Wind catcher: Today i finished it up. I found a good used deck belt, came from a friend who has around 30 or so Cubs in his back yard, and then i got to installing it. BUT---there were things in the way! So, i called Uncle Joe George, who is a local whiz on Cubs, and he came over and helped me put the belt on. Now, you can imagine how many parts were messed up, bent, out of adjustment, all that, but i finally got it together and i chased leaves for an hour. I'll take it back tomorrow or Sat. And, that'll probably be the last one until spring. Thanks to all for the help they have furnished on the stuff i had troubles with, and i'll be here copying the mail. Just had a visit by my bone-crusher Dr. of chiropractory, who came to pay his bill. He told me to keep on working-ain't no future in sitting down and dieing of boredom! And--who would fix his stuff?

Well hopefully this isn't to late to help but - check with your local fire department. In my area they get their fire foam (to use on firefighting efforts)in 55 gallon barrels. Ours are a pretty blue color, you could cut them in half and have two half barrels to plant in. They are tough plastic with lids etc.... Fire foam is just soap based so it's easily washed out. Just a thought.

Do you have a box store such as Home Depot, Lowes, K-mart, Wal-mart close by? Those stores normally carry what we refer to as "cactus mix". Any brand will do. Joshua Trees are not all that fussy about special soil requirements but do prefer to have good drainage. Or you could just use 2 parts regular potting mix with 1 part perlite added. Let the seedlings develop at least 5-7 leaves then gently use a mini hand towel or tweezers to push the seedling off and plant in a new container with fresh mix. Water well and do let soil dry out between watering.

We have a local pediatrician that does di-chro jewelry. He wears pins and stuff everyday at work and has given lots of it to his nurses and receptionists, who also wear it frequently. He gets lots of questions about the jewelry, and people always want to know where he gets it (most of what he wears is very whimsical). Several years ago he began to have an open house at his own home in early December to sell his jewelry (he and his daughter make it all). They invited their co-workers and friends and just served cookies, crackers, cheese, and punch. They told everyone to bring friends. Every year it has grown and last year they probably had a few hundred people go through their doors. I love his stuff and do lots of gift buying there every year, buying about 20 pieces per year. They now have picture frames, serving utensils, sculptures, and lots of jewelry priced mostly from $10-100, but some a little more. People get there early, waiting outside, to get first pick of everything. Most everyone there purchases at least $100 or more. I get compliments on his jewelry all year long and tell people where it comes from and they ask how they can get invited to this "exclusive" party. I just tell them to call his clinic and they will give them the date and time.