Sorry that folks in your ommunity have this heavy issue to deal with, Leslie. And sending good thoughts and prayers for the people who loved this person. What is it that makes so many, especially young folks, who live in the most fortunate and comfortable part of the world, feel that they can't go on and must end their life? ole joyful

I forgot to say that I graduated in 1980. I think I paid the couple hundred dollars myself. I was working at the time. One of my best friends who graduated in VA went with her class to Cancun, Mexico. She graduated 2 years after me and her parents paid thousands for her to go! Now kids go to Europe and Aruba. They also have more elborate proms, only a few "rich" kids had limos back when I was in high school. Now everyone gets one. I'm dreading the day when Lauren starts going to proms. I've already told her she'll be wearing the same dress to all of them or we'll be buying them used and cheap. And no limo.

My family, for generations back, begins the New Year with black-eyed peas with hog jowl or any cheap cut of pork (these are seasonings, not a main meat ), collard greens, and usually cornbread. I must add the vinegar sauce from a bottle of Trappey's Hot Peppers in Vinegar! Mom is upset that I cannot find old-fashioned hog jowls here. I use ham hocks instead, and I picked up a small smoked pork chop to add to Wes' plate. I forget to get fresh collards or kale last week while in town so I have to do with what the small convenience store here had on hand - frozen whole leaf spinach. It's a leafy green so it will do, and Wes loves spinach. I cooked my peas and ham hock yesterday. I added onions, garlic, diced green peppers, and diced tomatoes to the pot. To help reduce some of the fat I slow simmer the ham hock separately the day before, let it cool overnight, and remove the solidified fat before finely chopping the hock to add to the peas. At least it gives me an illusion of almost healthy! We'll have a small bowl of the flavorful peas for lunch with a side of spinach. We're going to the neighbors' for supper; I don't know what they'll be having, but I know it will be good. When I first got here I couldn't find "Trappey's Hot Peppers in Vinegar" anywhere. I was distraught! I moaned to my mom and to my best friend that I could never enjoy any type of greens, beans, or peas without Trappey's. That Christmas I received a box from Mom with six bottles in it. My friend also sent me six bottles. I was in pepper sauce Heaven and used every drop of every bottle. The commissary now carries it, and I try to always have three bottles in the house. When a bottle gets low on the vinegar, I remove the inner cap, poke the peppers with a skewer and refresh them with a top off of hot vinegar and a bit of salt. I do this only once. When that batch of vinegar is gone I use the key from my chatelaine to remove another well guarded bottle from the treasure room! Through the centuries the women of the household have had to lock and guard their tea, sugar, white flour, herbs, etc. I guard my pepper sauce! LOL We use the peppers, too, usually in any dish calling for red pepper flakes.

Sir Thor just turned 14 and is at that with awkward growth stage. Little Miss is now 11, but looks 17 in build, stature, voice and height. It's genetic. About 2 months ago they arrested a local pedo middle school teacher. I thumb my nose at all those locally who dissed me for homeschooling. Both kids are safe, organic, happy, overly creative and big enough to take on responsibilities. They'll be enslaved to technology for the rest of their lives and I want to give them a chance to be free as much as possible and to continue to learn simple wisdom from the garden. From the garden, not me. LOL Thank you everyone for satisfying my curiosity and helping me focus on our climatic challenges. The only other pervasive thought I had was, "I bet Dawn is having a great cool crop season!" Sure nuf. You present an excellent argument for row covers and other protective measures. With my memory of struggles, bug problems and more compared to your wealth of gardening knowledge, you infer to me that my focus should be on symmetry, irrigation, protection and cleanliness. I have my Big Red Bucket sitting in my kitchen right now. She's all clean and shiny and ready for her tools. I fired up the second frig and its freezer is already full from processed for-sale groceries. The compost bucket is back in use and the mated pile is fortified. I continued my compost obsession for almost a year after cessation of gardening. I found that using a tarp over a moist pile surrounded by CMU blocks to bring the most satisfying results. The bigger the pile becomes, the less I need a tarp. We are far too windy here. Last year a 3rd of my back yard was a blanket of black eyed susans. Was hard to mow some of it down. Here's to potential A+ gardens in 2019!