Oh, LOve it...a Hippy Weight loss club! COunt me in...too many hours in my recliner recovering from surgery, plus a hubby who gets snarky over not being at work during vacation...turned back into my sweetheart the day he went back to work! Darn! But hard on the diet..hiding out with carbs to keep me going until "Vacation" ended! NOw the dang thumbs going to keep me from my favorite winter activities like walking Josie pup and clearing windfallen branches off our winter woods trails, pruning, etc. I propose we all send a beautiful new hippy bulb next fall to the biggest looser by a certain date...anyone else want tojoin in? Chaz, with the most to loose you could end up the real winner here! I lost abut 60 lbs a few years ago, and then got real with it when Blood sugar went up and relost some then somemore...down to 200 now frm about 260 (5'9") but really want to lose anower 40 lbs(plus what ever has gone back on this winter!) My method of weight loss was easy when I was active. My Dr had one simple sentence that worked for me...Chaz, this might work for you also. His sentence.....? "Cut the carbs>" No counting, now weighing food, no negotiating. I found a brand of cottage cheese that I really liked and had a big bowl of it with blueberries every day for lunch. Too bad costco no longer carries that brand! THey went to Darigold which tastes bitter to me. But find something you like that is not carb heavy and you can grab it without thinking when at work or you come in form the garden. And I hope Chase is going to support you in this? Not going to work if he is eating all the things you like but should not! After a while on this I totally lost my taste for Ice cream and chocolate even...did not crave them at all. THink of it as CHoosing life, not as depriving your self! Put up pictures of the slim flight attendent you were and remember how easy it was to do things then! And when tempted to sit and eat...put on the gardening gloves and get them dirty! Best wishes to all of us for renewed health and agility this year!

I wonder how she's doing? I haven't seen her around in ages. Have a Happy Bday if you happen to stop by and see this post.

Molanic, yes, I have grown many plants to attract the Painted Lady, but never had any eggs/caterpillars at all. Maybe they prefer prairie habitat? I am a city gal, but I still get lots of them and American Ladies, too. I have grown the following: Hollyhocks False Nettle (still have for Red Admirals and QMs) Sunflowers Malva (High Mallow) Wormwood/Artemisia ssp. Thistle (Carduus ssp.) Lambsquarters (Chenopodium) Plantain (both lance-leaved and Dooryard) Yarrow The Dallas County Lep Society lists the following larval host plants for them, by family, genus and species. You can see I grew/grow many of the plants mentioned: ASTERACEAE: Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea), Western Sagewort (Artemisia campestris), Mexican Sagebrush (Artemisia ludoviciana), Musk-Thistle (Carduus nutans), Basket-Flower (Centaurea spp.), Tall Thistle (Cirsium altissimum), Texas Thistle (Cirsium texanum), Wavy-Leaf Thistle (Cirsium undulatum), Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare), Common Sunflower (Helianthus annuus), Milk-Thistle (Silybum marianum). BORAGINACEAE: Borage (Borago officinalis), Blueweed (Echium vulgare). CHENOPODIACEAE: Beet (Beta vulgaris), Lamb's Quarters (Chenopodium album). FABACEAE: Soy Bean (Glycine max). MALVACEAE: Hollyhock (Alcea rosea), Common Mallow (Malva neglecta), Little Mallow (Malva parviflora), Running Mallow (Malva rotundifolia), High Mallow (Malva sylvestris), Globe-Mallow (Sphaeralcea spp.). PLANTAGINACEAE: English Plantain (Plantago lanceolata), Dooryard Plantain (Plantago major). URTICACEAE: Nettle (Urtica spp.). I have found several other butterfly species on a few of these plants, like Red Admirals and QMs on False Nettle, Gorgone and Silvery Checkerspots on Sunflowers, Buckeyes on Plantain, and Sooty Duskywings on Lambsquarters. You would think that as common as the Painted Ladies are, and as larval plant generalists, we would have found them on something, huh? I would like to add Artemisia ludoviciana, Milk Thistle (Silybum), and Pearly Everlasting (I have tried this but not been successful at growing it yet). Maybe another thistle other than Silybum, altho it's potential invasiveness makes me a little nervous about growing it. Also, you'd think with the numbers of PLs I see in the garden, at least one might be a gravid female, right? But, no such luck so far....... Maybe we will get lucky this year. Susan

Ours was utterly quiet, although not unpleasant :). Both kids were off doing their own NYE celebration so the house was nice and calm. We ate dinner, chatted, then he went to sleep early and I read for awhile. Boring? Maybe but also a moment to cherish being secure in our lives and with so much for which to be grateful. Actually, our New Year's reminds me of the lyrics to one of my favorite Carly Simon songs, Misfit: There are plenty of late nights If you want to stay up for them You'll just want to find yourself a friend And tie a couple on in a night spot Draw pictures of your soul, win the jackpot Pour tears in your beer It's hip to be miserable when you're young and intellectual In a bit you'll admit you're a misfit Come on home with me We'll turn on the TV About 10 o'clock we'll turn off the light Not every man was born to stay up late at night There are plenty of boats to catch If you notice all the sails in the wind But you better look hard my friend In case you catch a ride on the wrong one In the distance is the one you belong on Oh the water is wide It's hip to be miserable when you're young and intellectual In a bit you'll admit you're a misfit Come on home with me We'll sit under a tree And if you get the itch I'll supply the scratch Not every man was born with a boat to catch It's hip to be miserable when you are young and intellectual In a bit you'll admit you're a misfit A misfit