I'm so glad you reminded me of that lovely garden philosopher, Henry Mitchell. I usually dig out his books once a year even though I know them almost by heart. No snow here but I do get weary about now watering all my tropicals and looking after cuttings of Coleus being wintered over inside. I need a few chuckles and Mitchell is a guaranteed source. josh

I can stand heat but unfortunately my plants can't, not even our present moderate temperatures in the low 80'ies (moderate compared to Texas). I water pots, vegetables and some perennials every evening. When I was young I experienced heat in the Sudan where 110F was the normal temperature in May. We had one day of record heat, 116 F, hot even for Khartoum which is on the Nile and generally cooler than the desert. I took part in a voluntary workcamp for two months, doing heavy manual work, digging, carrying mortar and tiles. But work started at 6 with a break between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. We stopped working at 7 p.m. I think the early pioneers in Texas and other hot places must have stopped working mid-day, too. Unfortunately that is not possible in the modern world. My favourite hot weather drink is Lemoon, a drink I learnt to like in Khartoum where it was sold in the market. It's simple, squeeze as many limes as you want and mix with syrup, made from sugar boiled with water. Add ice and dilute with cold water. Hot tea is also very good in heat. (Nobody believes this but it's true.)

I just love him Lucy. He is really cool. I hope you feel better. Thats a bad thing to have. I'm feeling half human today but decided to stay home and not go fishing with John. Its still too cold out and I still have a sore throat and bad cough but at least the fever is gone.

Which Book - a new way of choosing which book to read next. http://www.openingthebook.com/whichbook/