Thank you, thank you! I worked yesterday and was feeling Toast Bereft this morning, but then I remembered "Oh. . . .yeah! Clever Manka put up her stuff yesterday!" and I was happy again.

There will be a package arriving soon with which you can dry your tears! I sent it off just now from the Very Hot Post Office.

Any time anybody asks me about carpet/drapes these days (which happens rarely now that I'm in my 40's, thank Frogs), I say, "Of course not. I'm not bald" and then see what happens.

I am wondering, while blinking back tears, what his feelings are on tarps and umbrellas.

Oh Frogs me too, except he was my boyfriend and there was no sex, just jumping off a ladder in the Oval Office and a picnic on the White House lawn, and I was *still* worried about Michelle.

SQUOT on one hand, CHLE on the other. It's like a secret Toastie handshake, but with two hands.

Thank you for that first paragraph, which led to my first out-loud-laugh of the day.

I want this picture on a big piece of posterboard so I can wear it around my neck forever.

I would look first to your growing region, then to your specific microclimate. For instance, if you're region 7 (just guessing here), but you have a really sunny south-eastern exposure where you want to plant, you could probably go one region south of where you are.

Look for plants that address your biggest problems. Hot summers? Deer? Drought? Lots of rain? Buy for your climatic situation.

Don't flip out too hard if your soil sucks. I live in North Texas, where clay soil is the norm. This year I dug 400 lbs of manure and compost into two 9x13 beds, just to lighten the soil up, and things are doing *great*. You can always change your soil, but you can't change your prevailing weather patterns.

Perennials. I cannot recommend perennials enough--except for things in the mint family, which (while they will grow anywhere) will take over your yard, your house, your life, and eventually the world. There are bloom guides for every perennial flower that tell when it'll bloom, how long the blooms will last, and whether you have to do finicky stuff like deadheading.

Also, look at plants grown specifically for foliage. It's amazing how many gorgeously-leafed plants there are out there, and how many of them will work in tricky spots.

If all else fails, Knock-Out roses are popular for a reason. They will bloom like crazy in the Texas heat, they don't get mildew, they aren't bothered by our sub-freezing temperatures, bugs don't seem to like 'em, and you don't have to deadhead them or treat them well. I planted one seven years ago, cut it back to the ground and hacked at the stump for a while last year before giving up, and it's now four feet high and covered with blooms.

I probably dated his father. Which is terrifying, because it means certain personality traits are genetic.