A very belated thank you for my birthday wishes. What does that comment about the candles mean?? I'm only 29. Well, actually, this year I had to become 30. (Christian is beginning to understand numbers and he questioned how have been 29 for all my other birthdays and don't add a number like he does. So, I guess the cat's out of the bag.) ;o) Marda, What sweet pics. I can always depend on special snuggles from my fids (Feathered kIDS). Jaz, Only you, girl. Only you. I'll cherish my birthday song for the next 10 anniversaries of my 30th birthday. Again, thanks all for my birthday wishes. You are all very special.

Keith, The cold held on here just a couple of days longer than it did there. I covered up everything with row cover about 2 days a week (I would leave it covered for 2 days and nights without uncovering it) for about 6 or 7 ridiculous weeks. What was the option though? To let it all freeze? Not if I could help it. Unfortunately, even while we were having nights in the 30s we were having occasional days in the 80s and 90s, so some of the cool-season stuff starting bolting, in some cases, about the same time the cold nights stopped. The onions and taters are fine, the broccoli is okay but slow to form heads (at least it hasn't bolted or formed button heads), the cabbage is right on schedule, the onions may be a bit smaller than usual because I didn't water them much and we're still in drought (though we clawed our way back from severe to moderate drought on the latest monitor) but they haven't bolted...and the garlic looks great. The cauliflower and snap peas produced fine, but I harvested the last of them and took out the plants this week. The brussels sprouts are forming sprouts but they need to hurry up before the heat gets them. The lettuce and other greens have been bolting, and I've been pulling them out almost daily and feeding them to the chickens. There's still a few heads of summercrisp varieties not bolting yet, but I don't think they'll last much longer. The only radishes left are the rat-tail radishes grown for their pods. I just pulled the last of the Swiss chard from last year as it has begun bolting, but have new young seedlings to put into the ground as replacements. I planted okra almost late---holding off and waiting forever for the cold nights to go away. When okra volunteers began sprouting in the area where I've grown okra the last two years, I decided it was warm enough to sow seeds. Now I need to go back and dig out the little seedlings that volunteered and move them someplace where there is room for them to grow. The tomatoes are happy and loaded with fruit, but it won't be as big of an early harvest as last year. I'm okay with that. I am so burnt out on canning, drying and freezing tomatoes that I am pretty much hoping for a late harvest of the paste tomatoes so that I don't have to spend the entire summer canning. I've got three ripe tomatoes, all from Bush Early Girl, sitting on the kitchen counter. I think I'll make BLT sandwiches for dinner tonight. The only other ripe tomatoes so far are from the other plants in containers, but the BEG is in the ground. Oh, the cherries in the ground are producing an occasional ripe one. I don't think the big harvest will start until about mid-June. That isn't surprising considering how odd our weather has been. I think last year's early warm-up just made this year's late cold so much harder to bear. I kept looking at plants covered up in row cover and thinking to myself they looked two months behind last years plants....and they were! They are catching up now that the cold weather is gone. I only planted about 1/4 as many tomato plants as last year. Since the tomato harvest will be manageable, I planted tons of cukes, melons, taters, onions and garlic. I knew I needed something to fill up the garden so I wouldn't just keep sticking tomato plants in every empty spot. I would love a late spring. One year we hardly broke 100 degrees at all. Maybe it was 2002? 2004? Whenever it was.....it was an awesome year. The tomatoes never slowed down and I didn't get all tired and burnt out and let the weeding get away from me. In more recent years, I have just let the weeds win the battle in July and August, and then when it cools off in September I try to get rid of them. It is a real good garden year so far....I've only had two snakes in the garden. The turtle who comes and patrols the rows of potatoes for bugs just showed up the week, so things are starting to feel kinda normal---finally. Dawn

Howdy all! It's granny Barb here, oldest of the TD coots. Why do I have to log on as a member here now? Even wickedcoolstuff.com remembers me from my email address. I've been visiting with you all by email cuz I thought you were all chatting away there to bypass GW new confused state. Gee I sure missed a lot! BTW I'm fine. I've dealt with paraplegia for 55 years and even a nasty surgery won't stop me, tho I may be off my feed and so on for awhile. Life goes on, and I enjoy most of it, you all especially, most of the time. I hope I can stay and watch the fun, even if I can't do up boxes while I recover. Very comforting to have friends around while healing. And they may not want to operate after all. In which case, I'll be permanently slowed down. If so, you are still a lovely bunch of gardener types to hang out with. I'll keep you posted. The deciding appt. with surgeon #2 is Feb. 3. Wow, I'm so behind! Greenhouses and businesses, kids and grandkids with good news and not so good, daylilies and orchids, kitchens and chocolate! I'm paying attention here. The brugs are growing in their pots, out of the cellar, but I did lose my favorite, Yellow Wedding Bells. The 2 cuttings I kept just screamed, rotted and passed away. I never plan to collect them, tho; all I want is a modest brug forest beside the knifophias. Doesn't matter if half of them are the same. That's the joy of lotsa land. I'll never fill it all up! Our old friend of 30 years M was here for the weekend. He's recovering from open heart surgery last Aug. and the change in him is phenomenal! He's lost 50 lbs., he's happy and agile, all rosy and the twinkle is back in his eye! He about drove us mad picking arguments over politics before. Now he tells silly jokes again! Wore me out, tho. Deni I looked up your illness. It's like my everlasting nerve pain, but with some added bonuses just to keep you guessing. You get a lot done despite. Terrific. What is going on in everybody's ponds? Are the fish ok with all this nutty weather? I think we should all post our animal pictures nefore Jan is over, as part of the Jan swap theme. Any hints on keeping raccoons out of suet feeders? It is already hoisted quite a ways up a tree. They climb, then hang on the feeder and pull everything down with them. And during this animally time, I just have to say it out loud, corner nothwithstanding: I REALLY LIKE FROGS A LOT! TOADS TOO! I do. DD Sara had an enormous toad she called Frank she used to kiss on the lips. We told her not to, but you all have kids and know how much they listen sometimes. Ol' Frank got so used to it he'd just hang there, with his legs dangling; he was about 7" long from lips to toes. Wish I'd taken a picture! Next time I'll be all caught up and post something more germane... hugs all around Barb

Thank you, thank you, all, for your good wishes. I appredicate your interest and kindness. The big day was on Sunday. Daughter invited me to a Chinese restaurant - when we arrived, it was closed. So we went to another. It was more than the 29th - even somewhat above the 39 that was so attractive to Jack Benny for so long. I enjoyed being 75 for 366 days - but no longer. Very thankful that I don't think that I've taken a pill in 30 years, at least. Doc told me the other day that I seem to be in fine fettle. Had the root of a tooth removed the other day and it's settled down so that the chompers work O.K. again. Bad news today - car exhaust was leaking, so had that fixed, but even then it failed emission test (badly), so need to diagnose it - and get such work done as needs doing in order to get my licence renewed. The old van is over 20 years old, so is exempt - or I'd probably be walking for a few days. Actually, I can get a 10 day extension for $15. ... ... which I may need to do, as part of birthday celebration is that daughter has invited me to some secretive occasion in Toronto next Thursday - which may necessitate me driving. I suspect that it's a play or some kind of show. Time will tell. I'm at son's for supper now (earky Mon. evening) - it's to be roast beef, which smells good already. I'm to move to Uncle's farm house, as the new owner of the farm isn't going to use it, and guess that he likes my looks. Much cheaper rent. About same size house, but current basement is more useable than the old farmhouse basement, but think that I'll be able to store some stuff in a shed, and use workbench, including vise, etc. No monthly surcharge to park van, either. After early next month, though - I'll have to pay for the dog and cat feed. Last night I visited a neighbour who has done quite a lot for Stuart (and his wife prior to her death three years ago). Their grand-daugter gave me a muffin with a candle on it. I tried to blow it out by sucking in air - but it didn't work. They came over to get some crystal - the lady, being somewhat inebriated, managed to drive their fairly new pickup truck into the ditch instead of the lane. A neighbour who was passing pulled them out. Husband was going to drive home - but family and I prevailed upon him to let me drive them home. We managed to get back to his yard without further incident (and his bro-in law drove me home). Next task - winnow my stuff so that I can shoehorn it into Uncle's house. Thanks again for your good wishes - and felicitations to you all for the week ahead. (incrementally more) ole joyful