Hello Beca,

I too am glad to be almost ready to put another summer under the belt - although - my husband just informed me it is supposed to get up to 108 all week. I hope the newspaper is right, it said 104.

It seems that few degrees cooler Pahrump is than las vegas makes quite a difference with your vegetables. Mine all died off except for one pepper plant and the Okra. Now if I could just figure out what to do with the couple of Okras a day I get. I did plant some yard long beans a couple weeks ago and they are taking off and I'm trying pumpkin (again) and zuchinni(third time). I planted some from seed because the nurseries get fall tomato plants too late for them to be productive before winter here but I might have been too late, they are awfully small and it is almost time to be putting them out.

The rest of the yard has taken a few hits this summer too as it always does. It seems every year my yard moves a little more "deserty" as the stuff that really doesn't like it here dies or looks so bad I yank it anyway. I did get some new plants at the college this summer that I'm really excited about. An acacia jennerea that I hope will be perfect to help screen the new house going up next door with it's very strong colored stucco. Also some agave colorata to replace the A.zebra that has been really struggling, and an abutilon palmeri since the one I previously got proved to be an imposter when it bloomed small purple flowers instead of big apricot ones!

I also have some wait until ten years from now projects going. My eucalyptus trees and creosote and some other southwest natives that I'm growing from seed.

I'll try to get around to postine a pic of a some true desert lovers that help make summer bearable, the cordias.

Maria