Hi Everyone, just wanted to check in and let y'all know that I'm doing ok. I took this week off from work, both to rest some and to start tending to some of the many details that follow a death. God has been very gracious to our family through Mike's illness and death. The original diagnosis of melanoma was in Oct. 2003, and the reoccurance and spread to the lungs and adrenal gland was in May of 2005. During that time, we have had both hard times and really good times. Last year (2006) was a very good year for us - he was in a clinical trial that had almost NO side effects and that shrunk the tumors drastically.....that worked from March through September. Even though the October scan showed that the tumors were starting to grow again, he had no symptoms until early November and it didn't get bad until after Thanksgiving. Those 8 months from mid March through mid November were a gift from God - Mike felt good, went back to work part time, and we got to spend lots of quality time together. The last 7-8 weeks were difficult, but God used even those hard times.....as Mike got worse and withdrew more and more from us, we were also adjusting to the fact that even though he was sitll with us, he wasn't "with" us much. Even with him sleeping a lot and emotionally withdrawing and preparing to leave us, he perked up enough to hold and take pictures with his newest Grandson only two days before he died (Joseph Michael was born 4 days before he died, and stopped by on his way home from the hospital). We all figured that he was holding on to see the baby, and were not surprised that he left us so soon afterward. It really was a blessing that he went so quickly once things got bad...it was very difficult to watch him suffer. Some of you know that this is the 2nd husband that I've lost - the first was to a car accident nearly 22 years ago. So, although the method was different, I've been through this before. The blessing in that is that I have a much different perspective on my life this time. Last time, I was 29 years old with 4 small children and couldn't imagine having a good life ahead of me. However, God had a wonderful life planned for me (19 1/2 years with Mike), and I know that he still has a plan for my life. I miss Mike, and know that there will be so many times that I want to tell him something and he won't be there - those times, and the Saturday mornings that we always sat on our patio drinking coffee, looking over the garden, and watching the squirrels, birds, and butterflies will be the hardest. Those times will also be the sweetest, because that's where I have so many precious memories to hold on to. Anyway, even though I know I have some difficult times ahead, I'm looking forward to moving on with my life and seeing what's ahead for me. As soon as the never ending rain goes away (I'm assuming that will EVENTUALLY happen, lol), I plan to get back out in my garden. It's already calling me :))) I want to say thank you one more time to all of you who have walked through this with me and have been such an encouragement. Your prayers and support have meant much! Janet

Linda - The good news is that you live in the perfect climate to grow roses. You will not have to worry about "winter protection" from freezing temps! Do you know what kind of roses yours are? Are they stiff upright bushes 4 - 8 feet tall, with large blooms with pointed buds? If so, they are probably hybrid teas. It is important to know what kind of roses you have before you prune them, as different kinds respond best to different types of pruning. Re clippers, I love my Felco ones. They are "by-pass" ones, which mean they work like scissors. The other type is called "anvil", and tend to squash the roses. They make a version for smaller hands, which work great for me. They also make a version where one of the handles rotates, so that it is easier to use - this comes in the normal and the smaller size. You also might want to get a pair of long handled clippers - that way you can stay further away from the thorns, and they are good for larger canes. Obviously, you need good gloves made for roses, too. I am a bit confused about the aphids, as they usually come in the Spring, at least here. I would not worry about them. What I would do is what dollsandroses said - google the American Rose Society, and see if you can find the nearest local society, which can put you in touch with a Consulting Rosarian, who might be able to come and look at the roses for you, and tell you what general type they are, and then you can get specific pruning advice based on that. Good Luck! jackie

Looking on Texas A&M, it says it is "Physiological Leaf Roll", caused by drought or other environmental stress. I will have to really watch my watering practices and calculate how much water I am really giving them. Maybe I thought I was doing a good job and really wasn't. -the seedlings were at about 65ish degrees. -I forgot to mention the small fan that was blowing on them... -the peat pots were small, 2-3 inches. The roots were not coming out of the bottoms. They were so tiny! I will not use these again. They dry out to quickly. I had to water them a lot to keep them evenly watered. I will use clean plastic pots next time. -I just realized I did a silly thing. I thought I had bought a bag of Fox Farm's soil less mix, but I just looked at the bag, and it is their Ocean Forest POTTING soil. It has sphagnum moss, perlite/vermiculite (there's a difference?), humus, and a little sand, plus the ridiculous proprietary things (guano, earthworm castings, blurb-blurb-blurb) that I paid too much for. pH of 6.5. -the planter boxes are massive. Made of 4x4s four high, rebar pinning them to the earth, lined with food safe plastic, weed mat underneath (which was stupid in hindsight, what weed in their right mind is getting through 2 1/2 feet of soil?) They are 4ft by 6 ft, and one is 4 ft by 12 ft. They are probably going to be there until I'm 86 years old. My husband does things very thoroughly. :) Our yard's soil is mostly rock and granite. I'm fairly certain there is a concrete and landscape rock cemetery back there; I'm constantly hitting something. -The Pioneer mix was delivered in a big truck. It grows grass wonderfully. - The seeds I got from Jung sprouted, but never really took off. They lost their first set of leaves, got 4-5 branches with nice leaves, but they were just not as robust as I've seen them. I was afraid to set them out too early, so I think I remember setting them out the 2nd week of May sometime to harden. I let them harden till the last week of May, letting them stay out for a few hours and then setting them inside at night. I was getting married the first week in June, so they had to be out one way or another by then. The store bought plants I planted when we got back, around the 3rd week in June. Too late? - The rooting hormone I used was a liquid mix that you dilute. Now that I think about it, I don't think it was a hormone per say, "Root Stimulator" was what it was called. I used it on my transplanted annual beds, just a quick water, or with my new dormant strawberry plants, soaked in a mixture and planted. I think it was just a 4-10-3 fertilizer to give a little boost. Does it work? I honestly couldn't say yay or nay. Maybe I was so stressed out with the upcoming wedding and planning that I didn't pay enough attention to the little things. I never saw any wilting, but that doesn't mean that the seedlings weren't stressed at some point and I didn't notice. This year I will be like a mama hawk! (I feel like I'm in a Sherlock Holmes chapter with all these questions! This is awesome!)

These European Salvias thrive in poor soil, and are pretty well drought-resistant. They enjoy full sun, but feeding them is not really recommended. Wishing you success!