Gee, and it all started because I drove a forklift at work, lol! I tell Jim that's why he went out with me...figured if I could do that, I could adapt to a tractor ;) Deanne, I'll try to drive anything at least once. I have to admit though, it took 3 years before I'd even attempt to take that stuff down the road from one field to another, and I'm still very slow and cautious about it. Hi, Marian! Up until a couple of years ago, we had a John Deere A, and John Deere B and a four bottom plow hanging around. Just looking at the plow made me tired, thinking about all the acres we cover. Eden, I do love the wide open spaces. Only drawback is that it's hard for me to garden with that as a backdrop. No matter how much stuff I put in, it looks small and empty with all that space around :) You'll see what I mean when I post pics of the stump bed. Michelle, the Versatiles are real work horses. Not sure what year they are, but they plug along all day with very little trouble. There are a lot of Deeres around here, but not many Internationals or Fords. (I think the blue Fords are really pretty!) What's your soil like? Lots of clay? 'bug, I see the MOST gorgeous scenery at harvest time. Not to mention all the wildlife that's hiding in the corn. I feel sorry for the rabbits...think how scary it would be to have that giant combine come roaring up in the middle of your dinner. Tons of deer...gorgeous, desctructive beasts that they are. Chelone, um, yeah...it's like workin' with the Chippendale dancers...HA! There's even MORE stuff to drag around behind a tractor. Rototary (sp) hoe, in case the ground gets a crust on it and the plants can't pop through, anhydrous applicators for putting on nitrogen, chisel plows....they can keep you busy dragging something around for as long as you'll tolerate it, lol! OH, in the bottom of the tractor seat, there's sort of a glove box doo-dad. There's been the same roll of toilet paper in there for the six years we've farmed with these guys. Wouldn't use it on a BET! In my "lunchbox", I carry travel size kleenex, two 16 oz bottles of water, my checkbook-it has my drivers license, cash, etc., Excedrin, Midol, a travel ashtray (yeah, I know, I'm just sayin'...) and a container that's usually full of roasted almonds. I've been left in a field to starve one too many times. And, I still have room to tuck in any emergency necessities I might need. The guys find it endlessly amusing when I offer them a "cigar", LMAO! They embarrass so easily! It doesn't pay to be bashful around these clowns. Plus, they stay outta my lunch box for fear of what they might find ;) As per request, I'll get some shots of the gardens. Hopefully I can get some of the peonies before the rain beats them into the ground...NOT that I'm complaining...we need rain. I usually offer up my gorgeous peonies in return for it. That's also how I got the "stump bed". We were in need of rain really bad one year, and the storm that brought the rain that saved the crops took down the old silver maple tree. I already had a planting area around the base of it, so what the heck, ya roll with the punches, eh? Went from a shade bed to a sun bed pretty quick. Thanks for all the kind words..I tend to forget there are people who DON'T have all this crap parked around on their property :) Brenda

I hope everybody gets their vines going good this year! Mine really are vigorous! I dug up three of the volunteers, and I was sure they were going to wilt immediately, because I had to break the big root that connected them to the main plant. I potted them up in some good dirt, watered them, put them in a shady spot, and then it rained on them yesterday. This morning, they're still turgid and healthy looking! I did notice that they had some small fibrous roots of their own - if they can keep making more of those, then I'll have three more a. tomentosas to plant. The original four cats I brought in have all successfully pupated - three are brown and one is green. The others that I brought into another cage are starting to pupate also - when you have plenty of tender new growth to feed your PVS cats, and don't have to use older leaves, they grow SOOOO fast and pupate so easily! You should see all the cats on my vines now - you wouldn't believe your eyes! MissSherry

No snow here in northern VA, or at my timberland in the MD mountains. In the MD mountains there used to be an average of over 90 inches per year, but in recent years we have averaged, I would guess, less than 35, and almost all of that from "lake effect" snow with a bit from Alberta clippers--none of the kinds of storms we used to see with a low pressure system passing to our south and going up the coast from NC. It has been many years since we have had "normal" snow for this area. And in VA we have had virtually no snow, except for one storm in 2003, and maybe one smaller one three years ago. It seems that the storms are all further north now--permanent climate change? I don't know, but this snow "dry" spell has lasted longer than any I have ever seen in my 70 years. And we have not had any real cold weather in Western MD since 1985. Now that's a long time not to have any of the kinds of cold spells we used to have every two or three years! You folks in the north--enjoy the snow--if you do enjoy it--while you can. The snow may be passing to your north very soon now. --Spruce

Also consider that deer carry the mites that spread Lyme Disease. That deer collisions can total cars and damage people (and deer aren't that logical when confronted with cars and trucks). That deer can destroy gardens, orchards, and landscape plantings. That your neighbors may decide they are cute and may begin feeding them and giving them names. That each female will probably produce an offspring every year. That many neighborhoods frown (understatement) on 'deer reductions' (a rather odd phrase I heard up in Indiana for reducing deer populations in a state park). That one cute doe may be a heard of twelve in eight years.