July 22 or so....in the South of the Houston area. A recent relocation from PA to TX has been a good transition for my planting beds around the house. So far my challenge has been to get. HOSTA to grow to any size down here. it just so happens that I just bought ALL the planting soils organic soil pest garden soils sand etc. with the "full intent to transplant a 4 year old Crepe shrub.(its never been pruned in this Development. It's one of three, but blocking a Bedroom window and can't be seen under a young Oak Tree Canopy.. My PLAN was to Transplant it NOW.., this week. I figured my EXCELLENT Skill and Success in PA would surely work in the area of Texas, near the Gulf would work here. After hearing everyone's experience, I think I will WAIT UNTIL FALL ... October I think. FOLLOWING THE TEXA RECIPE SEEM SMARTER TO ME...., but waiting is HARD. My crepe does need "shaping" and I'm trying to figure out what'll look like. I'm thinking that I'll "shape it" after the last flower petals drop. Any time I've Transplanted a shrub, bush or Tree in PA, I've ALWAYS pruned the upper Growth to some extent depending on the volume of Rootball I'd been successful in removing it. Bigger ball less pruning. Smaller ball more pruning. Tamping in the rootball at points along the way, with existing and amended soil for a tight fit to the planting hole/sight was key for me. So I'd guess that'd be true with Crepes. East coast watering in the Fall for these plants was every other day, to a depth equal to the base of the root ball....4-8 gallons est. Back to Crepes, it sounds like Fall Transplant and Don't over water. Mulch the area..., create a V-shaped trench around the tree and planting area. Don't build a "mound" of Mulch, rather create a shallow "bowl shape" around the Tree that encourages water to filter down onto the Root ball. Ed..... The ....Too Long Story Teller"

Fri. September 8th I will have a casual meal and a glass of wine (or two) ready for Friday weary travelers. I have nothing planned for this night as I am not sure who and when people are arriving. Sat. 9th We will be leaving my home at 8:30 am to pickup the 9:00 am arrivals and continue to Polly Hill for our 10:00am Workshop. Please note that I will need one of our group to be a driver. 10:00am to 12:00pm ($24.00) is our workshop if the weather allows we will be doing a picnic lunch at Polly Hill. The lunch will come from the only place in the area it is a catering business and either Friday night you can look at the menu or Sat. prior to the workshop ($10-$12.00??). After a quick lunch at the Polly Hill picnic table there are three nurseries in the area and we will probably have one hour to kill at a nursery at one nursery there is a gentleman who I would consider a rare plant fantatic/collector who is new to the island I have told him about you all and he will let me know if he can talk to us about rare plant collecting and how he moved his collection. Of course there will be time to poke around and make some purchaseshmmm (too many $$). Sadly it is fall and all of the nurseries have relative slim pickens. Back to Polly Hill for our private tour I have told them how brilliant you all are. My guestamate is we will be leaving PH around 3:30 I would like to stop at another nursery, a daylily farm for another talk on not only daylilies but solar power, a glass place where we can watch visiting and local craftsmen blow and see some of the most amazing pieces I have ever seen. I am suggesting this only after having run in the other day to see if they could repair something of mine glass and crafts usually arent my thing but the pieces they had on display were like nothing I have ever seen before and of course with a price to match $33,000.00. There are also a few art galleries as well as Chilmark chocolates that (hard to believe I know) is even better than Ben & Bills. ( All of those suggestions are free unless you choose to purchase) These are a few things available to us on the way to Menemsha a small fishing village where if the weather permits I would like to do what is called "backdoor" which is going to the restaurant/fish markets backdoor and ordering dinner to go (which is usually a cracked lobster and fixings) (I dont recall the cost but I am guessing $20.00-$30.00?) But I am sure they have something for the non fish lover but to be honest I dont know what so you may want to order two sandwiches at lunch. We will then walk over to the beach plunk our tired fannies down and watch to sunset as we eat our lobster. Please keep in mind if you like wine, beer, what ever with your meal these are dry towns and you will need to have brought that with you in the am. Also keep in mind it will be chilly so bring many more layers than you think you should. It will be much better to have a pile of sweaters and jackets in to trunk of the car than shivering unhappy people far from the warmth of my home. Now if as they are forecasting it will be raining and miserable I will have a plan B which will include dinner at a restaurant unless the majority of us would rather pitch in to buy and prepare a meal at my house. I dont know how to keep everyone comfortable with the decisions other than majority rule so please come prepared to spend twice as much as you thought you would. After the sunsets I thought we would head back to down town Edgartown for ice cream, wine what ever and of course at this point some or all could just go back and collapse. Sunday September 10th Wake up and bike, walk, ride to a private garden designed by Christine Horiunchi a Cape Landscape architect who has won awards for this design. With coffee in hand lets talk about design and plants, what she chose, what you would have chosen. Continue down the road to a grass airport where we will stop for more coffee and breakfast while watching vintage planes take off and land. We will also be viewing one of the last great stretches of Sand plain with rare native wildflowers. For those who need to catch a noon boat that should have you on the road by 1:30pm it would be time to say goodbye. For those that can stay a bit longer we have other choices, When picking the brain of people from Polly Hill for what else to include in this weekend they all suggested we drive down the beach to chappy and visit the My Toi gardens, or head back to down town Edgartown to do a walking tour of town and check out village gardens as well as another nursery visit, or maybe? My feeling is that the late group probably wont want to depart any later than a 3:00pm boat which would have you on the road by 4:30pm. A number of things that we will be doing are dependant on weather so we may be making adjustments to any and all that I have suggested. Please if something is important to you speak up I would want to know that and will try my best. I look forward to meeting you all and dont hesitate to write or call. Let me know at your earliest when you expect to be arriving. kt

Back in the day, I used to do my best sewing until about 2-3am. Can't do that anymore, tho. Now I wait until DS is up and about (he loves to sleep late and was, when we had an RV, disturbed when he heard pages being turned, so you can imagine how he feels about my sewing machine!). Luckily, I only work part-time so usually have Mondays, Wednesdays (all day), and Friday afternoons to indulge my obsession. I loved the Mary Brooks Picken article too. I have seen it somewhere as well. She would be thrilled to see me sewing, as I often do, in my underwear (easier for fitting), sans makeup, etc. I still have my old "Unit Method of Clothing Construction" book by the Iowa Home Economics Association from when I went to home ec college. We had to make little bodices, sleeves, etc out of construction paper with different types of alterations. Still have them too, plus samples of different closures, etc. But I digress... Now I see better in the daytime, evening is tougher on my eyes. Mary L

My son is an OTR truck driver. These guys live quite well in their cabin areas for 2 mos or more. He was talking to me about a micro home for the 2 or 3 days when off the road. He mentioned the 10 X 12 log cabin in my back yard as an example and also a small houseboat. There are probably a lot of people with jobs like his that take them away from home for months at a time, who would consider micro living. Son is single which makes this more possible and his down time is reading, high tech, etc. Doesn't take much room or amenities for him to get comfortable and feel he has a home. They definitely have their place in our society, the problem is what many have mentioned...city codes. Most would probably have to consider county rather than city. There are still tons of cottages as small as a micro in the mountain towns around me that people use for summer. And still many neighborhoods in the central part of my city with such that are being brought back to life. Those that have always been well kept are pricey and still holding value even with the housing slump. As much as the economy is hurting people who are on retirement incomes like me (and other situations), I'm hoping some reality kicks in with the huge homes being built by buying up the land around me. They wait for us to move or die and grab the land. My insurance company told me my home was not worth as much as the land. Small becoming the norm would put those of us in a very good position. I volunteer with habitat and the "Katrena Cottages" are built on donated land in county locations here. City code would never approve building the samll foot marks. It seems a push for families to live in these small, small homes. But are relished and well taken care of. The neighborhoods look better than many tract areas where large homes were shoved into small spaces. Habitat owners are required to help build them and pay on a mortgage, a personal commitment is made to their home early on. For me 1000 ft is as small as I can imagine, but think of the many older people living in retirement apts. which are micro small. They do well and are quite content. I need my garden, outdoor space, and would have a difficult time giving this up if having to live in small apt. at a later point in my life. But a village concept of micro homes for older people to live would make sense to me. If they could keep the price affordable for such.