Nice to have gazanias blooming so late in the season. I pulled my front yard petunias October 13, they were still blooming quite nicely. My Autumn Joy sedums coloured up very brightly this year and along with the Blue Oat grass are about the only plants providing colour now. We also had a nice fall, but more importantly it was a dry one. It seems the past few years September/October have been very wet and then just turned to snow and that stopped me from going out there. I'd never make it as a gardener in a wet climate. I love gardening when there is no big rush - you know, having to do it all in a really short span of time. Maybe it's my aging bones but I really enjoy an hour or two daily instead of marathon sessions that lead to sore muscles and backs. That's why I envy those who live in warmer climates - not for the plants they can grow but for what appears to me as a more leisurely pace because all those jobs aren't stuffed into 4 or 5 months. Having started this yard from nothing, I grew tired of doing those intensive gardening/landscaping summers and I really looked forward to time when the yard became a matter of only maintenance. This fall was exactly as I like it - the ability to clean not the entire yard in only a few days but bit by bit get it all done. Now if only every fall could be that way! I spoke with my sister in the Calgary area this morning who was watching the snow fly. Lucky you guys in that area with those chinooks that come and take all that white stuff away :) I lived in Calgary for 8 years; I loved those chinooks, especially the ones that hung around for a while. According to the weather we may have another (relatively) nice week coming up but work and other commitments won't let me enjoy any of that out in the yard. Oh well, at least the traveling I have to do will be on dry roads in good weather.

Hi, Roll outs have been checked as have the pressure switch (there is only one on my furnace that I know of). How do you check for a cracked heat exchanger? I have heard that suggestion before, even before I made the videos. Thanks.

Wish I had some fun or dramatic story about the thumb, but the truth is that I was just reaching towards a cabinet to catch a platter that was falling out and jammed my thumb right into the edge of the cabinet. Hard. Really hard. My acrylic nail popped off and hit me in the forehead with enough force to leave a little red mark! Thumb started to swell and turn colors immediately. There was a LOT of colorful and fairly creative cursing and swearing. I didn't want to admit it was probably cracked but had to give in and get an xray the next day. Fractured it right across the bottom of the joint and had to wear a splint for two weeks, then tape for a couple more weeks. Right hand, of course. I did it the Friday before Christmas so had a little trouble cooking over the Holidays! The worst part was that it's my 'texting thumb' so using the cell phone was tough.

Thanks, all! Julia, both beds were all grass; I created the closer one around the deck and then gradually expanded it out over a few years, decided to have it go out as a peninsula. A lot of the daylilies DO get hit by the sprinklers, just because they are where there used to be lawn... a few of the sprinklers were replaced with taller pop-up ones, but they still pelt some of the plants and the plants block the spray in several areas, so that all don't get hit. Mantis, Deliverer was super splotchy last year, but hasn't been this year... others have been very splotchy this year though. I'll have to check on Bullfrog Kisses and get back with you. I think it would definitely be happier somewhere warmer, but it does okay (not much increase though). Debra, I use Osmocote, Milorganite and alflafa pellets when planting and around most of my daylilies in the spring... I don't think I did them all this year though - with the long winter and late spring, I didn't get all my spring tasks and cleanup done.