Dear Youngman:

Greetings.  I hope that all is well with you.  I just came in the house
for a moment and thought I'd ask you a quick question.  You mentioned that
you had purchased some plants from a nursery.  Did you get them in the
ground?   If so, have you had much rain?

Here we've had a phenomenal amount of rain--almost like places that always
have a mist and soggy bogs.  Average rainfall is about 3" or so per month,
we've been having 8".  My daughter said that she wanted dry weather.  I
told her that I've been feeling that God sent this weather just for us. 
We've put so many things in the ground and I have not had to worry about
watering.

This year, I've been looking at those plants that, "refuse not to grow". 
I purchased some different varieties of winter squash last winter to see
how they taste and how long they would last.  I didn't care much for them
and did not grow them even though they were grown because when all else
was gone they'd stay good through the winter.  Well I put them in the
compost and they started to spring up.  I did not space them out or do
anything to them and they are doing fine.  If I get squash, I'll try
preparing them in some kind of real recipe instead of just baking them.

The mints are doing fine--you have to hold them back--peppermint is an
EXCELLENT digestive aid.  If you feel nauseated, just chew and swallow a
few leaves (or suck on peppermint candy) and the upset stomach will go
away.  I've done it.

I just planted yarrow which I've previously purchased dry at the health
food store--it helps the immune system, as I recall.  Well, I looked it up
and it is supposed to be invasive.  I like those kinds of plants.  I want
to specialize in food crops like that and those that will bring up trace
minerals.  I find that these types of plants don't much care about what
kind of soil they can make it--I like that.  My common reed looked
dead--just saw three little shoots sticking up today.  I look forward to
eating some (it has potato-like tubers.  It's one of the refuse not to
grow and considered a pest plant).  It's growing in my rain garden that
gets its water from the sump pump.  I'll look up if the water is
potable--I probably hear that it isn't--but I think I should live if I eat
from these plants...what do you think?

We have all kinds of little plants scattered all over the place.  My
garden is not gorgeous, but it is interesting.   How is your gardening
going?  Tell me what you are doing and how you like it.  this morning when
I looked up how to plant yarrow, it gave some of its other names--one of
which is, "Nosebleed".  Hannah JUST had two nosebleeds--one Friday and one
Saturday--after a long time of not having any.  Yarrow is an astringent
and apparently has many things to commend it to the shelf.  When I get a
plant, I try to find out a little about it--what it likes and doesn't
like, how to harvest it.  When the next year comes, lo and behold, I know
about 5 plants instead of the 1 I used to know about.  Now it is time to
learn about the next plant I'll add.

Well, I'm going to get back outside now.  I'm going to work on potting
shelves using some spare cinderblocks and planks.  Again, it won't be
pretty, but it will be sturdy and useful.  I may be able to soften it with some
nearby plantings.  I like being able to use things that I already have instead 
of buying more "stuff" to junk up my property.  I needed large pillows
against a wall when I re-arranged a couch.  I took blankets and folded
the and then covered them with other blankets that matched the couch--
those were the pillows that I needed and storage for my blankets.

Mephibosheth