I'm growing Sierra and Nevada for the first time, right now, along with my own summer favorite, Simpson's Elite. Really, if I was stuck on a desert island (with a climate like my home town) and had to pick just one lettuce, it would be Simpson's Elite. It's boringly easy to grow, tastes great, and is as bolt resistant as a green leaf lettuce can be. If I could change one thing about it, I wish it had a darker green or red cousin that was as perfect, but I haven't found such a beast. I also just ordered some seeds from Jonny's, earlier tonight. I ordered some Anenue and Red Fire (along with more Vulcan and Magenta (an "improved Sierra") -- I wasted a whole packet of Vesey's Sierra trying to get it to germinate). What a harmonic convergence here, huh? I spent the evening poring through catalogs and the NCSU list to find bolt-resistant varieties that sounded interesting enough to try out. I have grown Jericho before. Since I harvest cut-and-come-again, it never got a decent chance to head up and show me it's best side. Big romaines aren't really my thing. I'd rather have a fast grower than the most bolt-resistant variety in the world. Bolt-resistant-enough is good enough for me, because I would rather harvest early and plant more. One like that that I was happy with last summer was Little Gem. It's a mini-cos, extremely rugged in the face of outdoor wind and rain, with extremely fast-growing and erect leaves. It makes a gorgeous but small head during cooler weather if you leave it alone, but I prefer to pick off leaves early until it bolts and during the summer that works out fine. So it's NOT bolt-resistant. It just grows quickly enough that it's not necessarily an issue. It's a different kind of lettuce that I think everybody should grow once, although it doesn't show its very best side during the summer. I grew Vulcan last year and was happy with it, but I wouldn't call it bolt resistant. Last summer, I also grew Emerald Oak, which is DELICIOUS. It has a bolt-resistant reputation which it really doesn't deserve. I also grew Merlot a couple of summers back -- extremely bolt-resistant but it grows slowly and is kind of stunted. I didn't consider it a good use of precious space. Going back to Little Gem for a moment... One other nice thing about it is that it's so erect that you can grow it shoulder to shoulder in really tight spaces. I just sow the seed directly and thin it when it gets difficult to work with. Maybe 2" by 2" per plant is enough. Crazy, but it works. I'll see how New Red Fire, Anenue, and Magenta work out later this summer. I like to try to push these things, heh. Last year, I couldn't get a fall lettuce crop started until mid-October because of a heatwave that just wouldn't go away.

I confess that my upcoming entertainment plans are far more kinetic (gardening, shoveling mulch, several repair and small construction projects) than they are media-based. I can easily curl up with a book and a warm blanket in the winter months, but when summer rolls around, I go out back with a book and the best of intentions and find myself asleep in my hammock in minutes. I agree with you on the Imax thing. Totally different experience. I have a very hard time sitting still at movies and I think the last time I saw a summer blockbuster was some time in the mid-90s. I have made a committment to seeing movies this summer however. Sundance has chosen Madison as the home of their first of a circuit of branded theatre complexes. Tomorrow is the grand opening. This theatre is replacing a community institution that had been showing independent films for decades. It is in a neighborhood that has been completely yuppified in the last year. I'm not sure if the yuppification of independent films is a good or bad thing yet. I just think the thought of enjoying reserved seating, upscale refreshments, and oddball movies with something more than car chases and explosions is appealing enough to get me back to the medium...

Just wanted to address the picture (my pics) issue really quickly. I have often been accused of over-sharing on the internet. I live on a corner lot, so anyone who frequents this forum could probably drive by and recognize my garden. If a pedophile is lurking here, they could see my kids and perhaps figure out where I live. That does concern me somewhat, but I watch my kids like a hawk, and I think that a true pedophile has many more extensive and disgusting sources of phtos than my baby butt garden pics. I can't help but share pics of my garden and my kids, they are my biggest sources of pride and I just love to share. I know I am naive but I feel in my heart that most if not all gardeners are good folks. I trust this forum and I feel safe here. As for my grow list: I am going to try to grow Nematode Resistant plants when possible. I am scaling back this year as far as varieties for this reason. I am currently on a seed hunt for: Pole Beans: Poamoho or Alabama No 1 Bush Beans Monoa Wonder or Harvester Lima Bean Nemagreen Bell pepper charleston belle or carolina wonder Wando Peas My herbs, lettuces, spinach etc don't seem affected by RKN so I will again grow tons of them. I hope to grow around 20 Nematode resistant tomatoes (assorted). I cannot find any nematode resistant cucs, squash, or soybeans, so I am unsure what I will do for those or if I will just skip them this year. I'd also love to grow carrots and beets but last year both were a complete failure (tiny stunted crop). Jo

I loved Me before you, I read it a year ago and I still think about it. I read From the Kitchen of Half Truths, someone had recommended the kitchen house to me and all I could remember was kitchen and I borrowed the wrong book. Anyhow I really enjoyed it, it was a quirky story and set in England, but I really liked it. My girlfriends and I started a trashy book club, so my current reading choice, I am too embarrassed to share. Lol. I also read The Fault in our Stars, the movie is being released this weekend. This was meant to be for young adult readers, but I must admit I really loved it. Now after reading this thread, I must go update my list on goodreads, I need to read a few substantial books in between my selections from the book club, hehe, to balance my brain a bit. Happy reading everyone!