A neighbor gave me several stems of basil leaves last summer, expecting I would use them for cooking. They were so bright and pretty I stuck them in a vase with water to look at for a few days, and sniff when passing. They kept looking fresh, so I kept adding to the water.

When I picked up the glass vase days later, the stems had put out roots. So I made a hole in a pot and stuck them in the dirt. They grew like crazy the rest of the summer. But as all basil I've had, they didn't overwinter. I did harvest and dry some of the leaves last fall. Unfortunate I'm not fond of basil in cooking. It's a tomato enhancer, IME, and I don't eat tomato.

My rosemary, sage, and thyme overwintered fine. We cut them back and they're already greening up again. Jury's still out on the tarragon, marjoram, creeping rosemary and Russian sage, and the lavender's alive, but blooming may not happen. I didn't really expect it, but I hoped, given the unkillable nature of oregano, that the ornamental oregano would survive. Sadly, it didn't. And the lemongrass never does. Time to hit the local nurseries next week. Last year's fennel was decorative, but we don't use it culinarily, and I want dill instead this year--dill, we'll use.

Forgive me for laughing out loud when I read that. My word, I hope I don't say stuff like that to my boys! OF course I don't think they feel at all competitive about how they look, although they do have the unequal treatment under the mom complex.

I have 2 sisters and we have all freely discussed that the eldest got all the girly curves. #2 and I got the boy like straight bodies. I think I was like a range of 5" between my waist/bust/hips at the max and Judi was nicknamed tree because she was so tall and straight. Mona had beautiful curves and cleavage that we didn't have until we got fat in middle age! She also got the thick dark hair where Jude and I got the fine blond stuff. I don't think any of us had any notion that one was prettier than the other, more 'vive la différence'.

Yeah, my mom says stuff like that but generally only to the sibling she's complimenting. Like she tells me, who has no children, that I'd be a better parent than my sister. Which is probably true because my sister is a pushover and I've had a decade and a half of being a hard ass with gang bangers. But it's still not nice to say.

Oh, also, paging Kat. I think I'm going to your niece's graduation. Is there any chance you'll be there?

No siblings, so Mom had to compare me to other people's kids.

You know, having gotten the story of my adoption along with Goldilocks and Little Red Riding Hood practically as soon as I was verbal was really a very nice buffer for me. No matter how horrid her behavior, even as a small child and my trust was abused, I always took comfort in, "Well, at least we're not really related."

I never once said "You're not my real mom!" but she was so afraid I would she said it herself all the time. "You don't obey/love me because I'm not your mother!" Dude. You're the only one I know, and after living with you, why would I want *another* one? Chill.

But still, yeah. Nice to know I didn't inherit that.

My brother is engaged and I think my sister and I have separately told his fiancee that if/when Mother says something appalling to her, don't take it personally, because she has said the same or worse to us. I told Fiancee about when my mother told me I needed to get pregnant soon before all my eggs dried up, for example (I was 29), and how she asked mr. flea, on first meeting him, what social class he aspired to. Mother told my sister that she thinks Fiancee is from "good stock," but we hope she has managed not to tell Fiancee so to her face. Yet.

...couldn't find a birdfeeder (humming or seed) I liked

I highly recommend the pan-style hummingbird feeders. They are much easier to keep clean than the bottle-style: [link] [link]

Given your location, you might also consider an oriole feeder: [link]

Wow, flea's mom. Wow.

I ran a 5K today, and sadly was just about as slow as I ever was. I was hoping I'd do better, since I've been running more! But no. And now my calves are SOOOOOORE. But I got 9600 steps in before breakfast?

Our nice birdfeeder was stolen from where it was hanging at the end of our parking pad. sad. Of course, the birds don't really need feeding this time of year.

I should be cleaning the bathrooms and/or sorting out my clothing for fall/winter to spring/summer switch but I rode 75 miles yesterday and the warm laptop feels so nice on my knees that I can't really motivate and get off the couch to do anything.

This: [link] and the 8 following photos.

I'd like to fall down, but I've got to go swim now.