There's nothing quite as cool-looking(temperaturewise) as BLUE flowers. I grew Phacelia a few years ago, best blue i ever saw, next to cornflowers. The bell-shaped blue flowers with icy-white anthers were beautiful, and stirred up images of cooler weather. They do have a short bloom time, hot weather just about stops the show, cutting back helps somewhat. Give 'em a try, i believe there are 2 or 3 varieties. Good luck, and enjoy.

I must admit that while I appreciate Spring as the poetic season of renewal & hope, etc. it's never been my favorite time of year. I'm a native Californian and Spring in New England has always seemed cold & raw to me. I expect my bulbs to be in bloom in March and to be in a Tee & sandals by Easter and, of course, that's silly here. But, this year...while we've had our share of blustery, cool days my garden also has been a delight. Last Spring, I remember missing my azaleas bloom due to cold, rainy, raw weather. This year, it's only the first week in May and I've been gardening for six weeks already. Yesterday, as I was walking thru on my morning tour...the sun was peeking through a heavy cloud cover and highlighting the pastel blue woodland phlox in full bloom under my electric pink 'Olga Mezzitt'. It took my breath away. I stopped, stared and thought...Wow, that looks like a picture from a glossy magazine! Then, last night as I was waiting for my hubby to get home...I was taking my evening stroll through the garden and enjoyed a similar experience. The setting sun was almost entirely blocked by what I refer to as a "Mystic Pewter" sky. But, through one hole in the gray cover a ray of sun was hitting the Jap. hakone grass hedge that is surrounded with one of my carefully tended moss gardens. The interplay of light, texture, & color was breathtaking. I often wonder if non-gardeners ever stop and just appreciate the beauty that plants bring into our world? I ask because yesterday afternoon I walked over to our marina to visit with friends arriving at their boats for the weekend. We have just purchased a new-to-us boat & will be making the passage up from Annapolis beginning May 22 so we were talking about boating, in general. My friend, Linda, seemed almost angry with me when I mentioned at the end of our conversation how much my husband and I were enjoying our new gardens. She said something like, "So, your garden has priority over your boat?" I was dumbstruck...didn't know what to say. I responded with..."No, Linda...it doesn't have priority over the boat. We love both. Choosing would be like asking me to choose between my piano or my painting. I love both of those, as well." While walking home from the marina, I was wondering if she even saw the beauty in a garden or if all she associated with was as she called it...the "work" of a garden. We don't consider it work. Time-consuming...yes...but work...No! It's a pleasure to tend and reap the rewards of our toils. Her husband will "work" on his boat all weekend and consider it a hobby but my gardening is just "work". Bah, humbug! Last Sunday, our dockmaster Russ...stopped by with a division of his pink peonies saying, "I noticed you haven't planted a peony yet" pointing in the direction of an empty spot, "and I thought this was a perfect spot." I was THRILLED. There is no better gift for me than a "from my garden to yours" present. We immediately planted our shared peony in the exact spot he suggested and I'm looking forward to enjoying not only its blooms but the memories of a friend's sharing for years to come. Some people just don't seem to register the more esoteric parts of life...as my friend Linda demonstrated. She just doesn't "get it". I feel sorta sorry for her. IMO, she's missing something so beautiful about life as the season's progress. She would, I'm certain, think I was batty if I mentioned the appeared delicacy of a poppy bloom fluttering in the wind yet spoke of its strength and endurance.

Grilled Tomato Sauce From Steven Raichlen Like soup, tomato sauce is one of the dishes you're least likely to think of grilling. But there is a powerful reason to try this sauce. Beyond the mere novelty factor, grilling imparts a gutsy smoke flavor to the sauce and heightens the natural sweetness of the vegetables. Don't take just my word for it. For thousands of years, Mexicans have grilled tomatoes, onions and peppers to make rich-tasting salsas. I have adapted the technique to make an exceptionally flavorful tomato sauce. Serve the sauce over grilled polenta, with any simple grilled fish, or with just about any cooked pasta. Makes about 3 1/2 cups. 5 lucious, ripe red tomatoes 2 - 2 1/4 pounds total, cut in half crosswise, and stem ends removed 1 medium size white onion, peeled and cut into quarters 1 rib celery 4 cloves garlic, peeled and skewered on a wooden toothpick or small bamboo skewer 3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp. oregano 1/2 tsp. hot pepper flakes 1 bay leaf 6 fresh basil leaves coarse salt (Kosher or Sea salt) freshly ground black pepper 1/4 to 3/4 cup chicken stock, vegetable stock or water Cook the tomatoes, onions, celery and garlic in greased and preheated grill (George Foreman grill) until nicely browned. You may need to cook the vegetables in more than one batch. Transfer the grilled vegetables and let cool. Finely chop the onions, celery and garlic by hand or in a food processor. If using a food processor, run machine in spurts. Heat olive oil in large non-reactive sauce pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, celery and garlic, oregano, hot pepper flakes and bay leaf and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Coarsely puree tomatoes and juices with the basil in a food processor. Add the tomato mixture to the sauce pan, with the vegetables. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then let sauce simmer gently until thick and richly flavored 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. The sauce should be thick but pourable. If it is too thick, add a little stock or water. Remove and discard the bay leaf. The sauce can be refrigerated, covered up to 4 days. Or frozen for up to 2 months. Let the sauce come to room temperature then reheat it in a non-reactive sauce pan over medium heat, stirring often.

Barb...both happy and sad....Happy he is moving forward with his life. Knowing he will go far as long as he stays focused on his studies, and learns to quit being so wasteful. Sad because he is moving on and we will be seeing very little of him in the next 4 years or so. We havent made any new life adventures yet. House needs some TLC. I suppose first we will get used to having a home with just us and the critters and go from there. Chell I used to be a dog and cat groomer. I loved it too. But my employer was a deedeedee. Never had the money to pay me each week and always "owed" me. And she never gave me my tips either.Then at the end of the year she reported more earnings for me than what I had really made.Fortunitly I kept records and proved my case and won, so make sure you don't let the same happen to you. I have kept my clippers, blades and accessories and still will do a neighbors dog or two once in awhile to keep my skills up.....but don't miss the hair stuck in places I did'nt know existed....lol. Love all the pictures the everyone post. Always enjoy seeing ya'lls babies. Regina