I will first note that I am working on the offering of Crinum 'Mrs. James Hendry.' It should be ready shortly, and we will have about 60 large bulbs and 3, what I call, behemoths.

In the meantime, let me tell you how great the rain lily (also called fairy lilies) bloom has been! When I arrived back at the farm yesterday morning, the Zephyranthes labufarosea were all in full bloom. It was a site to behold. Unfortunately I did not have my camera, so I cut some stems and hurried them back to the cabin. It was not long before a curious pollinator found a treasure.That same morning, Jackie from the Olive Barn sent me pictures of her rain lilies. The Olive Barn purchased rain lilies from us this spring to sell to their customers. She just planted them a few days ago in pots, gave them some water, and wa-lah! Thank you for sharing the pictures with us. She did a wonderful job of capturing their apricot colors.Some of you also saw the Zephyranthes labufarosea blooming at The Arbor Gate a few days ago. You can see how after awhile their star shape will begin to droop some in what I consider an attractive fashion.On the farm by the pond the Zephyranthes candida continue to bloom.

When traveling to come back to the farm, I noticed several spots where Zephyranthes 'Grandjax' was blooming. These pictures were taken from a garden just west of Houston. Z. 'Grandjax' was also blooming prolifically in Tyler on Sunday where I had planted them in pots.

That night I stayed at a house in College Station where I was able to have some time to take care of the work I had been dragging along with me on my entire road trip, like counting bulbs. I started at 5AM and went until noon! The larger companies have machines. I had the help of one person and a grocery store sack from Brookshires.

For a snack at lunch, I ate some elephant ears (Colocasia esculenta)! Most countries call elephant ears taro, and a US company (Terra) is now making chips out of them. They were actually quite tasty. I am always asked "Can you eat them?" I now can say unwaveringly "Absolutely!"

The room I stayed in had a Victorian clock that the clock repair man fixed. He mentioned that it was probably German and pointed out the match sticking, where a piece of wood is cut and then built into a piece to where the grains of the cut match up exactly. Look at the bottom of the clock just under the glass and you will see where the grains connect. This clock had the original key, a very hard item to find if lost.

Now I am back at the cabin enjoying the much needed rain! We had over an inch.

Last note: I purchases a break resistant, chip resistant plate for $1.5o from a well known retailer. I thought I would give it a simple test...it did not pass.