Cindy, that's awful news to get early in the week, but if anyone is indispensable, you are, and the boss knows it. The light on the Mendo Coast, the cottage, the cliffs -- the perfect getaway! Planning for spring is a great way to ignore the onset of winter. I'm digging and planting away myself, potting up seedlings, generally making messes. Love how fall makes you guys reach for your cameras ;) I did finally bring home a castor bean plant this fall. I think mine is 'New Zealand Purple.' It's an invasive roadside weed and is perennial here, not an annual, so I've steered clear up til now. We'll see if the multitudes of seedlings I get from it and the bronze fennel are deal breakers, but what substance and body they give to wispy stuff. I posted a warm welcome last night to Candy, wandered away from the puter before posting and fell into bed around 8ish -- now I see the post evaporated overnight, which also included chatting with Cyn over laughing spouses and how Marty howls, wheezes, becomes utterly breathless over the disco scene in the movie Airplane! Of course I had to check youtube, found the scene, played it, Marty wanders in and looks over my shoulder and does a reprise of his laugh attack, so I had to confess to him he was being callously used for idyll fodder ;) Mitch's hero Irving Penn has died at a ripe age -- very good obit in the NYT. Also on NPR intermittently yesterday was the winner of the Booker prize Hilary Mantel's book on Thomas Cromwell, Wolf Hall -- sounds right up the alley of idyll Tudor fans. (A story for Woody about a terrier mix named Jen who runs the fuel dock. I may have posted before about Jen. Countless times Marty has come home to tell me about her shenanigans and his boundless admiration of her. As he pulls up in the pilot boat to the fuel dock, there's Jen patroling the five-fingered dock tirelessly, relentlessly -- I think we can say obsessively, all in the cause of keeping seabirds from landing and pooping on the docks. Jen literally doesn't rest all day. Her predecessor, named Diesel, had no such inclination, amiable enough but not a driven working dog like Jen. So...we finally got the scoop on what makes Jen tick. Marty found out couple days ago that she was trained by the Air Force to keep runways clear of birds, at the cost of approx 6 grand. Somehow the fuel dock owner got ahold of Jen, and the rest is fuel dock history. Now Marty keeps a little bucket of dog biscuits on the pilot boat and slips a few to the hard-working wonder dog. She'll take the biscuit politely but immediately drops it and races off to catch marauding birds in the act. Not a drop of bird poop has landed on that dock since Jen's arrival. I can't wait to meet her and will bring camera for action photos.) Off to slave the day away. Waves to all.

Trigger, I am going to have to make a few bags for brugs. Maybe call it a brug bag. You never know here. It flirts with 35 quite a few times. If the sky goes clear at 35 I am in trouble. LOL I will get some clear plastic and 2 x 4 s and a propane torch and make a few giant bags unless someone knows a better way or source. I have a few super plants worth the effort. They do look neat wrapped in clear plastic with Christmas lights. I did it last winter but mine have outgrown their 4 cu ft clear bags. These ones will need to be 8' x 5' for a good seal and ease of installation. The only problem with this is it can go from 30 at night to 75-80 the next day. LOL Then they would bake unless I removed the bag. I will find a middle ground. I hate to learn by trial and error. I am just too old......... Jim

Thanks Everyone: I certainly must reiterate the fact that we had a great day! Thank you all for making my mother feel so welcome also...she had a wonderful time! (Thanks Carol for the take home gift of your Lemon Poppy seed Loaf) it was very kind of you and mom will snack on it for the weekend. I did get out in the garden for a couple of hours after getting home and mostly competed the planting of the new arrivals. Once again I am thrilled to have these new plants to add to my gardens and the fact that they came from friends gardens makes them that much more special. Take care all and hope to see you again soon. Ross.

Hi Please...tell me that a bunch of these are ugly, invasive, impossible to grow etc. Well, here's my list so far! Also, if anyone already has (hopefully) some of these that you might be interested in trading/sharing/splitting seed orders, whatever. Please just let me know. T & T Page # Item # Name Description Height Quantity Price 3 A360 Morning Glory Sunrise Serenade Ruffled Cherry Red 20 3.95 24 A44 Amarathus Early Splendor Crimson / Chocolate foliage 50 1.95 25 B103 Begonia Dragon Wing Pink 15 5.95 26 B123 Coleus Wizard Coral sunrise Tri Colour Sunny 50 2.50 27 B82 Gaillardia Sundance Bi-colour Mahogany red/ylw 50 1.95 29 B189 Isolepsis Fibre Optic Grass 15 4.95 B192 Wind Dancer Lover Grass 15 4.95 B68 Rudbeckia Maya Dwarf double 25 2.95 30 A260 Lavatera Novella Bright rose 14" 25 2.95 31 A193 Hollyhock Queeny Purple Powder Puff 40 4.95 33 A425 Phlox Grammy Pink 6" 25 2.95 37 A520 Sweet Peas Mammoth Collection 7x50 10.25 A503 Crimson A506 Lavender A509 Rose Pink A510 Scarlet A511 Salmon 37 B324 Vinca Pacifica Burgundy Halo Bi-colour pink & white 12" 50 2.50 B321 Vinca First Kiss Blueberry Violet blue/lavender 12" 50 2.50 38 Zinnia's A640 Magellan Coral 15 4.25 A650 Zowie Yellow Flame 15 4.95 A630 Swizzle Cherry & Ivory 10 3.95 38 A365 Rhodochiton Purple Bells 10' 15 4.95 50 6295 Acidanthera White/mrn 10 4.95 Total $78.30 Shipping $5.75 10% Off $60.00 by Feb 15/08 Free Candytuft Pink Flash Free California Ballerina Poppy William Dam 67 1345 Aster Hulk Green Bracts/ylw disk 35-50 2.45 67 1407 Bacopa Snowtopia 18" 8 3.95 67 1420 Balsam Topknot Mixture Fully Double 8" 35 2.25 68 1427 Bupleurum Griffiti Lime green/ylw 28" 150 1.65 68 1404 Begonias Non-Stop Hybrid Mix 13 Colours 35 4.25 68 1604 Begonias Panorama Mix Pendulous mix apricot, ylw, pink, scarlet, white 20 3.95 70 1440 Campanula Meteora Light purple star shaped 10" 50 1.95 70 1467 Cardoon Grey foliage / purple 60" 40-80 1.75 70 1487 Cisanthe Brightness Blue grey foliage / magenta 30" 500-800 2.25 71 1507 Coleus Giant Exhibition Formula mix 15 2.65 72 1509 Convolvulus Royal Ensign Navy blue/ylw white 8" 90 1.65 72 1514 Cosmos Double Click 4' 50-100 2.65 73 1517 Cuphea Starlet Royal purple (mice) 18" 15 3.25 74 1530 Didiscus Madona Mix Lav, blue, pink,rose,white 20" 150 1.75 75 1536 Euphorbia Kilimanjaro 50 1.85 81 1557-6 Sunflower Jade 36" 25 2.75 82 1553 Heliotrope Benary's Marine 18" 100 1.95 82 2623 Hollyhock Queeny Purple 30" 45-85 1.95 86 1690 Monarda Begamo Fragrant rosy-purple 24" 50 2.25 88 1711 Nigella Exotic Deep blue/purple 300 1.65 91 1957 Poppy Hen & Chicks 30" 375-625 1.65 93 Salvias 2000 Salvia Sahara Bright scarlet 10" 40-50 1.85 2001 Salvia Picante Purple dark 18" 50 2.75 2003 Salvia Marble Arch Rose-deep pink 26" 100 1.75 2004 Salvia Lady in Red 26" 25 2.95 2006 Salvia Fairy Queen Saphire blue/white 18" 50 1.95 95 2020-4 Statice QIS Rose 32" 100 1.65 2020-5 Statice QIS Lavender 32" 100 1.65 97 2104 Verbena Imagination Violet 12" 80-90 2.25 102 2858 Morning Glory Sunrise Serenade Ruffled Cherry Red 15 2.75 104 2966 Hyacinthe Bean Ruby Moon 10 2.75 104 2943 Thunbergia White Sunrise BES Vine 15-20 2.95 106 2533 Aster - P Summer Ruby Dark red 4' 100 2.25 106 2538 Bergenia Red Beauty pink flowers 8" 35 2.95 108 2575 Delphinium Blue Mirror mid blue 18" 60-80 2.65 108 2576 Delphinium Summer Colours Dk blue, Lt blue, white,pink 12" 30 2.25 110 2620 Heuchera Firefly 16" 1000 1.75 110 2622 Heuchera Melting Fire PVP 18" 35 2.75 115 2618 Scabiosa Blue Diamonds Dwarf 10" 35 2.95 115 2735 Thalictrum Meadow Rue 85-150 1.95 Shipping $6.95 Total $95.20 Vesey's 77 2048A Pavola Dk blue 45 2.95 77 2039A Aster Milady Scarlet 50 2.45 77 2040A Aster Ostrich Feather Crimson 100 1.75 101 2414A Rudbeckia Cappucino 18" 50 2.95 105 2452A Sunflower Jade 35 2.45 105 2450A Sunflower Double Dandy Red double 2' 30 3.15 117 2687A Jacob's Ladder Apricot Delight 20" 10 3.25 Shipping $7.95 plus a list of starter plants $18.95 Stokes 65 942F Gazania Daybreak Pink Shades 15 2.25 65 942G Gazania Daybreak white Shades 15 2.25 65 947G Gazania Kiss Yellow Flame 15 2.25 65 947D Gazania Kiss Rose 15 2.25 67 978D Sunflower Moonshadow 20 2.75 70 1095A Mesemaryanthemum 6 colour mix 700 2.25 70 1095M Mesemaryanthemum Harlequin Mixed 700 2.25 74 1143 Nierembergia Purple Robe 250 2.25 74 1143C Nierembergia White Robe 250 2.25 Shipping ?? $20.75 Dominion N.5 61-6728 Castor New Zealand Kiwi 7 2.99 N.2 61-5268 Petunia Shock Wave Purple 20 9.99 S.3 60-3866 Kale Toscano palm 50 2.99 2 60-0690 Argyreia Nervosa Wolly Morning Glory 300cm? 15 3.99 4 60-2195 Calandrina Ruby Moon Violet-rose 15 cm 200 3.99 11 60-7664 Gaillardia Sundance Bi-colour 75 1.99 11 60-7666 Gaillardia Red Plume 40cm 75 1.99 16 61-0831 Laurentia Axillaris Avant-garde blue 30cm 30 3.99 18 61-6266 Mirabilis Jalapa Red Glow 40 1.99 19 61-3569 Nigella African Bride White 200 2.99 12 61-8839 Sunflower Jade 50 2.99 14 61-0275 Impatiens Hyb Victorian Rose 15 4.49 plus a whole bunch of plants on PG's N13-N19, 91-96, plus....shrubs on 106, like all of them! $44.38 Free Shipping seed orders over $40 my Mar 3/08 Grand Total $257.58 Plus Shipping Someone please stop me! good grief... I can't wait to start wintersowing, but I usally wait till the end of February. The wait is going to kill my bank account..lol Anyway, I'm looking for any input on my selections. I am a little concerned about some being reseeders or invasive... p.s. Hi Marcia...I will have pictures to show you of the work in progress by the weekend. Could use some input. Thanks, Kelly