i feel all alone in my state.

Im up in the far south west burbs off Chicago. You are not by yourself. :)

sure feels like it. nobody around here knows what a fig is in this podunk little burge. 800 souls call this township home with about 15,000 county wide. all farmers of sorts. or work at the fast food joints. nothing much here. but quite.

I hear that there are people growing figs outside in ground in Cairo, Il.

I used to live down close to cairo years ago in a small town called mounds. im about 3 hours or so north now 35 miles east of st.louis in the small town of pocahontas. gretchen wilson says its here home town but she just hung out here. she was really from perrion right down the road a few miles. i dont like her since she talked the town into taking vet memorial park and turning it into gretchin wilson park. i think the vet did more than she ever will. but thats just me.

I use to live in Fairview Heights Illinois, 12 miles East of St Louis.  Man when the weather turns cold, it stays cold till April!!!!  A very pretty area!   Did a lot of fishing when I was there, didn't grow figs back then.  I don't see how that area could be zone 6!  I remember temps getting to 32 below zero!

But we do have some forum friends living in S. Ill.

Hey Dave. There are a few of us just down the road (2-3 hrs) from you here in KY. Here's a link to a thread that mario started awhile back:

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/any-fig-people-in-kentucky-4688583

It's a similar topic as this one only for KY. Hey, we're neighbors anyway :) . 

Dennis i to remember cold weather and snow here. ofer the past few years though there hasnt been much of any of that. jan2 of this year i was out side enjoying almost 70 degree temps while at work. it still get cold but not like it used to. we might hit a week or 2 where temps may hitthe 20s then it seems to shoot back up to 30's and 40's  right now dec 13 havent seen any snow as of yet. its 50 degrees outside right now. i goto fairveiw all the time down to the mall. got my sleep number bed from there (best money i ever spent) i used to goto ginger buffet down there every week or 2 until i got food posining, havent been back since. thats been a few years ago.

Bill I went to Ky alot as a kid, dont remember where but i think i remember a big superman statue where we were at, or maybe it was paul bunion. that was years ago. i know my family came from the hill country in KY years ago but where exactly is beyond me.

I recall temps at 65 degree's the year 1967 -January 24th.
Couple days later the Blizzard came on my Birthday it was only predicted for about 4inches.
This January 26th make 46 years that the record snowfall still stands in Chicago.

I'm in Kansas City, MO.  Not close enough to come for coffee but maybe a regional get together some day.