Hi Gardeners
Yesterday around midday I was looking at the cloudy sky
and grumbling about the lack of rain with the clouds as I drove to town to pick
up a few things. We’ve been getting a
lot of clouds without any rain benefit lately. But by the time I was coming out
of the store the rain and thunder was beginning.
As I drove up to the house I could see the plants
turning their thirsty mouths up into the rain and stretching their arms up to
greet the showers. By 7 pm when I went
out to feed the chickens and after 3 inches of hard rain, the plants were drooping,
cold and soggy and trying to hide under each other, (metaphorically speaking of
course.) After a dry August we got most
of our total rainfall for the month in a few hours. (Nothing like Texas of course, but still a
lot in a short time.)
We ended up with 3.5 inches as of this morning and
light rain has been happening on and off today.
I won’t have to worry about watering plants for a few days.
For
any gardener who is experiencing the hardships of hurricane Harvey and its
flooding please don’t think I am equating my measly 3.5 inches of rain with
your problems. I can’t imagine the
amounts of water you have gotten and how it would feel to be a gardener with a
garden underwater or destroyed. I’m
hoping you, your loved ones and your garden will soon see brighter and better days. Stay strong and have hope.
The toad lilies, (trycirtis) and sweet autumn clematis are
beginning to bloom. Although a little
battered the dahlias, zinnias, tithonia, marigolds and other annuals are going
strong. Morning glories are taking over as
my efforts to battle them have faded.
The autumn blooming sedums are also starting to bloom. Ligularia, hosta, phlox, rudbeckia, buddleia,
rose of Sharon, anemone, mums and lavender are still blooming.
I am harvesting so many tomatoes that I am donating
bags full to a food bank in town. I only
have 4 plants but they are outdoing themselves.
I made some tomato sauce to freeze but decided not to can any this year.
The plants are starting to look bad from
septoria blight but still churning out tomatoes. My cucumbers may be getting downy mildew, I
don’t like how they are looking. If so,
my cuke harvest is almost over. I am
getting lots of peppers, what we don’t eat, I chop and freeze. More cabbage is ready to harvest. I am still picking blackberries, making
cobbler and freezing some.
The birds are finally slowing down on the consumption
of suet and jelly but I have to fill the hummingbird feeders every other
day. They won’t be here much longer so I
enjoy watching them while I can.
This weekend we got to watch a wagon train and large
trail ride go by our house on Saturday and Sunday. The riders had a great
weekend to show off their horses. I miss
the horses I used to have but I don’t miss the work and expense involved with
keeping them. It’s nice to have a horse
farm right across the road so I can watch horses without worrying about them.
It’s so sad to think that summers almost over. I’m still waiting for a few plants to bloom
so I hope we have a few more warm weeks, but it’s starting to feel like
fall. Fall can be a nice season though,
especially after the mosquitoes are gone.
I like it almost as well as spring.
Preparing to move the plants back
inside
If you had your houseplants outside for a summer
vacation and you are in zone 6 or lower it’s time to start thinking about preparing
to bring them back inside. I usually
bring my houseplants back inside in late September, but there have been years
when I have had to bring them inside much earlier.
Most houseplants need to be brought inside when nights
are regularly falling into the 40’s or when frost is predicted. Gardeners must watch weather reports
carefully and try to look a little farther into the future to see when the
weather will dictate that summer vacation is over for the plants. It’s always a good thing to have a few days
to plan the big move. Some of you may be
eager to move the plants back inside and for you weather won’t determine your
decision.
There have been years when I have covered plants
outside when frost is supposed to be a one night thing and temperatures are
supposed to warm right back up. (You can
cover plants with old sheets or boxes or buckets but don’t use plastic that
rests directly on foliage.) But if an
extended period of cold is predicted it’s time to start the exodus. There’s always a blend of experience and some
gambling involved when deciding when it’s the right time. Erring on the side of caution is wise. You can move the most delicate and/or
expensive inside first and wait on others too.
Some half hardy perennial plants, like geraniums and
rosemary, will be able to stand colder temperatures and even light frost. Any plant that’s perennial and marginally
hardy to your zone can usually be left a bit longer. Tender bulbs in pots can
be left until frost kills the tops and then the pots moved inside for storage. Moving some potted plants closer to the house
may keep them warmer and outside longer.
Once you have a target date gather the saucers and
plant stands. Clean the windows and
order the grow light bulbs. And there
are other chores that will need to be done in preparation. Clean off dirty pots before moving them. If pots are setting directly on the ground
lift them to break any roots that may have grown out drainage holes into the
ground. If vines have climbed onto
outside objects you’ll need to unwind them or cut them back. If plants have
grown considerably or you’ve added a lot of new ones you’ll want to do some
measuring and planning inside. These
things can be done days or weeks before the move.
Heading inside soon. |
Some plants may have grown so big that you’ll want to
re-pot them. It’s easier to do outside
but since plants probably won’t grow too much inside over winter you can wait
until spring for re-potting most things.
But if the pot is cracked or you feel you must re-pot do it a few weeks
before the move inside if possible. That
way the plant isn’t adjusting to too many changes at once.
Check plants carefully for insect pests before bringing
them inside. Once inside pests can multiply and spread quickly. Often a few
pests outside may not be very noticeable and pests also lay eggs that will
hatch inside. I use a systemic
insecticide on most of my plants a few days before I plan to bring them in.
Systemic pesticides move through plant tissues, protecting them for a long
time. You may want to skip insecticide on plants that are still flowering and
attracting bees or hummers. Treat them later inside. But non-flowering plants should be fine to
treat. Don’t treat any plant you might
consume, such as rosemary or other herbs you bring inside.
I know many people are against pesticides but
houseplants that are treated in the fall won’t kill pollinators and spraying or
drenching outside a few days before bringing plants inside keeps pesticides out
of indoor air. Your pets would need to
eat a lot of treated plant matter to be affected by the pesticides that are
used correctly. You’ll have a much
easier time keeping pests like scale and aphids controlled when you use
pesticides. If you don’t use a pesticide examine plants frequently once inside
so you can quickly remove pests by hand.
Check your pots for animal hitchhikers too. Look for tree frogs and small snakes in
foliage and frogs, toads, snakes and mice hidden in soil. Be suspicious of any pot that looks like drainage
holes have been enlarged by chewing or pots that have obvious tunnels in the
soil. You’ll want to dump the soil in
those pots and repot those plants before you bring them inside.
Stop fertilizing most houseplants now. An exception might be any flowering plant
that will continue blooming through winter.
Examples of those are tropical hibiscus, abutilon, African violets, and
streptocarpus. Plants that normally
bloom in late fall or winter, like Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti should
continue to be fertilized until bloom has finished.
Once the plants are inside and cleaning your air,
expect some of them to start dropping leaves. Many plants react to different
light levels by shedding old leaves and growing new. If limbs still seem springy and you can see
new little buds the plant is probably ok.
You may need to water less often or more often than you did outside, so
test soil before watering. Don’t be
afraid to prune plants that have grown too tall or wide either.
At my house moving the plants back inside is an
undertaking that can take a whole day or several hours for several days, and a
lot of juggling plants around to fit the available space. It requires a hand cart to move big pots and
leaves me with sore muscles for several days.
But I wouldn’t be without my winter jungle and neither should you. Next week I’ll discuss saving some plants you
didn’t suspect would make good houseplants or that could be wintered over for
next year.
Eating
acorns
There are a number of species of Oaks that are native
to North America and there are species of oaks throughout much of the
world. The seeds of oaks, called
acorns, have always been important to humans and animals as food. Other parts of the oak from leaves to roots
were also part of folk medicine and food.
Oaks are long lived, majestic trees and were often sacred trees to
various indigenous people on this continent and others.
Oaks may have some acorns every year but every other
year or in some cases every few years, oaks will produce abundantly. For our bur oak tree this is a heavy “mast”
or acorn year. Mast is a general term
for nuts and acorns produced in a forest.
Often when acorns are produced heavily other trees like black walnuts,
beech and hickories will also produce heavily.
This gives wildlife an abundant winter food supply and leads to a rise
in survival rates and more young produced the following spring.
The reason that forest trees seem to synchronize their
heavy years of production is probably due to weather when the trees are
flowering. Most nut producing trees are
wind pollinated. When the weather is
warm and windy during flowering more flowers will be pollinated and produce
nuts.
Bur Oak acorns |
As far as oaks go, each tree has a different tasting
acorn. The white oak was the preferred species of oak to gather acorns from in
the Eastern US and certain trees had better tasting acorns than others. These
better trees were marked and remembered by native people from year to year.
Acorns are gathered when they fall and stored for
winter use. Underground caches of acorns stored by Native Americans have been
found that date back 3,000 years. To prepare acorns the outer shell is removed
and the inner meat is first leached in several changes of water to remove
tannins that would make the taste bitter.
The acorn meat is then dried and ground and pounded into flour. The work
is labor intensive but this flour is quite nutritious, high in protein and fat.
Native Americans and the early colonists used acorn
flour to make flat cakes cooked over the fire, in soups and stews and they
mixed it with fat and dried berries to make the survival or travel food called
pemmican. Acorn flour was often used to
extend wheat or corn flour.
Acorns are also an important feed for hogs. Colonists
herded hogs into oak forests in the fall to fatten them and collected acorns
for winter feeding. Birds, squirrels,
even deer and bears eat acorns avidly.
Our oak tree sheds acorns into the road, where they are cracked by
passing cars. Crows and other birds
swarm to the roadside to eat the acorn meats. Crows and squirrels also bury
whole acorns for storage, and then forget many of them, which helps trees
reproduce. After a heavy mast year there
will be many tree seedlings in the spring.
Most humans in the US today do not need acorns to
survive. If you want to gather some
acorns and try your hand at making flour and products from that flour just for
the experience do try a small amount.
But natural food sources for birds and other wildlife are becoming less
available and it would be an ecologically sound practice to leave most acorns
for the wildlife. It is especially important
not to gather large quantities of acorns and then not use them. This is a waste of valuable resources. Not only will wildlife populations suffer but there
will be fewer new trees produced. Be a
friend to nature and leave the acorns for wildlife.
Cleome
Cleome
hassleriana, the common garden cleome, is native to
southern South America. It’s been grown
in gardens for centuries and while it’s an annual plant, once you have it in your
garden it generally re-seeds itself and returns year after year. In my garden it comes up in pots of bulbs I
store over winter because seed has fallen into them the previous summer. I have even had the plants come up in houseplants
that summered outside. By late spring
some of the plants were blooming inside.
Cleome is often called spider flower or spider plant. This tall and graceful flower looks good in masses
at the back of flower beds. It lends an
airy elegance to large pots also. There
are now dwarf varieties for pots and front of the border uses. The foliage is attractive and a conversation
starter because it’s often mistaken for marijuana.
Cleome leaves consist of 5-7 leaflets arranged
palmately (like the fingers on your hand).
The leaves are sticky and there is a thorn at the base of each leaf
stalk. The foliage however interesting
looking, has a pungent smell reminiscent of cat urine. It’s only notable if you brush or crush the
foliage and you won’t smell it if you are just admiring the tall, beautiful
flowers. Stalks are sturdy and may reach 5 feet high.
Cleome flowers are arranged in circular clusters at the
top of the plants and sometimes on side branches. The flowers have 4 oval
petals attached to a center disk by a stem, giving them a fluttery, airy look. Each
flower has a long slender stamens sticking out like cat whiskers which accounts
for the spider name for some reason. Personally I never saw the resemblance to a
spider. Cleome comes in white, lavender, purple and pink shades. Plants will grow taller and continue to bloom
from mid- summer to frost.
Cleome flowers are attractive to bees and hummingbirds. Some say the flowers have a sweet scent; others
describe it as musky, although I think if it’s there it’s very subtle. The
flowers turn into long, narrow pods filled with tiny black seeds. When the pod
is ripe the seeds are scattered widely.
If you don’t want cleome all over the garden you’ll want to keep the
flowers cut off as they fade. Birds are
said to eat the seeds, although I don’t think they would be a preferred food.
There are numerous varieties of cleome on the
marketplace. You can now get seed of one
color, which years ago wasn’t possible.
The ‘Queen’ series has several separate color forms. ‘Senorita Rosalita’ is a variety said to have
scentless foliage and no thorns. It goes not produce seeds. The ‘Sparkler’ series are cleomes that are
compact and only 2-3 feet tall.
Growing
cleome
Cleome prefers full sun but will survive and even bloom
a little in partial shade. It’s not
fussy about soil and will grow in just about any soil as long as it’s well
drained. Light fertilization will produce more blooms but isn’t necessary. Cleome does appreciate regular watering, but
can survive short dry periods.
Sow cleome seeds where they are to grow after the soil
has warmed – about 2 weeks before your last predicted frost. Or start plants
inside 4-6 weeks before the last frost. You can fall sow the seeds also, that’s what
nature does. Simply sprinkle the seeds
where you want them to grow and let winter rain and snow plant them for you. Most
garden centers also carry started plants. Cleome shoots up quickly and in good soil can
get 5 feet high. The plants begin
blooming about 6 weeks after they sprout and will bloom continuously until
frost.
Cleome plants are prolific seeders and from one
planting of cleome you may have plants for many years, without having to plant
them again! Plants that come up from
seed shed the previous year may not have the same flower color as the parent
plants but diversity is good. If you
don’t want them to re-seed themselves you can cut the narrow seed pods off as
they form. Don’t cut the bloom stalk as
the plant keeps getting taller and putting out more flowers at the top.
Deer and rabbits generally leave cleome alone. The plant rarely has problems with insects. Aphids
occasionally attack plants, usually stressed ones. Plants will occasionally get powdery mildew,
but it’s not as noticeable or disfiguring as in other types of plants. Rust fungus is sometimes observed on cleome. In
some warmer climates the plant could become invasive and even some northern
gardeners complain about the prolific reseeding the plant does.
Other
uses of cleome
Cleome
hassleriana
is considered to be non-toxic to people and animals. It is not considered to be an edible plant or
despite its resemblance to one, a smoking plant. It has no known herbal uses, when you see a reference
to cleome in certain herbals it refers to other species of the plant, some
native to North America and some to Africa.
Despite having no edible or herbal uses cleome is an
excellent garden subject with uses in formal and informal gardens. Some plants are meant to be admired for their
beauty and usefulness to other species like bees and butterflies, rather than
as food and medicine for humans. Consider some cleome for your garden and enjoy
its graceful beauty.
Emergency
preparedness- for plants and you
Yes, I know this is an odd topic for a garden blog but
the events of the last week with hurricane Harvey and flooding hitting Texas
and so many once again unprepared makes me want to offer advice. I’ve written about emergency preparedness on
other sites and in my book- Complete
Idiots Guide to Country Living- so the topic isn’t new to me.
Every area of the country is different and has
different emergencies to plan for but all emergencies are best handled by being
prepared. You should know what
emergencies are more likely in your area but plan for anything. I’m talking about natural disasters mainly,
although most emergency preparedness tips are helpful when man made calamities
happen also.
People should realize that in disaster situations you
are likely to be on your own for several days before help will reach you. This
is especially true in rural areas. If
you decide not to evacuate when an evacuation is recommended don’t be
complaining about the lack of immediate help after a disaster because you
misjudged the severity of the event and now need help. I understand that people want to stay and
protect what they own, but you put the lives of rescuers in jeopardy as well as
your own.
If you are told to shelter in place, take shelter;
don’t go driving around to look, party, or to gather emergency supplies. Your supplies should be in place already. You
should stay off the roads unless it’s absolutely an emergency. And do not drive into water unless you know
the depth of it and know your car can pass through it.
Since Katrina each county is supposed to have emergency
plans that include pets and livestock, so staying to care for them is less of
an issue. If you have pets and livestock know here your county’s emergency
shelters for animals are and plan on what you’ll do to get pets and livestock
to safety before an emergency happens.
If you must leave livestock and pets behind in
emergencies like floods and fires at least turn them loose. They may be able to save themselves that
way. It’s horrible when pets are left in
cages to drown or animals are trapped in barns to burn up.
Emergency
preparedness supplies for people and pets
Each family member should have an emergency evacuation
kit, sometimes called a “go bag” and each family should have a sheltering in
place emergency kit. The emergency
evacuation kit should have a change of clothes that are lightweight and
comfortable, a pair of socks, 1 gallon of water,(add more if you can carry
it), enough food for 3 days that doesn’t
require water or cooking to prepare, a flashlight, hand sanitizer, a lighter or
matches, a 3 day supply of any vital medications, a small amount of toilet
paper, a plastic rain poncho or small plastic tarp, and several zip close
plastic bags in various sizes ( many uses for these) and a small amount of cash.
A small first aid kit with band aids, the type of over
the counter pain reliever you prefer, anti-diarrhea medication and allergy
medication you use should be included.
Nice things to add are, non-breakable cup, spoon and fork, sample size toothpaste and brush, shampoo, a
small hairbrush or comb and writing materials.
Sample or travel sizes of items work best.
For an infant evacuation you need to add additional
clothes, diapers, and formula plus cleaning supplies like wet wipes to the
kit. You could leave out flashlights and
fire starters. A small blanket is nice
to add.
When you evacuate your home bring or wear clothing
suitable for any weather you may encounter in the next few days. Remember weather can change dramatically and
is often much cooler at night. If each family member can bring a blanket or
sleeping bag as they leave it would be ideal.
Some people wrap the evacuation kit inside a rolled sleeping bag.
When you evacuate always bring personal ID with you and
such things as passports, green cards etc.
Make sure they are in waterproof containers and secured on your
person. You may want to have ID
bracelets or “dog tags” made for small children to wear. Pets and livestock you are taking with you
should also have ID. Bring important
phone numbers with you- they may not be accessible on your phone if cell
service is disrupted.
Since everyone depends on their phones now you may want
to have a solar power battery charger, or a charger that runs on your car
battery or one of the special back up batteries that are sold and put them in
your emergency kits. Start rationing
your use of the phone as soon as an emergency is declared as back up chargers
may take a lot of time to charge a phone.
Remember that in many emergencies cell phones may not be in service. Don’t
make unnecessary calls because lines will be jammed. If water is involved in your emergency, such as
a flood, try to put your phone into something waterproof, such as zip lock
plastic bags.
Family members should all agree beforehand where they
will leave a message if you get separated during an emergency. Don’t count on
cell phones working. Plan to call a certain
relative or friend some distance away on land lines or devise some other
system. If you have a working cell phone
or computer a social media site may work as a message site. Another suggestion is to pick a business some
distance away
You may also want to have a small battery powered radio
and extra batteries in your emergency bags.
There are also radios that work by hand cranking them. This is for hearing emergency information not
listening to your favorite tunes.
Your “sheltering in place” kits need one gallon of
water per person per day for 14 gays preferably. Add 1/2 gallon per average sized pet per day,
more if the pet is large. Food for
sheltering in place should cover the family’s needs for 2 weeks. It should be dry, canned or packaged food
that doesn’t require refrigeration. The best stored foods don’t require much
water to prepare or cook. If you keep a
full freezer you can store less of other foods since in an emergency you can
eat that food in the freezer. Soap, toilet paper, toothpaste and other personal
needs should be provided for a 2 week period.
Don’t forget diapers and formula or baby food if you have infants.
A good first aid kit should be in the home. Always try to keep a 2 week supply of vital
medications on hand if you can. If you
need a medical device/supply such as oxygen or a cpap machine plan for what you
will do if power goes out or if you need to evacuate suddenly. There are portable oxygen tanks that don’t
use electricity but they carry a limited amount and can be dangerous in some
emergencies.
Homes with handicapped people and people dependent on
electricity for powering medical devices have a special need to plan carefully
for all types of emergencies. You should
plan to evacuate as soon as a disaster is imminent and have some ideas of where
you will go when you leave. The best
plan may be to go to a hospital out of the immediate area. Know in advance where hospital facilities in
other areas you would be likely to travel to are located.
Also remember to store emergency pet food and livestock
feed, about a two week supply. For those with large animals, if you don’t have
a pond or other water source on the property, keep one or more back up stock
tanks on hand to fill with water when an emergency is imminent for any
livestock you have and fill up any tanks that are in use.
Rotate your emergency food supplies and water. Replace water every six months and use and
replace food every 6 months to a year, depending on the product. Store the
evacuation and sheltering in place kits where everyone knows where they are,
but where young children won’t get in and open and eat, or play with stored
items.
Emergency
preparedness for plants
However much we love our plants the safety of people
and pets should always come before any concerns for plants. But depending on the type of emergency there
may be things you can do to save outside plants in pots and houseplants. Landscape plants are pretty much at the mercy
of nature. In some cases you can take
some plants with you if you evacuate but remember not to leave them closed up
in a car or truck sitting in the sun when you reach your destination.
If wind, heavy rain and hail will be the concern moving
any outside plants in containers inside a building or even your car should be
helpful. Small rooms and closets may
provide the best shelter inside. Even putting plants under sturdy tables inside
could save them.
Tornadoes and hurricanes may require basement shelter
for plants from wind but remember basements are most prone to flood damage.
Plants can survive flooding if they don’t get swept away or covered in water
more than a day or two. If a flood
threatens you can move plants to the highest spot possible. That may be inside,
in an attic. You may be able to suspend
things from sturdy trees or rafters. (In
floods some trees will be washed away.)
If that won’t do the trick put plants in netting,
cages, or anything that can be tethered to something so they at least won’t
float away. Put them inside a closet or
inside a closed shower stall. Small
plants could be put inside sealed plastic bags or containers and tethered in
some manner.
If you are evacuating because of fire move outside
plants inside, place them in the bathtub full of water or in sinks, garbage
cans, or tubs of water. Small rooms that can be closed up or basements are
safest. Smoke and carbon dioxide won’t
kill plants, but heat and direct fire might.
If you are near a pond or other body of water plants could be put in a
boat or raft and floated on the water.
I don’t know if emergency shelters would take plants
but one could ask- in advance if possible.
If you have a valuable plant collection you might contact nurseries or
greenhouses some distance from you and ask if you could rent space there if
there was a need and time to evacuate your plants. You want them some distance away because they
would be less likely to be affected by the same emergency. A friend or relative’s home could also be a
safe haven for your plants if it’s out of the emergency zone. This should be done before an emergency threatens.
Gardens can be rebuilt, plants can be purchased
again. Don’t risk your life to save
plants.
Simple
blackberry cobbler
We’ve been eating blackberries most of the month. One of my husband’s favorite ways to eat them
is in a simple blackberry cobbler. If
you have blackberries or can get them at the farmers market here’s a way to
enjoy them. Remember you can freeze
blackberries for treats in the winter.
You’ll need a 9” square or round pan for this recipe
and a bowl for mixing. It will make at
least 6 servings unless you really like cobbler. I like to serve it with vanilla ice cream on
top.
Ingredients
4 cups blackberries, washed
1 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ cups flour
½ cup butter melted
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 -3 tablespoons cream, milk or water (I use cream)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Put the blackberries in your 9” pan. Add 1 cup of sugar and toss with a spoon
until sugar is mixed into berries well.
Put the flour, remaining sugar, salt and melted butter
into a bowl and mix with a fork until a crumbly mixture forms.
Add cream 1 tablespoon at a time and mix until you get
what looks like pie dough. You may not
need all of the cream.
Drop small spoons of dough on the top of the
blackberries in the pan. Try to spread
it evenly.
Bake at 400 degrees F until the berries are bubbling
and the top of the dough is lightly browned, 25 -30 minutes.
Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Wishing
comfort, healing and better times for those gardeners affected by hurricane
Harvey.
Kim Willis
“He who has a garden and
a library wants for nothing” ― Cicero
© Kim Willis - no parts of this newsletter may be used
without permission.
And
So On….
Do you have plants or seeds you would like to swap or share? Post them here by emailing me. You can also
ask me to post garden related events. Kimwillis151@gmail.com
Find
Michigan garden events/classes here:
(This is the Lapeer County Gardeners
facebook page)
An
interesting Plant Id page you can join on Facebook
Here’s a
seed/plant sharing group you can join on Facebook
Newsletter/blog
information
If you would like to
pass along a notice about an educational event or a volunteer opportunity
please send me an email before Tuesday of each week and I will print it. Also
if you have a comment or opinion you’d like to share, send it to me or you can
comment directly on the blog. Please state that you want to have the item
published in my weekly note if you email me. You must give your full name and
what you say must be polite and not attack any individual. I am very open to
ideas and opinions that don’t match mine but I do reserve the right to publish
what I want. Contact me at KimWillis151@gmail.com
I write this because I
love to share with other gardeners some of the things I come across in my
research each week. It keeps me engaged with people and horticulture. It’s a
hobby, basically. I hope you enjoy it. If you are on my mailing list and at any
time you don’t wish to receive these emails just let me know. If you know
anyone who would like to receive a notification by email when a new blog is
published have them send their email address to me. KimWillis151@gmail.com