Thanks! Of our 4 girls, she is by farm the hardest working and most observant. You show her once and she's got it. Last spring she helped me put our drip tape. I pulled a wagon with the drip tape roll in the back. When I stopped her job was to stop the roll from unrolling. She caught on very quick. We got the job done very quick. Last summer she would come out and pick cherry tomatoes with me. She would pick more than her sisters. 4 to 6 pint baskets. Not to bad for a 3 year old. Best of all she WANTED to do it. Jay

You beat me to it, Alice! I was going to start a similar threadexcept I was gonna title it, "ItÂs too hot out!" I spent a couple hours in the backyard raking the leaves on the grass, and (hand) picking up leaves off of the mulch around the perennials. When I went out there it was 72 in the shadeÂand 82 on the sunny side (but in the shade) of the yard. Most of what I was doing was in the sun, and it was HOT! I had a WONDERFUL time! I am DEFINITELY not ready for it to be winter yet! I was cleaning up leaves around the Agastache and the Russian sage, and I was sniffing so much and so deeply that I was practically hyperventilating! There are so many good-smelling things out there! And it was fun to uncover things and see whatÂs going on under the fallen leaves. My Russian sage, and ÂHillside Pink SheffieldsÂ, and mums, and a few other things are starting to spread out like mad. I think IÂm gonna have lots of stuff for the Spring Swap! Most of the seedlings I started this spring, and plants I got at the swaps are doing really well and will still be small, but be nice looking plants next year. I can hardly wait to see these things blooming for the first time next year. And a couple months ago I dug up my little clump of grape hyacinths and replanted them in three different places, and then had the tiniest bulbs left that were too small to pick out of the loose soil they were in, so I removed the soil right up against the trunk of one of the upright junipers and "planted them" by simply dumping the remaining soil with the TINY bulbs in it against the tree and then refilling the holeÂand when I was picking up leaves I noticed "grass" coming up next to the trunk and started to wonder how it had gotten there, when it dawned on me that itÂs the grape hyacinths (mine are green year Âround), coming up. ItÂs SO cool! The left over bulbs were tiny, tiny! They wonÂt be big enough to bloom next year yet, but itÂs gonna be SO cool to have them blooming so close to the trunk of the juniper the next year. It wouldnÂt have been possible to plant full size bulbs that close to the trunk. And itÂs been down into the low 20's here at least a couple times, but I still have a bunch of stuff blooming. My alyssum is still unphased too, Alice. And I still have Callirhoe, lavender, a couple blackeyed susans, a couple misc. dianthus, and my gentian seems to be blooming even more than before. The I have ÂCrystal Palace lobelia that looks like it just wonÂt stopÂand the leaves have turned a beautiful dark purple. One of my annual candytufts has started blooming again, my ÂMesa Verde iceplant still has a few flowers, and the mums look pretty ratty close up, but from in the house, a couple of them still look pretty goodÂand my hardy cyclamen looks really good, and the two-tone leaves are going to be really big and dense and pretty this winter. Then, of course, thereÂs my perpetual little purple violas that are always bloomingÂsummer and winterÂsomewhere in my yard. So IÂm not ready for winter yetÂand it seems some of my plants arenÂt either! WeÂre supposed to have another HOT day tomorrowÂand I can hardly wait! Skybird

I was up early and out shopping with Cheryl. Had fun at Hobby Lobby and Joann's. Then a lunch from Steak and Shake, foot long hot dog and fries. I had my own iced tea. From there Cheryl went to Meijer and I waited. We stopped by Amber;s and played with Alyssa. Had a piece of cake there, Italian Cream Cake. Very rich. My day isn't over so not sure what this afternoon and evening will bring. I am hoping it isn't more rain. Sue

I'm having a wonderful day because I don't have to get out in the heat. We broke the record yesterday with a high of 97. Supposed to be 95 today. That's the actual heat, not heat index. So I'm cleaning house, which has been neglected lately. Took the sheets off the bed and they're in the dryer now. Cleaning the Florida room but my back started hurting so I'm taking a break. Sounds like you had a fun morning, Sue. Baby Alyssa must be a really good baby to be able to take her like you do.