Good Morning, Everyone! Thank you all for the "welcome back". I missed each and every one of you. Stormy here today on this Good Friday. Dark and a bit chilly out. Good weather for gardens though. Glad for the rain though. We've had high temps and high, dry winds this past week and wildfires every day. Nothing close to here, but close enough that I could smell the smoke. My dogs erupted in chorus with every firetruck that passed by over on the highway.(hehehe). I took pictures of the gardens on the 31st. Glad I did, as the hot, dry winds dried out all the pretty yellow Jonquils later that day. Blasted hot winds ruined them before our Easter Sunday family picnic and egg hunt. They were magnificent in chorus with the yellow forsythias, white Bridle's Wreath, and Redbud trees now in full bloom all over the garden. My beloved Jane Magnolia is breathtakingly beautiful this year and smells so wonderful. I planted out some Orange Perfection Phlox yesterday. Tried them last year, but they didn't make it. This rain may ensure these do. I dug around in the bin at the store until I found one, just one package with moist peat inside. Holding it up to to sunlight, I could just make out something possibly alive in that dark green plastic bag. Makes me mad to pay five bucks for dead rootstock. They are not the best looking root stocks I ever saw, but think they will make it. I only need one to survive to establish a nice clump this year for next year's blooms. I also planted a package of purple Liatris and a package of Freesia bulbs for summer blooms. I love the smell of Freesia. Yummy. All the Peonies are up and beginning to make tiny flower buds. Hopefully the red ones and deep magenta ones will bloom this year too. If they do, it will be their first time. Some deer came into the yard this winter and ate the top branches off the one surviving River birch sapling, but it is recovering nicely now. I caged it with a tomato cage and for now they are leaving it alone. They are "camped" up on the hill, hiding in wait for my juicy, delicious roses to start blooming, no doubt. :[ I've been taking the dogs for walks up there every morning and hopefully their pee and poop will make them think twice about coming any closer to the back yard. My English Shepherd could easily take down a whitetail deer. DH said this weekend he would finish stretching field fence around on the inside of the existing barbed wire fencing to keep out critters. That won't keep deer out, but it will keep our dogs in, so we can let them run loose on the property. That will be great. They need the exercise and I need them to do their job protecting the place. They love it, too. Hopefully the raccoons & coyotes will take the hint. Keep Out! Anyhow, so far so good. Gotta go check on my chicks. They poopy up their water really fast and will be ready for breakfast. :) Talk to you guys later. ~Annie

We buried Oscar last night as the sun was setting. We thought about his life with us and the other pets that are also buried in that area, 2 dogs, 1 cat and 3 ducks. I mentioned to Ron about planting something there as one of you suggested and I think we will plant a Lilac bush. Today I just feel kind of numb and heavy. In the midst of my grief I am dealing with a number of other problems at work and with my health. Maybe that is why Oscar's death seems all the more heavy for me now. I'm so grateful for the pictures I have of him, and all the wishes from you all. Bless you all today. I feel like your messages are really easing my burden. Thank you again. Sue

Alisande, I doubt he'd be after me, I drive a Honda Civic. Yes, I am very careful usually when I stop, but after a big old cup of coffee I needed to stop. All of the other rest stops are actually much brighter and safer to stop at, also with more cars. I guess I'll just stop at a gas station. Funny story, once when I was with my DD and she was about 13 years old I wanted to stop at this store in my hometown called Transformations because I liked the glittery gowns in the window. Yup, the "lady" working there was not a lady. We didn't buy anything, lol.

Devsense...That is the one and only 'Pope John Paul' the first rose..It is one of the most fragrant I have ever had besides sea roses...You have to make sure you protect the stump for winter though which you probably already know) Brian,those are some SOME SPECTACULAR CLOUDS buddy!! I use to get those kind all the time until they cut all the forest away around here. And those flowers are just so pretty..Is that in your new place or your old one? If your old one, you better dig those up buddy! Thanks for the beautiful pics) I see that Citrus Tree towering over those perennials....Marvelous, just marvelous like those clouds Laura, that's a GREAT question!! I can find out for you). I will have to post a pic on the cactus forums and come back for you. I have always wondered what it was too..It has the most beautiful flowers and can be grown like a Bonsai..The more often you cut it hard back, the thicker the stump gets and the more robust. I love this one. The funny thing is that for a succulent, it loves to be watered and not left to dry out..