Carlota-----How nice to hear from you----I'm Florence/zeffyrose from Pa----I understand about back problems----I've had three operations since 20001----two hip replacements and one back surgery---I'm unable to garden like I used to but I can still smell the roses--thank goodness--- Antique and rose forum are still pretty active but Conversations is not active like it used to be which is sad----we hardly hear from all the old regulars-- I check in every so often and I'm so glad I saw your post-- Sam hasn't been here for a while----but I'm in touch with her---She lost her precious DH Gary last August---It has been very painful for her--he was the love of her life-- She still has her horse and has added a goat to keep it company-- I'm so happy to see you posting again Keep in touch--- Florence

Glad to see you back. It's been a long hot summer here in FL. But things are looking good in GH. Have make all my benches deeper. Planting seed to put out in the veg garden in about 6 more weeks. Still way to hot. But keeping busy.

Good Morning, Everyone! Thank you all for the "welcome back". I missed each and every one of you. Stormy here today on this Good Friday. Dark and a bit chilly out. Good weather for gardens though. Glad for the rain though. We've had high temps and high, dry winds this past week and wildfires every day. Nothing close to here, but close enough that I could smell the smoke. My dogs erupted in chorus with every firetruck that passed by over on the highway.(hehehe). I took pictures of the gardens on the 31st. Glad I did, as the hot, dry winds dried out all the pretty yellow Jonquils later that day. Blasted hot winds ruined them before our Easter Sunday family picnic and egg hunt. They were magnificent in chorus with the yellow forsythias, white Bridle's Wreath, and Redbud trees now in full bloom all over the garden. My beloved Jane Magnolia is breathtakingly beautiful this year and smells so wonderful. I planted out some Orange Perfection Phlox yesterday. Tried them last year, but they didn't make it. This rain may ensure these do. I dug around in the bin at the store until I found one, just one package with moist peat inside. Holding it up to to sunlight, I could just make out something possibly alive in that dark green plastic bag. Makes me mad to pay five bucks for dead rootstock. They are not the best looking root stocks I ever saw, but think they will make it. I only need one to survive to establish a nice clump this year for next year's blooms. I also planted a package of purple Liatris and a package of Freesia bulbs for summer blooms. I love the smell of Freesia. Yummy. All the Peonies are up and beginning to make tiny flower buds. Hopefully the red ones and deep magenta ones will bloom this year too. If they do, it will be their first time. Some deer came into the yard this winter and ate the top branches off the one surviving River birch sapling, but it is recovering nicely now. I caged it with a tomato cage and for now they are leaving it alone. They are "camped" up on the hill, hiding in wait for my juicy, delicious roses to start blooming, no doubt. :[ I've been taking the dogs for walks up there every morning and hopefully their pee and poop will make them think twice about coming any closer to the back yard. My English Shepherd could easily take down a whitetail deer. DH said this weekend he would finish stretching field fence around on the inside of the existing barbed wire fencing to keep out critters. That won't keep deer out, but it will keep our dogs in, so we can let them run loose on the property. That will be great. They need the exercise and I need them to do their job protecting the place. They love it, too. Hopefully the raccoons & coyotes will take the hint. Keep Out! Anyhow, so far so good. Gotta go check on my chicks. They poopy up their water really fast and will be ready for breakfast. :) Talk to you guys later. ~Annie

Note to Mary3444, on Computer Help Forum, there is this message :See link, Microsoft softened its hard-line stance on halting support for Windows XP after the April 2014 cutoff date, stating it will provide antimalware signature updates for XP users through July 14, 2015. The move, Microsoft said, is designed to help businesses complete XP migrations. http://www.crn.com/news/security/240165469/microsoft-extends-xp-malwar e-updates-one-year.htm I check out CompHelp every day. Often find good advice there that comes in handy when I have a problem. I miss my old XP! Sue