OOPS!!! Sorry I didn't know that about Jan. 1 being "everybody's" birthday, if a specific date isn't given. Oh well, Happy Birthday, whenever it is. :>) Mwoods, your statement about each year bringing "joy, laughter, and some tears" is so true. None of us ever knows what's ahead for us. But, as my DH says, "It's been a trip, but I wouldn't change any of it!"

Katy, Logee's is certainly an adventure in itself. I've been going there for years. My first times were when Joy Martin was running it. Even squeezing through the aisles single file is worth it. So many exotic plants growing over, under and around! It's only about a 40 minute ride for me. I don't know of any other greenhouses that have that kind of variety. The botanical center at Roger Williams Park here in Providence is big and interesting. There's a $3 admission though. Lunch afterwards would not be a problem. Providence has tons of great restaurants. Maybe some others here would be interested in one of these or something else. Bill

Ours was utterly quiet, although not unpleasant :). Both kids were off doing their own NYE celebration so the house was nice and calm. We ate dinner, chatted, then he went to sleep early and I read for awhile. Boring? Maybe but also a moment to cherish being secure in our lives and with so much for which to be grateful. Actually, our New Year's reminds me of the lyrics to one of my favorite Carly Simon songs, Misfit: There are plenty of late nights If you want to stay up for them You'll just want to find yourself a friend And tie a couple on in a night spot Draw pictures of your soul, win the jackpot Pour tears in your beer It's hip to be miserable when you're young and intellectual In a bit you'll admit you're a misfit Come on home with me We'll turn on the TV About 10 o'clock we'll turn off the light Not every man was born to stay up late at night There are plenty of boats to catch If you notice all the sails in the wind But you better look hard my friend In case you catch a ride on the wrong one In the distance is the one you belong on Oh the water is wide It's hip to be miserable when you're young and intellectual In a bit you'll admit you're a misfit Come on home with me We'll sit under a tree And if you get the itch I'll supply the scratch Not every man was born with a boat to catch It's hip to be miserable when you are young and intellectual In a bit you'll admit you're a misfit A misfit

Thank you. As I recall we had a record high of 80 last Sunday (1 January). Tonight and tomorrow night (6 and 7 /January) will get down to 24 and 26, then back up into the 60/70s after that. The ground is always workable. The lows are very short in duration. The day temps normally warm everything back up. This is a great time to garden. Weeds grow slow, and no mosquitoes. It is a gardeners paradise from oct to march. April, May and June starts to warm up. July, August and Sept are too hot and too many bugs. In the recent past, I tried a second tomato season in late fall. Looking back, it makes no sense to try to grow in July, Aug, Sept when it is so effortless now. Of course, I can't grow tomatoes now. I am thinking I will just grow extra tomatoes in the normal season and freeze the extra. The ones I froze from last summer did real good in Sauces. I don't have a lot of time to can/make sauce to freeze, but I can always make time to quarter tomatoes and throw them in a bag in the freezer. The sweet white turnips, hakerie (name is close to that), are one of the lesser cold hardy varieties. They are very tastee, especially roasted with the carrots. I have a small patch of them and few remain. I will cover them. Everything else is very hardy and remains uncovered: Kale,broccoli, collards,onions, carrots and Lettuce. I expect some Lettuce losses, as there are many varieties. I expect half to survive just fine. I watered real good yesterday getting ready for the cold snap.