I even turned on the portable weather radio and listened to it for several minutes, enjoying hearing the words "sunny and clear" repeatedly, and also enjoying hearing the phrases "no hazardous weather" and "no chance of rain until Saturday when there is a very slight chance of rain". It doesn't get any better than that around here!

Even in the raised beds, our soil here south of Marietta is still very wet, which I blame on the approx. 20" of rain that fell here in April and May (so far), so I contented myself with weeding (amazing weed growth resulting from some much rain), raking up mulch that washed out of the raised beds on the day 12" of rain fell in a few hours and putting that back on the beds, and adding a new layer of mulch on top of the older mulch. Hopefully after a couple more days of all-day-long full sun, the soil will dry some and I can finish planting.

Some of the things I noticed in the garden:

All the tomato plants are flowering and setting fruit. A few have fruit that are pretty good-sized and I think the first ripe full-sized fruit will be from "Jet Star". (We've already had ripe tomatoes from the container plantings.)

The broccoli is forming heads.

The onions somehow are surviving all the excess rainfall and have good leaf growth, but not good color. I hope the sun will improve their color, which I attribute to waterlogged soil that is impeding the uptake of nutrition.

The tomato plants all survived but those in the two grade-level beds have the same poor color I see in the onions. Those in containers and in raised beds look fine.

The corn has so far survived the rain but also seems stunted and poorly colored. Time will tell if it survives and produces.

The first round of squash, zukes and cukes were taken out by the 12" rainfall, so I have replanted them. Some of the potatoes survived the heavy rain but others did not. The cabbage and all the herbs are fine.

Still waiting to go into the ground as it dries are melons, okra, winter squash and pumpkins, beans and sweet potatoes.

Insect problems are low so far, with mosquitoes being a notable exception--but they are only a pest for me, not for the plants.

I am looking forward to having a lovely week and to getting the garden planting, weeding and mulching "finished", at least to the extent that you ever really finish.

When we lived in Fort Worth, there were a couple of radio DJs on WBAP who had a method of describing the sunny, clear weather that I really, really liked. They called it "severe clear". So, here's to a week of "severe clear"!

Dawn

I've managed to sneak in some weed pulling. I really, really need to cut a new edge for all the beds, this is the perfect time to do so with the ground so wet.

Saturday I dumped a wheelbarrow full of water over into the lawn and heard a peculating sound. In fact, it sounded like rice crispies. I looked around and around and finally realized it was the water going into the ground. There were little airbubbles coming up as the water was going into the ground. It was such a cool sound, I had never heard it before :)

I've been out and finally came inside to eat. I was out very early today.

It looks like another day of severe clear and I am going to work in the garden until I drop!

It is going to be progressively warmer here each day, so I really need to plant today if I can. Last year, in mid-May we had the days in the 90s combined with the high winds and it was like gardening in a blast furnace. I felt sorry for my plants last year and I feel sorry for yours now. I wish you were having milder weather like we are early in the week. If yours is going to heat up progressively every day like ours is, then you really have my sympathy.

Sorry to hear about your friend.

I gave in to "tomato fever" and bought two "Pink Brandywine" plants at Wal-Mart yesterday, so that's two more plants to squeeze in somewhere. LOL I had resisted the Brandywines at Wal-Mart forever, but these were in 5" peat pots, they were fairly large, and they were blooming! So, since they were in bloom, I couldn't resist. If I'd raised them from seed, they wouldn't have bloomed until mid-June at the earliest, so......now, let's just hope these existing blooms set fruit. Then, at least, I'll get 3 or 4 Brandywine tomatoes per plant this year. : )

You know, I had some very young plants get badly wind-burnt on one of those bad fire days when I couldn't get back home in time to carry them in out of the very strong winds. (Because you know the wind wasn't blowing hard when I carried them out and then began blowing hard while I was gone, which is so irritating!) Anyway, they were tiny and badly damaged and I almost threw them on the compost pile then. Instead, I kept them in a flat away from the larger plants so that larger, healthier plants wouldn't shade them. It has taken them a couple of months to fully recover from their near-death-experience, but they look great now (though very small) and I am going to plant them in the next couple of days. I don't really have room for six or eight more tomato plants, but I'll find room somewhere. After they've struggled to survive, I just can't make myself throw them on the compost pile.

The last couple of days I've worked so long and hard in the garden that my hands and arms have ached at night. I think it is from putting in such very long hours. It isn't unbearable pain--but it takes two Aleve tablets to make the pain stop. I usually spend a lot of time outside, but not on the same repetitive-motion tasks currently required all day long as part of the rainstorm recovery. Another day or two of weeding and mulch recovery/mulch addition and some planting as well and then I can focus on other stuff, like the neglected flower beds. (Since no one has told the flower beds they're being neglected, they are beautiful and in bloom, but weedy.)

The back yard no longer squishes when you walk in it, and the driveway only has 3 big puddles left, so that's progress too.

My veggie garden slopes with the higher ground on the west and south sides and lower ground on the north and east. The higher ground is somewhat drier, but the lower ground is still very very wet.

The wild critters are enjoying the sunshine, clear and dry skies and warmer temps as much as we are. The last couple of days I've had the company of tons of birds, quite a few butterflies, a wild turkey or two, and several deer. No snakes yet, which is good!

The baby chicks have grown quite a bit and are mostly looking like chickens now instead of chicks, although some of the younger and smaller banties are still very small.

Well, back out to the garden now.

Dawn

That's pretty cool about the water percolating down through the soil. I've never had that happen here, but then water tends to run off our clay or soak in slowly.

I remember when our Mays used to be filled with school stuff, but DS has been out of high school for so long that almost all the kids we know, including our many nieces and nephews, are out of school now (and some are done with college as well)...and none of them has children old enough for school yet. May this year is quieter in that regard than it has been in years. DS did attend a college graduation recently for a couple of his college room-mates who are finally finishing up their education. (I am sure they are ready to be out of school at long last!)

Dawn

Tulsa had 22 straight days of measureable rain acording to the lady on Ch2 Sunday. The last of the 22 was Saturday. That was easily a record, although only 8 to 9 inches fell in those 22 days. I'll now take 22 days of no rain and "severe clear"!

I never got anything planted in the main garden, just the raised beds. Maybe this week...

I don't know who was giving out the yellow squash plants, but mine has baby squashies! Three!

The tomatoes look good, but they aren't anywhere close to fruiting yet. A friend of mine gave me one of those Topsy Turvey things, so I'm trying it out with grape tomatoes.

Have fun in the garden!

Scott, I think you and I ended up with the best of all of it. Rain, but not too much. Even our 2.75 inches Friday night soaked in/ran off without leaving any lakes.

Lisa

I stopped at the farmers garden on my bike ride on Saturday, and bought two habanero peppers, one regular and one extra hot? Also a German giant tomato.

Dawn, that makes the most tomato plants I have planted in years, LOL, three!

All those have been planted. Now I need to go to the front yard, clear more Bermuda and plant the stuff I brought back from New Mexico.

My rain barrels are all full, and I finally got some gold fish to keep the mosquito larvae down.

Moni

Yes, Hal Jay is still there. I bet I had listened to him on the radio for 20 years before we moved here. He looks a little older and heavier now (kinda starting to resemble Rush Limbaugh but with more hair) and was diagnosed with diabetes about a decade ago, but is still there doing the morning drive show from 5-8:30 a.m. To me, the real glory days at WBAP were the Hal Jay-Dick Siegel days, (and I think it was Dick who pioneered the use of the term "severe clear" when he was in the chopper) but I remember even further back to Dick Yaws (sp?) and all those guys. I miss them all. They made the early morning drive to work bearable. And, for a lot of years, Hal and Dick did the morning AND evening drive time shows, which is rare in a major market.

I wondered how much rain y'all had because it seemed to rain every day forever near Tulsa. I find it hard to believe we've had more rain than you! However, since we're lucky to get 34" of rain in a "good year", I suspect the rain will stop falling here and we'll be back in our usually droughty, dry, miserable condition in no time. Since we're already over 25" of rainfall for the year, there can't be that much rain left waiting to fall later in the year----it just doesn't happen here.

I hope it dries out and you can plant this week before you head out on vacation.

Lisa, I had some squash plants but so did someone else too (maybe Carol?). Regardless who you got them from, I'm glad they are blooming and making babies.

Moni, I currently have almost 80 tomato plants either in the ground or in containers. I know it is ridiculous, but I love the various flavors so much. We don't restrict ourselves to one or two wine vintages, so why not have 80 tomato vintages? LOL

I'm glad more bermuda grass bit the dust there last week. More bit the dust here on Sat. and Sun. too.

In my experience, all habaneros are extra hot! The red ones seem hotter than the orange ones. There are a couple of new hybrid habaneros that have been bred to keep the hab flavor but not the heat.

Dawn

The only thing planted in my garden are the sugar snap peas, and the rest of it is going to get a "RoundUp bath". I just can't fight the weeds and grass any longer and have to have an assist. You know it is bad when I resort to this.

On the positive side however, I did got an entire flower bed filled today. If I don't get plants out of their little pots and into the ground soon, I will be watering every hour. Hasn't been a problem so far this year, since I live in Green County and rain has been plentiful.

As you have been getting plants out of containers, I'm busy putting them in :) I'm not a good plant sitter, I'll be happy when these pots leave my premises.

Lisa

Hubby's been able to almost finish the new coop and the chickens have been out there a few days already. Next up is the run so they can start battling the Bermuda. For now, though, they're just thrilled as can be to be out of the cramped brooder.

When hubby sits for a break, I pass off the baby to him and speed garden for 15 or so minutes.  I've managed to get 90% of the kitchen garden weeded in those short spurts and more closely inspect the tomatoes. Out of 75 planted in the ground, it's looking like I'll lose a bit under half of those. Luckily, I bought some replacements in town a few days ago so will not come up terribly short when all is said and done.

The lettuces and spinaches are still going strong. Summer squashes, cukes, pole beans, and bush beans are popping up all over. If this dry weather holds for a few days as they're predicting, we'll finally be able to get the lower garden prepped and planted with melons and whatever else I'm not remembering at the moment.

Finally, gardening can carry on!

Lisa, As much rain as you had, it is a wonder your WS plants weren't just floating down the road. Are these for the plant sale you mentioned earlier?

Diane, Hooray for the chicken coop!

I've been weeding too and I am sick of it. However, the weeded and remulched parts look great. It is just that there is so much left to be done, and I dread weeding the corn beds because the weeds in there are so thick. The corn is still off color, so I'm waiting to see if it recovers before I bother weeding. The lower corn bed, where I planted Country Gentleman, still has that mucky sour soil smell, so I don't know what to expect. It's been totally saturated for 3 weeks. The upper corn bed, where I planted a small patch of Texas Honey June is drier and looks a little better.

Doesn't it feel great to be out in the sunshine, gardening again?

And, finally, true confession time here: the fire pagers went off about 30 or 45 minutes ago. I listened to the call, and then I said to myself "I'm not going. This is my week in the garden and I'm not going anywhere for anybody." And, I didn't. Anyway, they are going to a buiness location for a long, tedious call (bomb threat) and that business usually provides drinks for them on these types of things. I'm staying home and in the garden. In fact, there is nothing this week that is going to drag me out of the garden, other than the occasional need to come inside and eat a meal or a snack, or maybe throw a load of laundry in the washer.

Dawn...from clear and sunny Marietta where it is 77 degrees at this moment and is just PERFECT!

The almost-drowned WS ones though are for me. I need to go check them out, they were looking VERY pitiful on Saturday.

I live in a really good spot. The backyard will create a lake if we just get really saturated, but honestly I've only seen that during the floods a few years ago. This year, no lakes. My front yard is sloped enough that no water stays around. If we get more than 1/2 inch in a short period of time, my road becomes a river...or in the case of this weekend, white water!

Lisa

I think 89 is too hot and I vote for it to stay 77 to 85 for the next two months. Of course, we don't get to vote on our weather, and two months from now, 89 degrees will be just a memory!

I've tried the rain dance at midnight during the dark of the moon, and it didn't make it rain. You have to be careful what you wish for though.....we "wished for" rain for months and got over 12" in one day. : )

I'm surprised fire ants haven't made it to SW Kansas, but suspect they will in the next few years. Armadillos are a huge nuisance for gardeners, but fire ants will hurt you.

Lisa, I bet all they need is a couple of days of sunshine, which they should be getting now.

Carol, It amazes me how much runoff a simple thunderstorm creates. I wish you could have seen the rivers of running water we got from the 12" rainfall....there's just no way to adequately describe it. One of our neighbors had an old boat up in his trees, about 12' above the creek bank after the waters receded and to this day no one knows where that old boat came from.

Dawn

Last year they upgraded the drainage to the lower end of the canal and they are still working on drainage to the upper end. This last little storm set them back on that project.

Lisa

Not to hijack the thread, but was Dick Siegel the chopper guy with the Corvette and revolving wives that would occasionally refer to the sunrise there as looking like East Texas was on fire? I listened to Hal, him, and Sam from Sales twice a day for a long time also when commuting from Mansfield to Alliance.

If so, what happened to him?

Scott

Lisa

Your memories of Dick are correct. I did always wonder if his many wives were real, or just a radio gag to keep things interesting.

Dick left WBAP (I think unwillingly, to a certain extent) in 2002 after they decided they no longer could afford the money required to keep their own aircraft in the air every day. (At some point, they'd already cut the chopper and he kept broadcasting from the air via an airplane, but he didn't seem as happy as he had been in the chopper.) He lived in Parker County by then, or at least moved out that way, and later popped up on a radio station there for a while and then, later, the radio station mentioned above. When he left WBAP he said he was "retiring", but I don't think he could sit still and do nothing.

I haven't heard anything about him in a couple of years, but I hope wherever he is that he's alive, well, and happy. He gave us so much joy over the years.

My most lasting Dick Siegel memory is when he was broadcasting from the chopper during flash flooding, saw someone on top of a car in flood waters, and rescued them himself right then and there, live and on the air at WBAP. That certainly was going above and beyond the call of duty for a traffic reporter/morning radio show co-host.

To me, Hal and Dick were simply the best duo in D-FW radio history and no one else has ever come close. I loved their humor, which got wackier over the years, and Sam from Sales was always such a hoot! And, to me, Hal has the most distinctive laugh in radio history.

Dawn