Calliope and Rob's comments about Bulgaria in my patio thread got me thinking I should talk about what I know of the country and the trip before I go, and this is probably the most appropriate thread in which to do so... We are going because we have a lot of Bulgarian friends, and we have a priceless opportunity to see a new place in the company of insiders. We will be staying with a good friend who is a naturalized American but still keeps her apartment in Sophia. Also traveling with us is another native who now has an American passport, his wife (who's from ND, so you know she's cool!), and their 18 year old son. We'll also be visiting my girlfriend's parents, whom we've met before and who live in an apartment in the same building, and the wife of my girlfriend's brother. The brother is also a good friend of ours. He has a green card, so can't be out of the US for more than 6 months... and the wife is waiting for her green card and can't come here until she gets it... oh, and she's about 8 months pregnant. My friends promise to introduce me to a wide circle of family and friends. Most don't speak English, but my friends will translate... plus I understand I'll be able to converse with some friends in French... and I do speak a bit of Russian, if they'll forgive me for communicating in the language of a former oppressor. If all else fails, I'm a dang good mime. I'm actually surprised at how much Bulgarian I'm able to understand, and I can read the alphabet. We're planning on spending some time cooking together, some time visiting historic sites, like Rila Monestary, and some time at the Black Sea. From what I am told, these are some of the most beautiful beaches in Europe. I suggested we hit Greece, since we'll be so close, but I was met with disdain (and Bulgarian pride), after all, Greek beaches are horrible pebbly places, while Bulgarian beaches are beautiful and covered in sand. Bulgaria was dominated for centuries by the Ottomans, and there are lots of residual Turkish influences. Lots of Greek and Russian influences too. They are proud people, and while they have adopted many of the foods and customs of people who have dominated them over the years (they seem to be gifted at choosing the losing side in wars), they can be a bit touchy about the whole thing and are quick to point out All Things Bulgarian. For instance, Bulgarian doesn't use the Russian alphabet, Russia uses the Bulgarian (Cyrillic) alphabet. Bulgaria is part of the EU, but they haven't converted their currency yet. They produce most of the world's supply of rose oil, a component in nearly all perfumes. I was disappointed to learn the rose farms will not be in full bloom, because areas of the country feature valleys full of roses as far as the eye can see, and the scent is supposed to be heavenly. Oh, and nodding the head = "no" and shaking the head = "yes". Apparently this is the source of much confusion with outsiders. I have been told that this is because Bulgarians are largely comprised of three tribes of horsemen, and this body language emulates that of horses... (they nod when agitated) but I don't know whether or not that's an apocryphal explanation... We're leaving this week and will be gone for a while. I promise to take lots of pictures and post stories when I'm back and over my jet lag.

Suzy, the most important part of it... she's gonna be what she once was and then some. At some point, someone closed in the porch and made a utility room. At some point someone added a closet in the front bedroom. At some point, someone ripped up the carpets and made the hardwood pretty. That closed in porch will now be part of a good sized master bedroom. And have a sitting porch added on the back (later, like in May, screened-in over a deck). The hardwood floors will flow from one end of the house to the other. Since the kitchen doesn't have them, but the master bedroom needs it ripped it out, it's getting moved. The other closet is a nice size, but it's ugly. We'll finish it on the inside so that it's more than just "there", it'll be useful. The house keeps telling me, she's waited so long to be efficient and beautiful. Jan, it's a great conversation starter! Better than, "Do you see that pile of mess? When is he ever gonna cut his grass?!" None of those around us, thank goodness. How are your sis and Katrina doing?

Lists give me a false sense of order. Life is chaos right now, so indulge me... First, let me share some images with you: I got manically enthusiastic over this spring's first bee sighting... and laughed out loud when I saw . She's fast asleep (maybe dead?) on a flower after multiple frosts so far this fall... I had to go inside and get my camera because there was something about her "pose" that reminded me of that snapshot every mother has of her toddler asleep on the potty chair. Here's a view of . (Caution! This bullet point is rated PG-13!) Earlier this month, I called my unsuspecting neighbors into my yard one by one to scandalize them with some that startled me. ! I have to work on Halloween. I only work one Friday a year and this one is it! As both a nod to the holiday and a gesture of rebellion, I want to wear a costume... but I really have to wear a business suit... so I came up with an ingenious ... (I'm going to be the witch the house fell on... who just happens to wear a business suit in real life...) I've got a lot of irons in the fire right now. They're "fun irons" but energy-draining nonetheless: Our front patio project starts this week The living room furniture we ordered last summer is being delivered any day now, and we are completely reconfiguring our TV/stereo setup in the process My big tradeshow is next week Steve and I are going to France (Paris & Nice) next month (two weeks of business for him --- ten days of pleasure and reminiscence for me) I need to put a couple major work projects to bed to prep for a long Thanksgiving/hunting trip to visit my family... Fun story: I got an email (and subsequent phone call) from a former coworker/friend last week. We moved away six years ago, and it'd been three years since we last spoke. At that time, we talked at length about a guy who was asking her out. (She was single, and we enjoyed talking about her dating life.) She was interested because he was intelligent, kind, interesting, attractive, a successful commercial pilot, and very in to her. But she was reticent to go out with him because he was divorced with kids. For that reason, she was going to blow him off. Apparently, I chastised her and told her that being a divorced father wasn't sufficient reason to write off an otherwise-interesting guy. I said if there's no drama between him and the ex, and if he's mature about the whole deal, it might even be a plus. I summed it up by saying "For crying out loud! He's not asking to marry you --- he's asking you out to dinner! Shut up and go already." She got back in touch to send me their...

Good morning all, Mr Potaohead (is that right!!). Excellent idea...I didn't think about doing it that way but your twine is nice and tight. Might try your way next year although I might go a completely different direction next year. Last year, I found that I couldn't keep up with all the suckers so I had a lot of offshoots from the main stem. I got a lot more fruit but also had to do a lot of tying of those extra stems. I'm considering a new trellis where I'll make a four corner PVC box around the outside of each set of two containers. I can build it up as the plants grow and use twine wrapped around the outside of it. Then I won't have to prune and can let the suckers grow. Your plants look excellent...good luck this year! Palmettogal, That's the beauty of this system. All you have to do is keep the reservoir full and the container wicking system and the plant takes care of the rest. The plant always has water available. But...you must keep that reservoir topped off! Yummykaz, Go to the search box and search "bingster"...you'll get all my posts and the ones from last summer have detailed instructions. You can also search "earthtainer". "Raybo" has taken the homemade earthbox to the cosmic level. His are much more sophisticated than mine and his posts have a lot of good info. Also...you can google "homemade earthbox" or "josho". Josho's site has full instructions on how to make these boxes so I credit him here. Corrie22, That's a great idea and thanks for your nice comments. I tried growing tomatoes for years with mixed results and last year was the first time I grew tomatoes that had the size and taste I'd always wanted. I'm excited this year because I grew my own seeds so have lots of different varieties (hopefully) to try. You say you're done for the year already...are you in South Florida, per chance?? I'm up in the panhandle of Florida and ours is a short season also. I pull my plants by the 10th of July...too hot and muggy for the blossoms to set fruit...and the bugs get 'em no matter what you do. cheers all, Bing