Ciao Martin, Not really, my figs are not bare yet. Everyday about 3 or 4 ripen, I usually go out in the early morning and pick those and eat them right away. There are new figs popping out of the branches. I don't know how these will fare or if they will ripen, but I have about 2 dozen yet that will probably ripe before the end of the year. Last night we went to 46 degrees, I had to bring my Bougainvillea in and set them in their winter positions upstairs in a warm bright unused bedroom. Fall is coming quickly, I heard of a frost warning last night in Upstate New York. Yuck!!! don't like this. Also brought in my Carob tree and my Caper bushes. What alot of work. Oleander and It Jasmine will come in next. My Geraniums can stay out a couple more weeks, but then they'll have to come in soon too. Ciao Maggie

George, Congratulations on your success with the tater onions. The certainly did size up well and look great. I love your description of our "planting window" as a narrow slot. I think that is true every year, but this was the worst spring I've ever seen for staying cold/wet and seriously delaying planting until the heat was breathing down our necks. I alternate planting bush beans or black-eyed peas with my onions too and it has worked well here. Thanks for providing the link too. Dawn

Colleen, it's at least better than the bedroom we just did upstairs, it looks kind of like butterscotch pudding and was supposed to just be a medium tan kind of color. I'm not good at determining what color it will be on the wall, it's never what I think it will be. As for the counter, I really did just "podge" it on with the sponge any old way. I liked it better lighter than darker, so I sponged on more of the light stuff. I was shocked that it actually looks OK, LOL. Brad, thank you, I appreciate that. Bobby and Shirl, I definitely still want to move, there is no place on earth that I want to be, no matter how nice the house, except the farm. If it were only the house that mattered, I'd have stayed in Elery's house instead of selling it. Yes, I definitely still want to move. Madonna, isn't it amazing what a little paint and about a week's worth of work will do? Linda, so when are you going to come and visit, just to see the new kitchen in person? Or are you waiting until we build at the farm and see my really NEW "new" kitchen? Heck, I might have to have another Michigan Run when that happens! Annie

cynic's comment on my comment made me think. Of course I wouldn't expect my parents to cancel a night at the the opera or expect to be invited to a business dinner they were hosting...but we have always been welcomed in their home... because, well, it's our home too; it will always be our home. Our family is close knit and would always include other family members. I don't think it's about being spoiled; I think it's more about your family dynamics. When we have relatives come in town everyone always go over there to see them... not stay away to give them alone time. I have a feeling your son would have totally understood if you were busy with something else (like a church function or a wedding, etc). I just don't think he thinks your entertaining a grandson should be something that he would be excluded from or made to feel he was interrupting. There may be more to the story, but I doubt it. It would be like if I called my mom and told her I'd be close by and could I coome by to visit and she implied it was a bad time because my brother was coming over that night... I would be like what? ...That makes it a good time, not a bad time? I really wouldn't understand. Again, family dynamics are different but I hardly ever see a reason to exclude family members, especially your son from his own house when he is coming in town. Heck, even if you were having a work dinner party, I'd invite him. Inclusion is almost always better than exclusion. Even amoung friends and even when people think they want to be alone. Bottom line, it never feels good to feel left out especailly amoung family and espiecially when you could have easily been included. Alone time is nice, but unless you're lovers, it's not needed at someone else's expense.