It just so happens that I have many, many plants to re-pot (who doesn't?) come spring. I also have to divide one of my Oncidium. That should keep me busy for awhile. Maybe I'll be able to hit a plant swap or two and get rid of some of my extras. I also have this large, shallow terracotta bowl that some one in my building tried to throw out. I've been trying to decide whether I want to fill it with black mondo grass or black clover.... maybe some ice plant? It has to be something full sun tolerant and preferable not an annual. Jonathan, good luck with the maidenhair! I brought my back from the dead myself. They are one of the few houseplant that absolutely will not adapt to low humidity levels. Very unforgiving of under-watering as well!

Yes, I know its abit late now but here's some ideas for next year, and for your present giving, I thought alot of the ideas where great previously by the way. Get the e-mail addresses of the parents who children you want to invite, and send a e-invatition, ask them to e-mail the reply. yes electricity, but no paper or fuel in postage and no hassel. wrapping presents, use newpaper, old magizines, they are going to rip it any way, paper bags, for some reason my state you have to have your wine in brown paper? like no ones going to guess what you just brought! or if you have fast food for some reason, save these for wrapping but get your children to decorate them, at the age they are, people think it really cute, make cards out of old paper and pictures in mags, get your kids to make papier mache plant pots and decorate them, if for an adult, stick in a packet of seeds you know they like and if a child, a couple of seeds could be a bean, pea, nesturtium, radish something that shows a result quickly, and some planting medium in a bag, the bags I use are the ones manufacturered bread comes in! Party Favours same thing as presents except you could present something growing athough maybe difficult in October, I am sure someone will come up with an idea, all I can think of is lettice and even my veggie loving children won't eat that! and brussel sprouts just too big, haha!, keep the party simple, my boys love picnics and love indoor picnics even more, I actually produce a more authentic picnic indoors than out, cos I don't have too lug the picnic basket around! rug on floor etc, old fashioned games such as pass the parsell, wrapped in newspaper easy to rig so every child wins a prize, prizes well, I just keep the merriad of rubbish my boys have accumilated over the year in favors, which they examine and then discard, currently I have 9 pensils, 6 mini tubs of playdough, 10 erasers, 6 flying discs and 1 tub of assorted beads from frendship braclets. once you start looking for ways to reuse stuff it becomes easier and easier, your brain just seems to make new connections you will find yourself hovering over the trash can with a used item, thinking, I wonder! today our washing machine died a death, repair man could repair but only if we where prepared to spend $600+ we brought a new one for $420 and on looking at our old machine, I kept saying could it be a composer, husband (who is not a natural recycler but buys second hand most the time and is a great bargin hunter) could it be a fire pit, get away says I! look on the garden forums and sure enough people have used old washing machines for both these purposes, so yes! if I was really really green I would have had it repaired (well I would probably have a wash board and Mangle) but I live in the real world and needs must but there can ways to do it. BTW paper mache pots can be planted straight in the ground and decompose, but I would only do this if decorated for flowers not food! last but by no means least, don't force you ideals on any one by asking them for green toys and paper, it will only get backs up, for example do not judge them, just as you should not expect to be judged for your decisions, it was my birthday the other day and ony one person asked what I wanted, a watering can, okay I expected a big cheepo one and recieved a dinky red posh one, put it does the job and looks pretty, I also got cut flowers which have lasted very well, 3 weeks and counting and as they die off, into the compost they go, a huge scented cantle which is now in the energancy draw for power cuts etc, the pretty cardboard tub it came in will become something to keep sewing bits in or I will put someones gift into, the bags other gifts came in have been squirelled away for rewraping presents for others, and the wrapping paper is in my boys craft box, the Best buy Voucher...oh I used that today towards a new washing machine! Grurr! Just do what you can, we don't need to be tree huggers, and force our opinions, lead by example, and use what others waste, the link I enclosed is of a childrens TV program I loved in the 70's in the UK last verse sums it up We're so incredibly, utterly devious Making the most of everything. Even bottles and tins. Pick up the pieces and make them into something new, Is what we do! Here is a link that might be useful: Wombles

There's a lot of truth to many of the things brought up, and people wax nostalgically about "the good old days" but not many people really want to go back too far. Few will give up their cell phones, cars, remote controls, cable/satellite TV, microwaves automatic washers and the like. I'll admit I sure appreciate a lot of the conveniences but I also enjoyed going "back to nature" at the lake. No electricity out there so you got a taste of what it was like 100+ years ago. And certain conveniences there too. But that's a different topic. And me, I really like a large yard. I don't like being where you can reach out the window and shake hands with the neighbors. One of the reasons I bought where I did. Nice large lawn. I much prefer grass to blacktop or concrete. Healthier too. Trees and grass absorb CO2 and emit O2. It's part of photosynthesis. My dad couldn't figure out why I planted so many trees in my yard. I run the a/c much less because the house is much cooler when it's shaded. With grass rather than blacktop or concrete, it's much cooler in the summer and the smell of fresh cut grass is a nice smell, quite unlike the chemical smell of "mountain freshness" or whatever they call that stench they put in the laundry detergents and softeners that people seem so addicted to. Used to be when the clothes would stink was an indicator it's time to wash the clothes and yes, back when, you could wear a shirt and/or pants more than an hour before changing them. Having lawns instead of hard surfaces also lets the water tables fill up again from the rains and snow. Look at the areas with water shortage issues. Generally they have far more impervious surfaces. We are doing our best to fight Mother Nature and can't figure out why she gets ticked off and gives a little slap on the wrists now and then to remind us to wake up. And FWIW, I haven't watered my lawn for over 25 years and have a much nicer lawn overall than most of the neighbors. The hottest part of the summer the grass will go dormant. When that happens you don't need to mow. If you water it, then you have to mow it! What's wrong with this picture? :) And the one I'll add is how people used to "cook" coffee at home. They didn't have to go pay $5 at Megabucks for coffee with a lot of milk in it! Used a mug or a cup and saucer (how many remember saucer and blow? Course the coffee was much hotter then too because women in those days knew that coffee was hot and not to spill it in their laps and run to a lawyer. You'd fix it rather than just toss it and buy new. And nobody bought all new appliances because the color trend had changed! You could get your appliances in any color you wanted, as long as it was white, possibly with some chrome trim. Home buyers didn't know the phrase "kitchen needs 'updating'"! And for the rare circumstance if the washer quit for good and was unrepairable, you surely didn't buy a new dryer to go with it! And back then if you didn't have that item you wanted needed for whatever, you didn't make a special trip to the store. You called a neighbor or went over and asked to borrow a cup of sugar or whatever. Or you would "make do" without. If clothes went out of style, you wore clothes that were out of style until they wore out. Although few would go back to those days, many sure could learn something from those days couldn't they?

Casey,that is a lovely painting, and yes, you should have some of your photos framed. Always interesting and so enjoyable. This is my most loved painting...actually it is a print of an original done in the 'scratchboard' method. Bought it in the early '80s. Couldn't afford a companion print of Goldfinches on Thistle at the time, but have been searching for the last 10 years to find it. No luck....darn!