Chandra, I don't know that I'd trust that lady bug thing from the Farmer's Almanac. I've had lady bugs for 3 or 4 weeks now and had frost just a few days ago! Jhart, I agree with the others on Sprite, Lime Green Salad, Garden Peach and Paul Robeson. Of those 4, Paul Robeson has gottest the tallest--about 4 feet but it just doesn't like me and tends to die before producing ripe fruit. I don't know why. Maybe it is my soil. Baker Family Heirloom is very large and should grow in the ground. Razzleberry is a determinate that gets about 4 or 4.5' tall so it could be grown in a large-ish container. By large-ish I mean at least 7-10 gallons. Winsall did not get as large in my garden as I expected an Indeterminate to grow, but I grew it in a year when we had extreme drought like this year and the other year when I grew it we had excessively heavy rain and all my tomato plants sat in really wet soil for too long and stalled and stunted. I haven't grown it in a 'normal weather year' because I don't think we have those kinds of years here. For me, Indian Stripe grows like Cherokee Purple--taller than your average determinate but not a huge indeterminate. I usually grow it in the ground, but I've grown it in 20-gallon containers and it did just fine. I grew Lillian's Yellow in a year we had exceptional drought (the most severe form of drought) and it only got 3 or 4' tall, but I think it would have gotten taller in good moisture. Yellow Brandywine is a huge monster so I'd only put it in the ground. Rio Grande is a determinate but I would put it in the ground. It grows very vigorously (wide! thick! full!) and puts out a huge load of fruit. Because paste tomatoes like Rio Grande are prone to blossom end rot, and because moisture is hard to control in containers, and because uneven moisture contributes to blossom end rot, I'd put it in the ground. Hope that helps. Y'all. Unless you are going to water like a maniac or are in one of the far NE OK counties that has had plentiful rainfall, expect smaller than usual plants in this year's drought conditions. That will allow you to space them a bit closer than usual (as long as you're NOT using overhead watering) and to grow some Ind. in containers because in these conditions they won't get really huge. Please realize that if we are already in Extreme drought now (as any of you are), the next step "up" is to Exceptional Drought. I find it hard to water enough to keep a garden going in exceptional drought conditions. There's only so much water any of us can afford to pour onto the dry ground. In these conditions, water well early (in April and in May) in an effort to get your plants to grow well and set fruit. However, once fruit are sizing up nicely, you need to be very careful not to water excessively or your fruit will have bland flavor. It is a delicate balancing act. Dawn

Rosewitch, England was definitely one of my favorite places I have ever visited. My folks took me there when I was 14, and I remember bits and pieces the Crown jewels, walking amongst the Stonehenge stones (roped off now, vandalism), Stratford upon Avon. Time for me to take my own 14YO. Im trying to think how I can get over there for a whole summer, LOL. Dlynn, I could have worked so much more. I didnt really look at night time stuff and there was loads to do. Greece: cant help you, but shoot Yasou a line, she went a few years ago. LOL Annie! Teresa, well go together. I wanted to explore more cooking and food shops/stores but didnt get to. Terri, here is more a link to Pictures of England, a website pointed out to me by Denise. I started it on Bourton on the Water, where we stayed for a few days. Thanks Sharon, I was actually thinking how can I even come close to posting her quality of travel guides, I dont do the pictures she does LOL. We might have sat at the same table in the Cheshire Cheeses dining room! Sawdust still there, but we didnt make it to the cellar. I missed a lot of the British Museum. It has changed.check out the new atrium. I couldnt keep up with DH and DS16. Afternoons, when I planned museums, I crashed. Next time! Pam, lots of people did more than we did per day! Theater every night, more attractions, I cant imagine. Gina heh heh yeah I need another vacation like a hole in my head. Speaking of whichDH has another week off in August. Nooooooooo! Kathleen, DH says he took an average of 200 pictures a day. Yup. Me, I just buy the post cards or Google the images, same thing (DARFC from the photo bugs here) Cathy, thanks for giving me the War and Peace moniker heh heh. Next time I go with CF friends! LindaC, I know. Im still exhausted. Speaking of the V&A, did you know there was a Dale Chihuly chandelier in the entrance room?

I've recovered a bit from the week. I went out to brunch at a local bakery restaurant and walked the local farmer's market. I haven't been in a couple years. It had gotten small and depressing. I didn't need anything, wanted to go to that restaurant, so figured it was good to check it out. It was nice! Plenty of fruit/veggie vendors and a few other other things I like to see at a fm. I found a character of a plant guy. He also goes to the fm that DH has been frequenting on Sunday's. He also does some landscape consulting, yard maintenance, etc. I'll check him out at a fm again, but I may have him come give some ideas on my yard. I have a feeling he'll be closer to my take on the yard than others have been. I bought a Asclepias-curassavica (Tropical Milkweed), Peppermint Geranium and Apple Geranium. I wasn't really looking for any plants, and it's definitely hot as Hades these days. But he got me with the 'attracts Monarchs' sign on the milkweed. I've seen more monarchs and tiger swallowtail butterflies this year than ever and would love if they'd come back/stick around. I also figured it'd fill space until my Ceanothus does something (super slow growing). And the scented geraniums, I've wanted forever. I didn't seek them out specifically, but I'd been on the lookout for them, unsuccessfully, for a long time. Now I can do some better reading/commenting from upthread: Christine - it's no wonder you've got so many JM's. Between the colors, the habits, the sizes and the leaf shapes, they're all so different! Lovely. And I so want to start doing more yoga. I really liked one of the instructors at the big, mega-gym I went to for a while and kept my membership just for that/her. But her classes were only at 8pm and with my bedtime at 9...no bueno. I poke around and look at schedules for other places, and never carve out time to go check them out. I should. (more below) And not a mom, just a coaches wife and teacher watching polo. I did have a stray little tiny kid try to latch onto my hand at the farmers market today "I'm not yours! Go find your mom!" said I, as I pulled up my arm. When the kid tilted his head back enough to see me beyond his hat, he backed away and then went to his mom. annkh - absolutely jealous. Looks like you guys are having a great time. Love rain. Love water. Love antifreeze. lazygardens and Christina2222 - I agree - photos needed. schicksal - Oh my! Best wishes for things going as well as they can at the rental. terri - Hoping your range gets settled this weekend, and then some. TG - Paperwork is good. Not exciting, but good. I did talk to my principal this week. I know how I can go to Costa Rica and not feel the huge need to hide what I'd doing and lie. Yay! That will make the trip all the better. He said (paraphrasing) if you go and take care of yourself and live life, you'll be a better teacher. Good man!

I'm just going to post my Paris list here. Note that we haven't been in a few years, so you'll want to check the details.... Here’s my list of Paris Favorites – okay, maybe some of my favorites: Museums: We love them and can spend lots of time in them. The Louvre can easily take a day (be sure to go downstairs if you’re there and see where they found the foundation of the original structure on that spot). If you want to see some art, but don’t want to navigate the Louvre, here’s a list that I would recommend. a. L’Orangerie for Monet’s Water Lilies. It’s breathtaking. There is also a small exhibit downstairs. b. Musee D’Orsay. This has a great selection of Impressionist art and a good café. c. Musee Marmottan – this is a little off the beaten path, mostly Monet in a beautiful mansion. d. Musee Rodin – I love the sculpture garden, never been inside, but I hear it’s great. Parks: The parks in Paris are wonderful. Here are a few of our favorites. a. Parc de Monceau is my favorite – it’s a little off the beaten path as well – on the same side of Paris as the Marmottan. b. Tulieries – on the way to the Louvre – we like to stay in the Renaissance Vendome right nearby. c. Luxemborg – also lovely Department Stores: I love shopping and the service in Paris is wonderful. The first two listings are on Blvd. Haussmann and they are the big Paris department stores and they have EVERYTHING! Blvd Haussmann is always packed with people, most noteably tourists. a. Printemps – 4th floor has a wonderful housewares section. 2016 Update, the store is going through renovations right now and missing much of the housewares section. We went to the Galleries Lafayette housewares building across the street. b. Galleries Lafayette – the less expensive of the two. See a. c. Monoprix – these are all over the city. The best one is on Av. De Opera. Think of is as the French Target. I’m obsessed. d. BHV is located in the Marais. Fewer tourists. The basement is full of all kinds of interesting stuff from hardware and French signs to everything you need to do your own shoe repair. e. City-Pharma. 26 rue du Four. www.pharmacie-paris- citypharma.fr France has fantastic cosmetics and skincare for cheap. I use Caudalie, which you can get here for about 30% more. They speak English and can hook you up with great stuff! It’s right off rue Bonapart, which is a great street to wander. 4. Churches: We get tired of them, but you should see some. a. If you go to Notre Dame, go first thing in the morning or you’ll be in line forever [insert sad face here] b. Also on the island is Ste. Chappelle – it’s absolutely beautiful inside, but don’t start there. You can go next door to see the Conciergerie, which is also interesting. There you can buy a joint ticket for both sights and it will allow you to bypass the Ste. Chappelle line which is also very long. 5. Areas: These are a couple areas that we like/or have opinions about... a. Eiffel Tower and St Germain are wonderful areas. Make sure to see the tower after dark when it lights up on the hour. b. Wander the Marais – it’s a great place to shop and people watch i. For a great meal, try Breizh Café 109 Rue Vieile du Temple for buckwheat crepes and hard cider that are out of the world.c. Momarte is not my thing, but you should see if you have time. Sacre-Coeur is nice and the view from the steps is wonderful. Note that at the bottom of the hill is the Pigale area which is one of the “bad” areas of the city. Don’t go there at night. 2016 update: Recently I’ve read that this area is gentrifying. Street Markets: Paris has wonderful street markets. You can find lots of great food and just looking at it is an experience. I wish we had this kind of food offerings. a. Rue Moffetard is wonderful – the movie Amelie was filmed in one of the cafes there. You’ll find a number of street merchants and shops selling great food! Near the Pantheon and Jardin du Plants. b. Rue Cler in St. Germain is also a great market. Restaurants: Be prepared to relax over meals for a couple hours. It’s one of the things I love most about Europe. a. We love L’Absinthe. 24 place du Marche Saint-Honore. Near the Tulieries. http://www.restaurantabsinthe.com/ If they are serving the beet gazpacho, you must have it. b. We also love Maceo. 15 rue des Petits Champs. Also near the Tulieries. http://www.maceorestaurant.com/Maceo_English_Ho me.html c. Maceo has a sister restaurant called Willi’s Wine Bar a few doors down. We haven’t been there, but it’s been written up in Gourmet magazine in the past. d. Restaurant Verjus. 52 rue de Richelieu. www.verjusparis.com It is right around the corner from Maceo. They do a tasting menu with two seatings. You can do the menu with, or without, the wine. Do the wine too! This was recommended by the owner of Paris by Mouth. We took a nighttime bus tour and it was nice – something different. I wouldn’t personally do a day tour. Miscellaneous Food: There is so much good food. a. For cheese, look up the Adrouet stores. There are several. We’ve been to the one on Rue Moffetard(6.a) and one in the 6th off Rue Bac. Ask them what’s good. b. Paris by Mouth tours. Meg, who owns the company,has a blog by the same name. We did the wine and cheese workshop and she happened to join us with relatives, although someone else let the tour. They have several options at any given time. Also, her blog has great restaurant recommendations. 10. Hotels: We’re Marriott people, so take that with a grain of salt. a. Renaissance Paris Vendome. 4 Rue du Mont Thabor. Our favorite hotel. 82 rooms, centrally located right behind the Tulleries and there’s a pool in the basement! b. Marriott Rive Gauche Hotel & Conference Center. 17 Boulevard Saint-Jacques. Further south, but off the metro six line and easy to get around by metro. Because it's a conference center, rooms are super cheap during the French holiday July/Aug. Another benefit is the RER train goes from Charles de Gaulle to Denfert Rochereau station a couple blocks from the hotel. There is a metro station across the street, but I’d walk with luggage and take metro from the St. Jacques station thereafter.