The best way to make a marker with the mini blinds is to use Aluminum Foil Tape available in the plumbing section of your hardware store. A large roll goes for about five dollars and will make hundreds of markers. The tape is similar to your kitchen tin wrap. It has a very good adhesive backing that sticks wonderfully to the mini blinds. Just cut off a piece and stick it to your blind. You can write on it with anything, it doesn't matter. When you write on it, it simply makes an indent in the foil. Never fades, never smudges. I can reuse all of my markers that were out all winter, the moisture doesn't affect the sticky backing!

I'm having the same trouble trying to plant Sunflowers and while I haven't seen them, I'm almost positive it is the squirrels. We don't have deer or rabbit. It might have been a groundhog, but he would have eaten a lot of things and made a huge mess. I've sown the seeds three times already. After the first set of seedlings disappeared [all but two] I sowed more seed and put hardware cloth down over the seed area and some of those edges were sharp. They still managed to get in between them a little but it looked like they gave up. But, to get back at me, they pulled out the two remaining sunflower seedlings that were about 6 inches tall already. After the second set of seeds germinated, I didn't want them to grow up through the wire, so I took it off and weeded around them. Back they came and did the same thing. So I've started the third bath which are already up. I've kept the wire covering on and bent it up a little to allow the sunflower seedlings a little room to grow. This time I am not going to weed around them because I think disturbing the soil at all, is a trigger for attracting them to the area. I even left the pulled sunflower seedlings right where they left them. If this doesn't work, I'm going to try using the netting I have over the strawberries, that seems to be working fine for the strawberries. Maybe that way I can get them to a decent size before they can get at them. I hope.

Well I got my pacakge today and it was an avacado seedling. Hum....If I didn't figure out who my partner was from being a married male I sure know now...he he! An avacado.....I am sure that I will be the only one growing one of those in Wisconsin! My wife told me that it needs to grow up so we can make guacamole! I am sure she is going to have to wait because it is only a foot tall. I also recieved a bunch of herb seeds. I never buy dill but have always wanted to grow it because I love the smell and now I have the seeds. I also found a pillow stuffed with pine needles or rosemary or somthing that smells really good. I don't know what it is for exactly but I think it will make my socks smell good if I put it in my sock drawer! LOL I also see some copper tags in my box. Did I mention that I LOVE copper! I have been looking to by a shut off valve for my sprinkler hose so I can just shut it off at the hose and not at the house. Thank you gardening buddy ........who ever you may be! I will have a lot of fun watching your avacado grow!

LOL Zeetera I use obscure terms and words no one else knows too. I know "top and tail" Graham Kerr the Galloping Gourmet said it while I was watching his show so long ago. I learned it then and it has stuck. The funny thing is I hadn't heard the term in years and only a few times some time back. Very recently I was watching another well know cooking show and the Chef used the term top and tail. The gals watching with me didn't know it. I have only heard Chefs say it. LIL