karima-you are too kind.it is funny the effect my garden has on some people; i have a biker friend that has been making fun of me cause i am a hardcore rosarian- last week his wife bought two roses and i gave her two of my overflow. he has been watering them everyday and was shocked when the one i gave them bloomed about the size of his head. they came over last night to see my oasis and even in the dark with a little light it looked stunning; he was really paying attention this time and showing great interest. i know he is getting hooked.

âÂÂBill, just curious but how did Gary get seeds for this last year when Jere only listed it in the 2008 catalog? Maybe he asked for new variety seeds in return for Granny Cantrell, or similar. Just a thought.â ********** I have shared a number of Heirloom Tomato varieties with Baker Creek and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange directly and indirectly My dear friends, Merlyn and Mary Ann Niedens, have grown and are growing varieties I pass along to them for trial. They have introduced the âÂÂGranny CantrellâÂÂsâ German, Atkinson, Hazelfield Farm Red, and have others this season being grown for release this year and next.. I am recovering from a full day spent in Cincinnati at the CHOPTAG Plant Exchange. This is the energizer which gets me started for a summer of growing Heirloom Tomatoes! All these good folks just keep growing on you year after year like family and provide the cream of the crop tomato seedlings with such generosity. We had outsiders wander by and they were rewarded with tomatoes as well! The Tomato Tasting is even better! COME JOIN US! In January of 2007 the folks at Baker Creek kindly shared a few seed of the True Black Brandywine with me; they indicated that William Woys Weaver had shared seed with them and plans were for it to be grown and listed in the 2008 catalog. I germinated a number of the seed without difficulty and had some spare plants which I shared with a select few folks who I knew would enjoy growing them. I sent Bill a variety of seedlings last spring because he has been so generous in sharing with me. Germination was very good and my saved seed from the TBB did extremely well this season. Before responding to this thread, I checked the few seedlings I have ready for planting. They are a good healthy/strong potato leaf plant and are ready for planting. True Black Brandywine is an indeterminate, midseason, good flavor, with several buds to a truss, medium plus size fruit, with dark deep pink to purple tomatoes. Shoulders have a bronzy/green/purple coloration similar to Cherokee Chocolate. 2007 growing season was hot and dry and production was low on most all my varieties; I am growing the TBB again this year in hopes of a bountiful season on all my tomatoes Gary

THE LAST LEAF by FOTESS A woman walks through a forest of tall trees. A cool breeze is blowing as the summer comes to a close. The trees begin to shiver as a squirrel scurries through on a hunt for the bountiful harvest from the nut trees. A single leaf falls. The woman raises her eyes skyward, to learn the source of the falling leaf, the largest she has ever seen. She is delighted to discover it is from a rare and beautiful native, the Bigleaf Magnolia. Suddenly, something else catches her eye. As she paused, looking up at the tree, Lucille realized that it was much colder than it had been when she parked the truck at the trailhead. Looking west she could see thick grey clouds flying ahead of the wind. "I better head back and check on the animals," The woman said to herself. As she turned and headed back down the trail, an Elvish figure stepped away from the tree, smiled, and nodded his head. For several seconds, she screamed in awesome fear. Then a quiet, comforting peace consumed her in to a devoted trance. She could not speak. She could not move. Lucille’s paralyzed body fell to the soft earth. The short, rather ugly, non-human like being approached her. He stooped down on to his knees, ever so close to her now frail body. She saw his ears were not ears but luscious golden veined, red leaves. She smiled. His distorted fingers caringly closed her eyes and then he took her hands in to his. Butterflies in a myriad of colors flutter past Lucille's frail body. Enchanting objects flying around like little pixies. Lucille gently reopens her eyes to a magical forest. Dancing pink magical mushrooms wander this forest in very operatic voices. Where am I, she cries?? A faint cackle taunts her in the distance. She frantically looks down and remembers nothing but that mysterious single leaf. Lucille looks around to the new magical world she has found herself in.There are flowers of all different colors,fairies flying to and fro and all of a sudden she realizes she is a fairy,with wings and all of the mixed hues of a leaf colors in autumn!!! But she wants to go home to her animals and has a feeling that mysterious leaf is her only link to finding her way home.but how can she find the leaf? The leaves she sees here are the beautiful colors of autumn.The mysterious leaf was green!! Lucille slumped down in a slough of despair. "Oh, what to do, what to do," she cried. "Not a fairy! I don't even know how to fly - nor do I want to learn! I want to go home!" She stood up and looked around at the colorful landscape and all the fluttering, singing beings. "This is all very pretty, albeit a bit garish. But pretty as it is, it is still just a bit creepy. These pink mushrooms are really getting on my nerves." She wandered a few paces down the path. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw what appeared to be a moving forest! As it came closer, she saw it was a whole group of the little Elvish figures, chanting " Where is the Last Leaf?" over and over. In addition to ears that looked like leaves, their bodies looked barky, with knot holes, and their arms were very twiggy. "Gee," thought Lucille, "if I find the Last Leaf for them, maybe they'll tell me how to get out of here!" As the chanting of the Elvish figures grew louder Lucille trembled. What to do, stay and talk to them or run and hide. Although she wanted to hide she deceided to stay as they might know how she can find her way home. Soon they circled around Lucille chanting "where is the last leaf." Lucille asked," can you please help me find my way home." "No," said the biggest and angriest creature, we want the last leaf. "Why are you looking for the last leaf ," asked Lucille. The smallest one stepped forward and said," Our mother, Mrs. Maganolia said we cannot sleep until the last leaf falls and we are getting very tired as we have been swaying in the wind since last spring. Just then the large angry creature said, "I bet she is hiding the last leaf, lets go get her." Lucille tries to turn away as the largest creature approaches, but finds it difficult to move. Pain knifes through her skull as the fading light penetrates the twin slits of her eyelids and her vision is clouded in gouts of red fog. She puts her hand to her head and it comes away sticky. As she strives for lucidity, warm breath bathes her cheek and she hears snuffling. A gray horse is standing above her just on the other side of a fence she had not noticed earlier. Fully awake now, Lucille realizes that she is lying on the ground and begins to assess the damage. On her forehead a large bloody lump throbs with every heartbeat, but nothing seems broken. Near her foot a twisted root tells the story of her fall even if she can't recall the accident. Struggling to get up, she remembers the menacing creatures from her unconscious fantasy and chides herself for her vivid imagination. Brushing away twigs and leaves clinging to her clothes, she makes her way back to the truck, again passing the Bigleaf Magnolia. It is bare. "Was there one large leaf there before, one that fell?", she asks herself as she climbs into the driver's seat. Her eyes scan the forest's edge as she tries to reconcile her memory of trees just beginning their transition from summer to fall with the reality of the nearly leafless spectacle before her. Everything about her adventure is becoming a little hazy as she tries to piece together the afternoon's events. On the drive home she decides to feed the animals quickly and drive to the ER to be checked for concussion. When she slides gingerly out of the truck so as not to reawaken the pain in her head, she does not notice the debris that falls from her hair. Green, perfect, vibrant and pulsing with life, it is the last leaf. the end

Wasn't she the winner of "America's Top Dog?" When Gomer said that yes she was, Barnaby mentioned that he is a scout for "America's Got Talent" and he would love to have Margie on next year's show. Well, Gomer got so excited, he was stuttering and stammering and grabbed Barnaby's hand and shook till it almost fell off. Barnaby gave Gomer his card and said that he would get in touch with him for an audition. Gomer grabbed Margie and they jumped in "My Mother the Car" and he was telling Margie about all the the things they were going to do if they won. In the meantime he had to work on some new tricks for the show.