I have found nothing more effective in foiling squirrels, both the gray and ground (chipmunk) type, than "chicken" wire. I keep a roll on hand at all times, as I have to protect everything I plant, bulbs, perennials, annuals, shrubs and trees, including potted ones. For bulbs, I cover the entire planting area and leave it in place until the soil settles, which is often past the first bloom cycle. Once the soil becomes somewhat compacted, the dumb rodents seem to lose interest. I once tried to eliminate them, by trapping and relocating them to a park several miles away, but after a few years I found that to be a losing effort, as all of the nearby property owners removed most or all of their trees and I have the only designated woodland wildlife sanctuary for miles around. The trees bear many squirrel nests and chipmunk burrows are numerous. Maybe I'm a bit "squirrely" for trying to garden among all of the wildlife? Rb

Ah special places. Nice warm cozy feelings. Thanks! I like your visual Suze. Don, heavy happy sigh. Naval Post Graduate school. Mmm. Bronzed beauties. I do mean the guys. Coppertone always brings back that memory. That and the big ball room I could envision the ball that had taken place just seeing the confetti on the floor. Mommy in her ball gown and daddy in dress whites. Aw, that makes me cry now. They were a beautiful couple. My first place after leaving home? You guys make me see how spoiled I have lived even if I've never lived in a mansion. Do you want to know about the dorm I lived in or the first real home I had after I left school? I'd waited a year to attend MTSU. My best friend throughout high school was a year behind me and I wanted to wait for her. I spent that year making friends at my mom's office, thinking, insurance, ick, but I can stand a year. Ended up loving every minute of the camaraderie and fun we had in that office. Little did I know I'd do that for 17+ years!!! But I digress. Staying in school during the week and at home on the weekend, we alternated driving "home". MTSU is known as a "suitcase college" for just that reason. There is nothing to do there, so everyone leaves. It was a reasonable size room with two huge windows that overlooked the lawn and trees the size of buildings. It was one of three of the original buildings built in 1911 for Tennessee Normal school and it smelled, looked, and felt like it. We'd have to take our key every time we left the room because the door automatically shut and automatically locked. My roommate friend came to be too dependent upon me having a key and one day she asked me if I had my key I said no. You shoulda seen her go ballistic! Good thing I did have it, but I think she learned how much she took me for granted. In those days, dorms weren't co-ed. Ever. There was visitation on Tues/Thurs for us, next door it was Mon/Wed and as I stated before the grounds were empty by midday on Friday, so no need for visiting. The hours were 6-9PM. How archaic? Since it wasn't co-ed, if the handyman came to fix something you'd hear "Man on the Hall!" once they entered. That's because there were only two bathrooms total for the whole floor and one might be in half dressed mode. It had two toilets and two showers, three sinks and a couple of mirrors. People would hang out in the halls smoking. Clove cigarettes were popular then and the halls would smell of cloves all day long. Not so bad I guess, coulda been cigars. There was good food and you could get anything you wanted that you'd get at home, from baked chicken to huge sandwiches. But no fast food. We had a vending machine in the lobby of our dorm and my friend would "borrow" enough to buy some candy while we studied (she paid it all back one year much later on when she paid for a trip to Disney World for me). Dr. Pepper and peanut M&Ms. Always brings back studying thoughts. And we had one tv for the whole dorm! We'd try to finish up lab work (beakers and scalpels away!) by 3 so we could watch Days of Our Lives. Those were the days. Little did I know how good they'd be. My grandparents had paid for the first year, my mom was too poor to pay for anything else, and I didn't know how to apply for and get FAFSA. Phooey on my high school for not telling me. Shame on them. I was poorly equipped. But I went to back to work at the insurance place and found a friend who introduced me to my first husband. He'd attended MTSU. He'd sold cars where I bought my first car. He'd even worked at Willis Corroon! Which is where he'd met my friend. We'd all go watch the Nashville Sounds play or hang out at Bennigan's eating and telling jokes all night long. Greg and I married and moved to Murfreesboro on the river. It was a beautiful place that had leaves that looked red and gold in the fall, pines that looked lovely sprinkled in white snow, and then the red and gold trees would be covered in blossoms come spring. I guess they were Bradford pears. That place was a two floor townhouse. It had a grill in the kitchen and huge dining room. There was a wood deck out back and you could sit with your morning coffee looking at the lazy river and trees or watch the fog lifting. It's also the place were I met the love of my life, Keegan kitty. He'd sit on the steps and headbutt Greg with such love and deference. Greg would call him Keegan bunny as those tiny little legs would hop from step to step until he reached the top. And the reason he picked him out is because he was orange and white, go Vols! I hated UT. At least Keegan was cool. We'd spend our weekends with TA, Jay, Rita, Kathy, Kenny, going to ball games, eating out, or just telling TA to shut up ;) He worked for TBI and said he loved to take homes from "widows and orphans", boy he was a pistol. Some days we went to the ball games, some days hockey, and some days they'd watch NASCAR. One particular New Year's Eve we had a party where Kathy and I sat talking to each other and staying pretty sober. There was a friend of a friend who got noticeably tanked and we saw eating dip with difficulty. We didn't remember it being chewy, so we went to see what was going on. The jar had been dropped and had broken glass in it! Kathy and I never forgot that. We were silly kids having fun. I miss those days some days, but mostly not.

Story today from the wire services: PORT HURON, Mich. (May 31) -- Squirrel. Thief. A brazen squirrel has been grabbing small American flags placed in a Port Huron, Mich., cemetery and carrying them up to its nest, which now looks as if it's bedecked in bunting. Every Memorial Day, volunteers place the flags next to the graves of nearly 1,000 veterans buried at Mount Hope Cemetery about 55 miles northeast of Detroit. The flags were undisturbed during a Mass held Monday. The Times Herald reports that workers at the cemetery on Tuesday noticed several flags had been torn off their wooden staffs, which were still in the ground. The mystery was solved in front of superintendent Ron Ceglarek's eyes. He watched a squirrel detach a flag stapled to a staff and carry it up a tree to the nest. They do what they do, when their tiny brain functions at all! Rb

justgotabme didn't completely lose it "yet". .LOL!! Every one was right...so I am taking steps to brighten it up. Started removing wall paper yesterday, have much more to go. Looks so much better already.. hubby and kids love it! I will take pictures of my 'masterpiece' a little later ( I borrowed my neighbors camera, lost mine) I will post some in a bitÂ. I was looking at the "what color is your kitchen thread) and hoyamomÂs kitchen is dark cabinets with a mustard paint and I love itÂI think that is what I will do in here (with off white) trim.. (wish me luck.. lol) Thanks!Â. Ree roselvr Thanks again for writing, I appreciate your ideas and help! I am leaving the BR alone for now.. just one room at a time. We are changing the trim. .doing a wider crown and changing the trim around the door ways I hate to tell youÂ(donÂt kill me) but I am going to paint it all in an off white. ItÂs a task, and I have painted plenty of molding in my dayÂbut we were never happy with what is thereÂthe previous owner actually used the same chair rail as in the breakfast room for crown molding in the kitchen.. we always planned on changing it. now that I started thisÂ. ItÂs the time. Thanks for taking your time in helping me, I do appreciate it very much! IÂll keep you posted! Ree