I have very sandy soil, so if I allow for adequate (plenty) of air circulation, I can get away with growing a few herbs in ground. Like I mentioned, the thyme and oregano have loved it. The bed is on the east side of my house and the base of the wall, so they don't get directly hit by most of our summer rains. They seem to enjoy those conditions. Some will slow down during the height of summer, but they survive and rebound as autumn approaches. On the topic of tomatoes, I am trying something this fall that I had read about and then saw on a show. I grew Tagetes marigolds in a bed through the summer and then dug them into the soil before planting my tomatoes. Supposedly root-knot nematodes do not like the chemicals released by the roots and decaying foliage of Tagetes and will avoid the area. So over this fall and the next couple years I am going to try cycling marigolds and tomatoes to see if the health of the tomatoes improves.

I won't say there's anything I'm so emotionally attached to that would constitute "love" be there are several things I like. Deodorant is Mitchum Unscented antiperspirant. Lately, I've had such dry skin on my legs that things won't heal, it itches, I scratch and cycle repeats. The doctor nagged me at the last physical to use some lotion. Well, I hate stinky lotions. I've used the Neutrogena Hand Cream for years and it's not so offensive. A friend used it for years and I tried it decades ago and liked it but didn't have a lot of need for it. It's kind of spendy and you can't empty the tube but I'll pay for quality. I tried one I saw on Youtube, a coconut cream from Dollar Tree and it seems to soak in more quickly than Neutrogena. It's real thin and it has a "coconut" smell that isn't too offensive. Found a "Diabetics Lotion" at Dollar Tree too that I decided to try. It's like a thick toothpaste in texture, maybe thicker, but it's unscented, which does not mean there's no smell at all but there isn't the perfumey stench that most have and it works fairly well. They quit making the White Rain shampoo I liked. One of the few that really worked well but it's gone. Found something similar in Pantene and that's now discontinued. So I use whatever is cheap now. I just found a Gillette body wash that I really like. Smells, but not too offensive, cleans well and rinses well and for me, clean and quick rinsing is very important since I can't stand around waiting forever to rinse off like I could in the past. I too have tried the turmeric curcumin and anecdotally, I'm going to keep using it. I use MoveFree Ultra (one tiny pill instead of 2-3 horse pills for normal glucosamine/chondroitin/msm) and I've been taking ginger root for joint pain too and again, nothing clinical but seems to make a difference. I've been taking cranberry supplements and drink cranberry juice regularly. There's quite a difference there and a multi-vitamin, calcium and when I'm not feeling well I add some vitamin C. I really liked Crest Lemon Ice toothpaste. I actually noticed myself brushing longer with it. I liked the flavor. Discontinued. So I went to the Crest Citrus. Discontinued. Why do people insist on mint for everything? They even discontinued the Equate Citrus mouthwash so now it's pay over twice as much for Listerine or go to mint. For quite a while I switched to the foaming hand soap. I'd either buy the $1 bottles or get a refill and fill the empties. But I came across a lemon scented liquid soap that isn't offensive. Actually smells good. Found a Berry scent at Dollar Tree that also isn't offensive so now I mix them up a bit between the liquid and foam. And for the price, it rivals bar soap cost without the mess.

I am just finishing up Bernard Cornwall's "War of the Wolf." The author is an historian and his excellent research shows in the detail. I recommend this to anyone who wants to get an idea of how "England" actually began. It is set in the time just after Alfred the Great, when warring kingdoms (Mercia, Wessex, Northumberland, etc.) vied for power in a land invaded by Danes, Saxons, Vikings, and Scots. King Alfred's dream was to unite the island under one language and one government. This book tells of the lengthy struggle that went into that effort, after much warfare. I usually would not choose to read books dealing with war, but I have an interest in Britain before the Norman invasion and this was satisfying to read, in all its complexity.

Summer romance is a beautiful rose with an incredible scent and perfect health here. It is not a rounded bush, it throws upright long canes. It is way taller than 4x4 in zone 7b. Amazing spring flush and sporadic blooms the rest after two years in the ground. It would be magnificent if it decided to rebloom well, but so far not. So far Fiji and Madame Anisette both have required over 3 years here before rebloom omg well. I will get give SR another year to see if rebloom improves before deciding if it deserves the space in the garden.