Not much rain today, but there was sun predicted and it was a no-show. Looks like tommorow will be the day we get backto a normal weather pattern,and I�ll be happy to see it ! I think I�m going to go to the SF Botanical Garden on Sat or Sun to placate myself for the 2 rainout garden tours I�ve missed in May.On the plus side all my new fledgeling plants are getting a nice start with the rainwater .Snail patrols have been intense ! Deanne, it�s so interesting to look at the pics you posted this weekend on FB, and compare your garden progress with mine. It looks like you are so way ahead of me here inzone 9, but I had to remind myself that I have lots of brand new 1st year plants that are still small. Trying to figure out a way to invite myself to see your gardens this August, as it is very likely I will be going to Boston on business in the middle of that month. Cindy, that little Stella is mighty cute ! I�ve been monitoring your weather ..and everyones actually, when I got my I-phone I set up the Idyll temps on the weather app.At this moment my phone say it�s 80 where you are , too damn hot for 8:30 ! A balmy 74 at Deannes. All for me, cooking an artichoke for dinner and need to do a snail WALAT . Kathy in Napa

Cynthia, SO nice to finally hear from you. I was getting worried about and "that fool dog of your's". I can't even begin to contemplate how hard this must be. At least with Rex he still had 3 legs left to hop around on... and while he may've been sore for some time he could at least move around and shift position without yelping. I really would like to see a picture if you're up to shooting it and then posting it. Hang tough! I love candles in the windows of a home (pictures? look who's talkin'). The only reason I don't do it here is that there are windowboxes under the roadside window and I fill them with greens that would hide the candles. But when I was a kid we used them. And, MARTIE, we added one for every Sunday in Advent! All the decorations were left up until the Epiphany (Twelfth Night) and they came down the next day. I finished the 3 pediments this afternoon and put them up. I like them. But need to add something pale/bright to the lower edge to keeping them from "oozing" visually into the window below... . Shoulda bought more .99 lemons at Wallyworld, damnit. I have the big pediment on the dining room table right now and am about to embark on that. Boxwood is holding up, and I'm a whiz at making white pine swags now. :) (smells really good in here and the cats are having a total blast... in and out, in and out, doing their wonderful kitty routines. (thinking of Cynthia and the candles). Norma, your photographs are lovely (no "blurries" here, either)! I see a lot more color than just green grass in those shots. I love the way Mother Nature changes the palette over the course of the seasons but gives us the shimmer of rain and snow, instead. Martie, Kyle should be excited about his position. He must be having the time of his life. I'm a bit envious, frankly! :) I'm still struggling with how Mum's life ended, Martie. Not that I think I could have done more (aside from the ususal regrets you feel when someone you love dies), but there are several things I would love the opportunity to go back and "fine tune". I've thought about your question repeatedly over the past few days and still don't really have what I want to say completely figured out. It's such a huge thing to face and I still feel the full force of the wave that overtook me and hurled me onto the beach. I'm still shaking my head and trying to "collect myself"; checking again and again to make sure "everything is here". A good, family plan is the perfect place to start and having the doctor know you is KEY. IF you're able, make sure your Mom's doctor "follows" her if she ends up living with her children or enters a nursing home. That's one of the things I most regret... I loved her doctor when she was with me. He was young, hip, and all about minimizing medications and keeping her ACTIVE. I deeply regret the loss of that when Mum entered that awful place. Many, many thoughts and reminiscences today... alone with my thoughts, the animals and my final project (helmeet working AND going out with his buddy tonight). Some tears, a lot of "singing along", and the appreciation that the decorations are really ALL Mum. I learned it somewhere, afterall! Thinking of my friends tonight and still hoping for some basic pointers on how to "light" a basic TECHINICAL shot with my camera. Please? (MY tent would have a perpetually warm hot water bottle, blue cheese and pate. A cat, a good biography... want to know more about Martin Luther and Abraham Lincoln. Sparkling water with lemon, and Pinot Grigio or a nice red wine. Clementines, olives, and almonds. It would smell like evergreens, too).

well I decided I had a few hours to kill and thought I should post the huge amount of wonderful goodies because its going to take me that long to post all that Joan sent me. haha! I get the best partners in these swaps and its so nice to meet such sweet people in the process as well. For the goodies 4 live heirloom tomaotes. Rutgers and something else for the life of me I cant remember. They are in the green house and are soo far doing pretty good. It was good I recieved the varieties I did. My rutgers had a horible time germinating and the one other variety I have been looking for. 3 flower pouches - have not researched this thing but I told a local friend I got some of these and she about wet so I guess its pretty neat. adorable towel and pot holder set a few old seed catalogs NEAT Idea pair of garden shoes garden art sign yummy body lotion nail polish- love the color PURPLE yummy lip balm onion sets --- really needed these and I could not find the whites locally and I can only eat white onions go figure. She also sent me yummies that seem to have disapeared. Hubby and his sweet tooth. and then the seeds ohh the seeds piles of wonderful seeds. Lots and lots of basils and I really want to do a basil bed, tons of herbs and peppers and melons and egg plant and beans ohh my!!! then there was more herbs and more peppers oh wow!! cabbage and tomatoes and a few more herbs. Oh goodie!! Needless to say I recieved a packed box full of lovely wonderful things all of that I love. Thanks much Joan Acres/ Tracy

Hey, Toni...we're the opposite black sheep here. My dad had 11 brothers & sisters, mom had 6...so everyone one of THEM decided to have no more than 3 each. I only have 2 brothers. But hubby and I have 6, with #7 on the way. LOL Everyone thinks we're nuts. The first in our family since the grandparents to have more than 3 kids. Even grandma thinks we're kinda insane. But, we don't plan on stopping any time soon, so who knows? I'm only 31, hubby's 29. Lots of child-bearing years left for us. :D