Thanks! I look forward to Hilltop's sale every fall.

With all the trouble the past three+ weeks I thought I'd say something to bring this back to the top of the list. This is always such a great event, and we need it more than ever! Glad you posted it. Thanks!

Nancy, that's so true! And looks like we're going to get a bit of icing on the cake with cooler weather on tap. I can't wait!

Well, so much for that great forecast. It was cool until about 11, then the heat returned.

Got to Hilltop around 12:30. Picked up 4 trees ... Dawn Redwood, Chalk Maple, Winged Elm, and a Two-Winged Silverbell ... and a few perennials.

Anyone else?

Went to the Plant Fest twice on Friday. Only spent about $160.00 in plants plus the Arboretum memebership: swamp dogwood, aster, Joe pyeweed, Chinese flowering bananna, night blooming-jasmine, Liatris, Rudbeckia, Sabal, etc. Planted half Saturday. Spent all day Sunday volunteering with the American Red Cross, the first agency in New Orleans helping the locals coming back, and handed out cleaning supplies, MREs, oatmeal, fruit bars, lunchables, chips, trash bags, water, bug repellent, sun block, buckets, mops, brooms, etc., etc. Each distribution center had nurses and doctors providing free medical assitance to those who stayed in the city and those coming back this week.

The American Red Cross is working numerous food/cleaning supply distribution centers across New Orleans metro and other hurricane affected areas the next few weeks and many months longer.

Hundreds of Red Cross volunteers from across the USA and Canada down here helping us as well as a number of local volunteers. I met National Guard troops from Kansas, USFWS law enforcement agents from Washington and Hawaii, FEMA folks from all over, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service, and other Federal and state agencies.

Its hard work, but you can help so, so many that really need help and meet so many folks from other areas. Most voluneers are sleeping at churches, tent cities, occasional motels, shelters, and private homes across the southern states.

If you want to assist, call your local American Red Cross chapter for info on how to assist!

Cheers,

James

The reports in BR on the Red Cross paint a much different picture. Not an organization I'm willing to support.

I hear from people in the field that it's the small groups that are doing the most good.