Good Morning Idylls! Yeah, Im wireless (but still getting used to this laptop). The party NYE was really fun. The food was outta this world and the dessert was a hit. It was everyones last splurge before the start of dieting. We decided not to spend the nite and I was the designated driver this yr so only had 2 glasses of wine. These are special friends and funny as heck. We were sad to hear theyre going to move to TN in the next yr or so but vow to continue to host a NYE party and were all invited. Despite what I said, I think Im ready to put xmas decorations away. Inspired by Cynthia, Wendy, V, Monique and Michelle, yesterday, I spent 5 hrs. in the basement going thru old stuff, reorganizing and labeling Today Ill pick up a couple on-sale storage containers and pitch the limp old, cardboard boxes. I set the DVR so I wont miss any of the Rose Parade. Gosh, I love that DVR. Monique, I have two huge piles of paperwork, too gardening and misc. Ill be weeding thru that in the next couple weeks. Wendy, one of my winter projects is to organize photos, too my own and helping DD with hers. Seems to be no end of projects here to tackle. OK, catch up. T, I like word puzzles. I just cant get my head into this craze. Woody, I loved the pix of your DH and furry friends! Great to have a peak into your world. Eden, Bella is a real cutie! And all that hair! My grandniece just had her first bday and is a peanut by comparison. Shes healthy, but very, very petite (fathers side of the family are all small). Shes seriously entertaining and knows she has everyones attention b/c shes so adorable. Your scrapbook project sounds real interesting. Please make sure you show us your contribution when youre finished. Oh, and how proud you must be of your DD. What a loving thing to do for her sister. You have great kids and theyre all so supportive of each other. Taryn, I loved the pix you shared. You have such a lovely family and everyone looks so happy to be together. And a bum shot! You are so baaaaad, girl! T, your grandson is sooooo cute. Its great you get to spend so much time with him. Im sharing Marians concern about Jerri and the wildfires in her area. Hope she checks in soon. Marian, I understand about the stuffing. Somehow, that day my mind wasnt in geat! I heard from Jain and she said she lost a rose garden to a mudslide, but is grateful for the minor loss in view of the misery in the valley. Cynthia, I can understand how you get caught up with the GH rescue. The pix you posted of Miss Blue do remind me of Monty. I hope shes adopted to a loving home soon. Wendy, the story of your nephews and the desserts cracked me up! You guys must have been hysterical with laughter. Martie, I loved that gift of dinner for a week! Thats so creative. I have such trouble getting my Mom something and usually supplement her gifts with gift certificates to her fav restaurants. She loves them. She and her BF and neighbor catch the lunch or senior specials every week. Mary, good luck to your DS in her new home. How great of you to drive out with her and help with the move. Its been quite a harrowing year for your family and I hope the New Year is full of fun, happy times. Babs, how awful the deer ravaged your gardens! I usually have to find and replant the rhizomes in the back of my garden. They take a taste and usually spit them out 100 yards away. Grrrrr. Sue, EP and Marian, Im amazed and so jealous you can get out and garden this time of yr. Altho it has been unseasonably warm, its just too darned damp and chilly for me to indulge. After the xmas décor is put away, Im going to dive into plant catalogs. Cant wait! Yeona, Barb, great to hear from you, too. Oh and a special thanks to EP for the recipes on the other thread. In fact, thanks to one and all. Im going to copy them to my recipe folder. Sylvia, great idea to make provisions for our pets should something happen to us. Im sure my DD would take Bullet in, but its good to have a plan in place. Marie, the creek is just beautiful! Our show has melted with all this mild (damp) weather. Were in for a cold snap soon. Hope we get some snow to insulate the plants. Eden, my fav movie is "Somewhere in Time" with Jane Seymour and Chris Reeves filmed at our own Grand Hotel up north. I cry every time. Well, where the heck is Deanne? Deanne, were missing you. Hope all is OK. Well, the sales are calling. Have to shower and get this program rolling. Enjoy the extra day off, everyone!

HAHAHA I AM CRAZY LIKE THAT! I pay attention to everything right down to the hairy dark tanned skin of the hard working gardener with gardening fingernails. hahaha Not only great at crossing the brugs but look at those beautiful pictures. I would hang them up on the wall hairy hand and all. Even has pretty fluffy white clouds in there. The colors are so intense. Bravo Mr. Gardener! Sorry, I don't know you Gary. But you do nice work there.

I thought about that distinction..travel and experiences vs things..to me, it's also not either or, it's both. I traveled less that I wanted to, planned to, yet quite a lot; most of things I love were bought or found during trips, whether several hour trip, or travel to faraway places. So that things I love they remind me of travel, experiences, certain people in my life..and travelling somewhere allows me to experience, to see people I love, to meet new ones, and to see and appreciate many wonderful things as well. Not all of them I'll be able to snatch and take with me, but I'll remember them. and most likely I'll snatch something small too:) So to me, it's two sides of a coin..the coin being, well..a journey. And each journey will be unique of course; but the point is to have it..recognize it...try to have a blast when possible, since once upon a time that journey will come to an end, and hard to know what the next one will feel like. Probably very unlike anything we imagine. I'm not afraid of becoming old lady(yes, I'm vain and shallow nevertheless lol, and would like to still look like I'm 28..))..I'm more afraid of not having a chance to become one..:) That'd be a pity.. And I hope to live to see my grandchildren one day, to love and to hold, you know, and I'm pretty sure they won't find me or my place ridiculous:) Funny, quirky, strange, different from what it will be(what it will be then?)-maybe. Well it's all cool. We don't take our journeys alone; others continue it, and they'll take from ours so much, even if no things will be left, no actual place, and very little memories.

My cats love plants of any type. Any house plant I have is up high so they can't get them. I made the mistake of making herb pots on time. Basil, Parsley etc. They ate the whole plants! So now I make them romaine and Kale bouquets when I go to the store. I cut the ends off so the leaves are loose put them in a tall glass vase and the cats munch on them for days. Sometimes when I am at the store and they have Basil and Parsley on sale for $2.00 a plant I will buy them the biggest ones I can find and put it down for them to eat. They love cat grass too and my son is making me a 3x5 foot box and lining it to make it water proof so we can make them a cat garden in the front room in front of the window. I am going to plant lots of different cat grasses and herbs there for them to munch on. Even though they get their own they still wont leave the house plants alone sigh. My poor lucky bamboo it too months for the tips of the leaves to grow back because they would munch just the tips off of it.