That's so funny! That time I thought you were just being silly! Good news at the dentist always makes for a better day! Yay! Lisa - I'm so sorry that I've been remiss in taking time to post on the board that I received my prize package from you. I sent you an e-mail when it arrived on Monday. I hope you received it. To everyone else - Lisa sent me the nicest box of prizes from last month's games. For some game when I was the next person to post (it seems like we were waiting for Tracy to materialize but I don't remember why) she sent me some nice gloves and plant markers. For finding that tiny Christmas tree, thereby putting an end to her 'I Spy' game, she sent me a plant off of my want list. She chose to give me Phlox 'Orange Perfection'. I was very excited to get this, as I've never seen it in my area. And, just because she's so sweet, Lisa sent me another start from Larry's iris collection! I'm a lucky girl!

Heidi, I followed your links back to you album and can't see a way to post the individual pictures on here but am able to post a link to the album that you have the pictures you were trying to post from earlier. Without further ado, here is Heidi and her family! (see link below) All of you are adorable. I especially love your little pancake helper and Donald Duck Jr. The boys are so cute! You and your hubby look so happy in your wedding photo. you have a wonderful family!

Before leaving for the new post... Maybe I collect stray cats - have 9 ...and roses... can't have any beautiful objects like yours - especially not vases...the cats climb on everything and then whatever is there falls down and breaks... :-) but I love blue (cobalt especially) vases and bottles, and Jim, I adore those Gijoe doll-statues... they are so well made, perfectly rounded of, with so much attention to detail... I have never seen them. we only have Barbie and Ken dolls here... my brother used to collect Matchbox cars... I never had anything that special... except my cats and my roses... yes Carol... how sad what mankind does to nature... horrific.... I am going to delete the post with the elephant photo's until I've contacted my friends to ask their permission to post it permanently :-) so glad you liked seeing that.... please spread the news - stop purchasing ivory... the sad thing is, when you think about it - all the keys in a piano are made with ivory, that such a beautiful creature had to die to create such beautiful music..ironic isn't it? all for man's pleasure....

I grow Dark Desire. My only complaint is the thorns. My DD is one of my oldest plants. I bought it from Chamblees own roots. And it actually does quite well in my nematode infested ground. In fact, when it goes off patton I want to try and root it and try it as a root stock. My Dark Desire every once in awhile will put out a rose with a white streak, but not as much as when it was a young plant. My DD grows straight up putting Jack's Magic bean stalk to shame... it grows VERY tall. but not wide. Nor does it grow at weird angles..... however, by accident I found if you pull a cane over it will actually put out laterals and you will get a lot more roses..... I wish I would have know that when I originally planted him because I would have put in him in a different place. Right now it is hard to make him grow with laterals because, he then crowds my other roses..... and with his thorns, I then can't maneuver around the other bushes without getting ATTACKED. He does have a nice fragrance. Granted I am in a different zone, but if you have room I would say to give him another try.