Dang Jon, I think we have a new "Horrible Fright" junky on our hands! Baaahahahaha!!!! As far as that pile goes, I do think the rain helped snuff it out but more important was that it was not turned in time. I find with my piles that when I see 165 degrees on the thermometer it's time to turn the pile. In my case I need to re-hydrate the material as I turn it because all that heat drives out the moisture pretty fast. With the rain hitting you before you turned it, the core of the pile was mostly burned out with not enough fresh stuff to eat. The rain came and compacted things shutting down the oxygen and ... the pile died. Look at massive heat as momentum. Once you hit 160, think about mixing it up to bring fresh fuel into the core. When you do that it can even keep on burning through a heavy rain. Fuel, plus air (from the re-mix) = a healthy bioactive pile. Also, I believe that once you reach the 160s the heat itself begins to kill off the micro herd. Mixing it brings them fresh fuel, air, and cools off the ranch.

You now that is really bad. I think about snakes every time I do the edge rows around my property. "But Tabor says when he looked under the lawnmower, he noticed a rattlesnake wrapped around a pulley." "By Jade Bulecza - bio : email BERRIEN COUNTY, GA (WALB) ÂA Berrien County man was killed by a rattlesnake. Authorities say 82-year old Eddie Dorminey was repairing his lawnmower Wednesday morning. A snake was hiding in the lawnmower and bit him several times. This is the time of year when more snakes are out and active. This is the rattlesnake that took the life of 82-year old Eddie Lee Dorminey Wednesday morning in Enigma. It was first thought that Dorminey had died of a heart attack but when Lt. Larry Tabor looked under the lawnmower, he noticed a rattlesnake wrapped around a pulley. "When we found out the snake was alive we checked out the body again and on his wrist he had several areas that were punctured, a snake bite in the main artery," said Lt. Tabor. Investigators said Dorminey was apparently changing the lawnmower belt and didn't notice the snake was there. "The sheriff got a stick and went to punch it and all of the sudden the snake started moving," said Lt. Tabor. The venomous snake was then killed. Dorminey's grandson says he misses the man who he called "Papa D." "I miss him. I love him alot." He says his "Papa D" was always there for his entire family. "His lawnmower was like a tractor to him. I always helped him with his lawnmower." Statistics show only about a dozen Americans die from snake bites per year. Watch where you step, watch where you reach, because rattlesnakes can blend in with their environment. This time of year, they're on the move. Rattlesnakes like to stay where it's cool and near a food source. While his death is difficult to deal with, Dorminey's family wants others to be aware of the venomous snakes out there. Eddie Dorminey's funeral will be Saturday at Lovein Funeral Home in Nashville." We've got some timber rattlers around home. Mostly Copper Heads. Saw a King Snake kill and eat a Copper Head while mowing a couple of years ago. Got some pictures using my phone. I'm sure we have a Eastern Diamond or 2 around here. Been in the bush all my life. I've never had a close call. Things like this make me wonder. MS

Following the uphill with engine running ... and downhill with it not ... made it home without further incident. I'd had further trouble, in that the warning lights on the dash that turn on when one turns the key on but go off when the car starts ... had been staying one. And the engine was running much too fast when it was sitting, idling. On Monday morning, checked oil - O.K., down a little, added some. Checked coolant, down a little, added some. Had moved car from garage to by the house ... then it didn't want to start ... after sitting for about an hour, it did. Stopped at the end of the lane to get the mail, turned engine off - wouldn't start. Pushed it back up a slight rise in the lane, pushed it down to get started, but not enough speed to start. Let it sit for a half hour - wouldn't start. Called CAA ... they said it's be about 45 min, later auto meesage said about an hour, but the tow truck arrived in about 45 min., asked what was wrong, I said starter wouldn't turn engine over. He asked about tapping the starter with a hammer ... but couldn't find it, told me to try to start, I said he should, that I'd tried ... ... so he did ... and it started! After some colourful language on my part, I told him that I'd be O.K ... and took off immediately, before the engine heated. I thought after I was on the road that I should have asked him whether he'd come from the city, in which case he could follow me down the road that I was going on for about 6 mi., till I turned away from the city, about a half mile from the garage. More of the operating uphill, not downhill for about 5 miles, till engine began missing some as I was climbing an overpass over a freeway. So, over the top, I stopped at the side of the road for some recuperative/cooling time - though I hadn't seen the heat gauge rise high, but it rises slowly and I'd been running the engine in short bursts. Too impatient, I guess (not wanting to sit, doing nothing? maybe should have brought a book?) ... ... after 10 - 15 min., pushed it a bit, it started rolling down the hill, the engine started ... ... but it was still missing ... and after a few hundred feet of travel .. stopped, so I coasted to the side of the road. Within a mile of the garage, I walked there, they pushed the car in. It seems that the belt driving the alternator had broken, that produces electricity to replenish the battery's charge. Though it seems that the belts running the water pump, power steering pump, etc. were intact, for some reason the water pump wasn't working ... so, with very little water circulating through the radiator to cool it, the water in the motor heated rapidly. Power brakes and power steering were operating O.K. Fortunately, they'd replaced my battery last month, so I'd been running on that one battery charge for all of that time. If I'd known of the need, I could have recharged the battery Sat. overnight, at home. This library closes at 4, so no dice here on Monday, after the garage... and only the downtown London library opens on Monday ... but parking meters near it are rather expensive ... so sometimes I park half a mile away, then walk ... but didn't, yesterday. However ... I'd made a special call to son on Sat. night, saying that I had pizza ... and would bring it on Sunday ... ... but had forgotten, and had supper with son on Sunday. So I took the pizza in on Monday and we had pizza for supper; forgetful Dads can be something of a pain. I'd thought to go to the city library after, but went home instead. So - it looks as though things are back to normal. I'm thankful that, most of the time, when I'm in the car ... it's as full of hot air as necessary ... again! ole joyful

Thank you, John. Porcelain Rose is also still trapped in a pot here but has thrown some lovely clusters with the expected tones. I can live with both of them turning into "monsters"! I can comiserate about the black spot. We've had perfect BS and Downy conditions. Almost every evergreen pear in town is Fire Blighted, too. Fortunately, the winds have been, and are expected to remain, extreme so the blighted foliage is getting blown off to infect everything else!