Side note: The upside down garden was a dismal failure. The coconut baskets that looked so pretty couldn't hold the moisture in. In spite of constant watering, every single plant shrivelled to dust. The very helpful people at OSH suggested that I try again next year and use water absorbing crystals mixed in the soil to help the plants retain water. (Something I have no problem with.) I'll try it again next spring. I still think the idea has merit as a space saving gardening technique, I'm just not sure it'll work in my zone.
My goal was to replace the dead twigs in the hanging baskets with drought resistant plants that, while not edible, will at least survive August. My secondary goal was to replace Rose the Third and all the alyssum that was destroyed by the dreaded black spot fungus. (Told you I had a brown thumb.) The sales assistant told me that I'd have to completely empty all the dirt from the barrel and start from scratch. While she was helping me figure out what I should do with it, Joseph and Chad played with the display fountains. She looked at Joseph laughing and splashing in the water and said, "Have you ever thought of turning the wine barrel into a fountain?"
Excited, I relayed the idea to Chad. (No need to consult J. He was obviously in.) $40 later, we walked out of OSH with a pond liner, pump, fountain spray and directions. After Joseph's nap, we went outside to work. It only took Chad 15 minutes to empty the dirt, then, twenty minutes later, we were the proud owners of a new fountain. A cool, but very visually boring fountain. We stared in the black depths and decided that nothing said pond like gold fish. A quick trip to Petco later, we had two very happy little fish swimming around the rocks along the bottom. I've been researching barrel ponds online and now just need to find a nursery that carries water plants. I want to put a lily or two and a couple of oxygenating plants for the fish.
The hanging baskets look fresh and lively with flowers and hanging greenery. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that "drought resistant" means "able to survive Paso's August". (I also had to get a picture of the beautiful Raspberry Sun Tea I made this morning. And yes. I know about this and I make sure I follow the safety instructions.) 
As for the rest of my garden...I'm up to my eyebrows in green tomatoes and up to my knees in red ones. Joseph's 100 Grand is going nuts and has been for the last two weeks. (This in spite of the fact that most of the green tomatoes are picked by little hands before they're able to turn red.) My Romas are wild (per usual). 
I've already picked a dozen of them, using them in my pasta, eggs and on my sandwiches. The mystery tomatoes are doing very well against the side of the house. They too are out of control, but producing tons of big round tomatoes. (Maybe they're Best Boys? From the shape of them, they're not Romas or Healthy Girls. From the size, they're not in the cherry family.) I'm collecting bruchetta and salsa canning recipes and plan on starting them in a few weeks. My cucumbers have started to grow beneath the flowers. I'm curious about how they're going to do. So far, the vines have joined my Romas in a contest to take over the garden.
Note to self: Next year, plant tomatoes away from the cucumbers.
My poor carrots didn't fare as well. Only about five survived The Great Cat Dig. We picked one...very sweet. My plan next year calls for moving all tomato production to the side of the house and use my little garden bed for onions, carrots and cucumbers.
Next on the Garden To Do List:
Purchase water plants to protect the poor fish from Joseph. (Why do I feel like the dentist from "Finding Nemo"?)
Decide whether or not I'm going to plant grape vines along the fence now while I can pick one with fruit on it or wait until January and plant a bare root. Hmm...could make an excellent Christmas gift.
Other than that, I've been enjoying our yard and garden. This year's successes have given me more ideas for next year. (This year's failures have made me a bit more determined for next year.) And yes...I realize our grass is dry. We're on a bit of a water shortage here in Paso. The recommended watering time isn't helping the poor grass. 
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