Judging by all the rain in recent weeks and my request in the last column for rain dances, it would appear that numerous readers rain-danced their hearts out.

Roosevelt received approximately three inches of rain a couple of weeks ago and has seen more than a few sprinkles since that Sunday afternoon. Numerous storms have also surprised lake visitors in recent weeks. Please keep in mind that these storms can come up rather quickly and getting caught out on the water during one of them is certainly no picnic. We all know that lightning and water are a bad combination.

Catherine, The Herb Lady, is back in this issue with her monthly foray into gardening topics. Catherine offers readers loads of useful information on lemon balm, a perennial hardy, and, as with her last column, offers a few edible tips as well.

Much to the delight of many, I'm sure, local resident Andy Brunson offers his insight into some of the local history with the debut of an article titled, Stoneman Grade & Queen Creek - Revisited in this issue. We're hoping to include a few of Andy's photos on the website by the time this issues hits the street.

Speaking of the website, traffic continues to increase substantially each month. Check it out at tontobasinnews.com.

The NFL season is back with preseason games beginning Sunday, August 5. The Cardinals have a new coach, who replaced Dennis Green. I know we're all holding our breaths in hopes that this year will be different from preceding years. While many of us have other favorite teams, I think we'd all like to see the Cards do well for a change.

Until next issues . . . take care.   back...