and then put it in a small bowl. Add the optional crab or lobster soup base, if desired. If you can get lobster base, this will improve the flavor the most, but crab or clam base is fine. Adjust the quantity depending on the saltiness of the base. In a medium or large saucepan, melt 3 tbsp butter and add 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the onion and celery and saute for about 3 minutes, or until the onion is all broken up and separated. Add the Serrano peppers and cook another 2-3 minutes. Then add the flour and continue to cook to make a light roux, stirring constantly. Add the herbs and stir to combine. Add the water with soup base (or clam juice), and stir to make a paste and remove from heat. Add the mustard, lemon juice, cayenne, and pepper, and allow to cool slightly. Pour a small amount of the paste into the beaten egg and combine before adding the egg to the paste. Add the crabmeat and stir to combine. Lightly grease a 9"x6"x2" baking dish (or individual ramekins) with olive oil, and add the mixture, leaving about 1/2" space from the top of the pan. Press the breadcrumbs into the top and dot with butter (or drizzle the butter melted) evenly over the top. Broil for 5-7 minutes not too close to the heat or bake at 425� for 6-8 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are crispy. Serves four as a main course or six as an appetizer. ----------- Both of these I make mainly as appetizers, but they can also be a main dish. I like crab stuffed sole, but I also make a crab sauce that I serve over fish: Crab Sauce for Fish Ingredients: 2-1/2 tbsp Butter 1 tbsp Olive Oil 1/4 cup minced Onion 1/4 cup minced Red Bell Pepper 1 Jalapeno, minced 1/4 tsp Thyme 1/4 tsp Dried Basil 1/4 tsp White Pepper 1/4 pound Crab Meat 1 tbsp Lobster (or Crab) soup base 3/4 cup Potato Water 3 tbsp Potato Starch 1/4 cup Lemon Juice (or white wine) Instructions: Melt the butter in a saucepan with the olive oil. Add the onion, red bell pepper, and jalapeno and saute until the onion is translucent. Add the thyme, basil, and white pepper, and saute a two minutes more. Add the crab meat and cook for another minute or so, to heat the crab. Combine the soup base with the potato water (or plain hot water) and add to the saucepan. Heat just to simmer. Mix the potato starch with the lemon juice (or wine) and add to sauce pan. Heat just until mixture has thickened. Serve over grilled fish, such as Opah, Swordfish, Marlin, or other mild flavored fish. Can also be used with Sole or Flounder. Note: if you do not have seafood soup base, you can add the appropriate amount of salt - generally about 1/3 as much salt as soup base. Lars