Florence, sorry to hear Robin's ex is still like that. Sorry you're still in pain. I know what it's like. I'm 44 and barely go out. Carlota; back surgery all depends on who does it; what exactly is done and your own body. When I was fused at L5S1 the 1st time back in 2001, I only had an LT Cage, no rods. It never fully fused. Had i had rods added back then, who knows? Another surgeon put rods in, did something to the original fusion to help it along, plus fused a deformity in my sacrum; I am still feeling movement (feels like metal rubbing bone) as I walk plus I get pain where the rods are. They are trying to figure out what to do with me. I have horrible spasms in my muscles from my waist to my toes. One muscle deep in the butt is so very painful. I'm looking to possibly get the rods out; but that will be major surgery - when the rods went in, I didn't really drive for 8 months plus will go in for a pain pump trial again where the Dr will add something to calm the spasms. If I can get the pump to work this 2nd time I don't doubt it will help for a while. Right now, and for the last year, I haven't really had any quality of life. Imagine being in excruciating pain all the time. Meds only do so much.

Thank you all for the responses! @beachape, I appreciate the encouragement, we'll both learn as we go. I have potting mixture ready for the right time :D @arthurm, A very useful link- it'll help me adjust advice to my circumstances! @terrestrial man, thanks for the evaluation, its good to know they are ok for now! I have carefully cut some slits down the sides of the clear containers to make sure the roots breathe and drain enough. Here are photos of the other 2, to my untrained eye, they seem to be ok as well? Meanwhile I can decorate the 4" clay pots and use them as cache pots. I'll have a look for another fertilizer, the one I mentioned is "Miracle-Gro Orchid Food" (yep, it does suggest growth more than bloom). I have Shultz 2-7-7 Cactus and Succulent, Fish and Poop 9-6-2 and Miracle-Gro Rose 18-24-16...

BTG, Boy, that's for sure that I won't ever get bored trying to learn about all of these plants. Some of them are starting to sink in, but I get the feeling that I'd have to live a couple lifetimes to know a lot of them, and I'm not a young chick anymore. Heh. That's good if you think the Verbena bonariensis won't be a problem. I don't really know if it would be an annual here or not. I never heard of it before coming here to the forum last year. The flowers looked pretty. I'm hoping that the plant doesn't look too straggly though, but oh well, it can't look any worse than the weeds that are already over across the road in our weed patch. Susan, Oh heck, so it's a totally different plant then. Arg! Actually yes, I do live in a rural area and there is a woods right beside us. I'm sure with the rate of the people population increasing and the habitats being plundered, it will only be a matter of time until it has a house on it. That thought makes me half sick. That's probably where most of the butterflies that were in my garden came from, like the Spicebush Swallowtail and Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, to mention just two. We live fairly close to a mountain actually, about half a mile away and the woods beside us continues all the way up to the top of it and down the other side. There's no lacking trees here, but being that we live along a main road, the woods next to us will most likely be gone when the people who own it pass it on to their offspring someday and they sell it. I'd be surprised if they wouldn't, but I guess one can always hope. Even all the work I'm doing now will probably be gone someday, but I just can't think too much about it or I won't be motivated to do all this work. The reason why I was asking about this particular kind of plant was because I saw it on ebay and the person has it advertised as one and the same. If you type in "Verbena bonariensis" on ebay, it's the second one listed (now anyway). So I guess that person doesn't even know. I remembered that Purpletop was a host plant for some cat and looked it up and it said it was for the Wood Nymph. I think I would probably have a pretty good chance of getting those cats here if I had the right plant, but I guess hers isn't the right one? The things I have inside are mostly all coming up, but I winter sowed a lot of things and the Black Swallowtail hosts plants are on the back porch in containers. I just looked at them again (I wonder if all my plants get tired of me staring them down?! Ha) and no signs of life, but it's been cold here. Now that we're having warmer temps this week, I suppose anything is possible, huh! I'd ask you to come up and help me plant all of my plants, but I think you have your work cut out for you too! :) Cathy

Cathy, I looks like a simple enough pattern I am sure you can do it fine. I do quite a bit of fusing and always machine stitch using either button hole applique or narrow zig zag (2.0w 4.5 or 5.l). My technique is to trace the pattern onto the paperbacking of the fuseable (remember to reverse pattern if it is important for direction, to do this I either trace it on computer paper with a black marker, or use the marker on the pattern itself, and then trace the fuseable from the back side of the pattern.). After the pattern pieces are on the fusable I cut them out leaving a narrow edge around the pattern, then fuse to the fabric. Next step is to cut the various pieces out on the line of the pattern. Rather the putting them directly onto the background fabric I take the placement guide and put it under my teflon sheet and fuse the pattern pieces on to the sheet following the guide pattern. When I am satisfied they look right I remove them and the fuse them to the backgound making sure they are centered. If you don't have a teflon sheet (worth getting if you do a lot of fusing) the paper from the fusable web minus the web works great. I think that parchment paper would work also but can't remember it I have used that or not. I hope this is of some help. It really isn't that difficult and I know you will enjoy it once you get started.Jayne