I was tardy in planting my garden this year -- more than two months late. My batch of seedlings didn't find their way into my patch of dirt until July 2. I humbly apologized to them, then made amends with a campaign to provide them with extraordinary care -- organic fertilizer, regular watering, impeccable weeding, steady songs of encouragement. And by September the zucchini were booming, the pumpkins were thriving, the watermelons were unstoppable, and the cucumbers were riffing with abandon. Take inspiration from my example, Virgo. Your plans may have gotten delayed, but don't let that demoralize you. There's still time.

My friend Amy's mom needs a dog. Her father, a capricorn, works full time though he's 80. And her mother, in her 7o's and an attention-loving scorpio, is home all day alone. They tried the SPCA and wound up with a german shepherd (what were they thinking??), which Amy quickly inherited. So, I suggested a shih tzu, Patchey (Django's mom), who is retiring. So I went with Amy today to finalize that deal and wallowed in shih tzu puppies all morning, sticking my face into one furball of love after another. Loompa was scrumptious. For a second, existentially speaking, it came down to Loompa vs. that blue dress. Shih tzu or human? The dress won.