Thank-you all so much for your warm reception! Sorry it took me so long to get back to thank you. I got an unexpected visit from DD in Oklahoma and an invite to go to her place and fish. There are three dirt bottom (private) ponds on the property that have been stocked (by the owner) with a variety of fish. We caught several very large, largemouth bass that I was able to bring home for the freezer. EXCELLENT eating!! YUM! I think I might have spotted a possible pond..I'll have to mosy on over to that neighbor and check it out and see what the story is. Our rules say we have to check with the office before beginning any digging projects, but who says one has to dig to have a pond? :) None of the rules specify plants that one can't have :) and they do encourage landscaping. We'll see. Sure wish I were rich...I'd pay off this house, by some land and do my own thing lol! George, I do think most of Kansas IS simply Colorado moved by the wind! I can honestly say I don't miss the wind at all. We get a little bit but not like we got there. It takes me well over a month to accumulate just a little less dust than I got daily in CO. And I definately don't miss the feedlots! I was within a mile (as the crow flies) of a huge feed lot capable of holding 90 thousand head....There was always a brown cloud. One definately did NOT hang the sheets out to dry, there. I might post some pix if that's ok..of the outside of my house so you can all see my postage stamp and perhaps advise me on plantings. One thing I'm not at all good at is landscaping and related skills (like house decorating, designing web pages, even choosing clothes and accessories). I sure could use some help because my house is placed in an area that makes it very visable. I'd like to decorate the outside in such a manner as to make it less visable or less noticible if that's possible..sort of melt in with the surroundings. I want the beauty to be apparent to ME, but not to the outside world. I feel like I live in a fish bowl and am needing privacy. GA

Thank you ALL, SO much! When my in-person friends call or come to the hospital, they always ask, "And how are YOU?", to which I answer, in tears, "Fine, til YOU showed up!" LOL, of course. I'm having the same reaction reading your messages, heartfelt and humble tears. The generosity of forum and in-person friends is amazing. I treasure you all. That generosity DOESN'T apply to beurocrats! I have a GREAT RozanneRozannadanna story, or maybe it's Emily Latella. Probably more her than Rozanne! We might have cell phone insurance, but if so, it's buried under 2' of bills husband keeps saying he's working on. As if! So, I wanted to find the phone # of the store where we got the phone, thinking they could help me directly. I went online to find that phone #. Listed is a number for that area code. Turns out it's one of those automated voice things. FINALLY got through to a human (sweet young girl, this isn't her fault), and discover that my husband never signed me up as an authorized user of the phone and phone service we've both had for YEARS! SO!!!!!!!, they can't access our records without his approval. I tell the girl that he's in ICU, and VERY sick. She asks if he could just say his name and the last 4 digits of his social. I tell her "I" can say his name and his last four digits, and besides, not only is he in ICU, he's heavily sedated and CAN'T TALK!!!!!!! I told her my wish for ALL her superiors was for them to have a loved one in the hospital and then have to face beurocracy run rampant. Not her, of course, she's just the unfortunate messenger. She puts me on hold again (all this time I'm on a Land-line Long Distance Call because of the stupid phone # thing), and comes back, and says, "Well, we can try to maybe fix your phone while we're talking." And then I say and realize, "You mean you have to have my phone HERE, while we're talking?" "Yes." "It's in my Daughter's car!" and as Emily Latella would say, "Never Mind!". Well, at least I have an 800 # I can call to try to fix the phone, IF I can get my nerve up! Just talked to the dr, he said my husband is still disoriented and mostly sedated, but his white blood count is down to nearly normal--11,000 instead of a high of nearly 16,000, --and the fluid outside his lungs is not very much, so they're not going to do anything, yet. He said maybe ICU for the rest of today, and maybe a regular room sometime tomorrow. As the white blood cell count gets closer to normal, hopefully his disorientation will go away. It's still taking 5 nurses to calm him down and get him back lying down when he decides he's "leaving"! I did water some yesterday, glad I did. Enjoyed the activity even tho it was cold and I was in shorts, and the plants needed it! The rain may come later today or tomorrow, but they needed it then. Thanks again, all "y'all". I appreciate you enormously. And Ray, I should've sicced my Great Dane on that cell company--wish I could've! Susi.

Thanks everyone...it's good to hear from you all. I guess I missed this place more than I knew. :) Traveling can be fun...I've done a lot of it, especially prior to getting so involved in my garden. Used to work with my hubby and we've been from one side of the states to the other. We have seen lots of beautiful places and had some great times. I am enjoying spending time with him again, but, I still miss gardening. Hopefully, he will retire in a few more years and we can go back home. I'm so looking forward to seeing all of your beautiful photos of your dl's this season. I'll be hanging around here a lot probably. :) Jan

Sounds great! Good luck with the moonflowers. May they lighten up each evening for you!